VML | Agency Profile, Contacts, AOR, Client Relationships

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Campaign Imminent: Ford taps new lead social AOR (Score 63)

Sales Lead: As it continues its

• This shift replaces , which won the business just over a year ago.
• WPP will serve as the social AOR for its gas and hybrid vehicle business, Ford Blue.
• The WPP agency team reportedly includes creative network Mindshare.
• Meanwhile, VaynerMedia will remain on the roster, leading the social account for Ford's commercial and government business, Ford Pro.
• I predicted additional roster shifts would follow Ford's ​​​​​
• The company will likely:
  • Shift strategy
  • Launch a new campaign
  • Pursue influencer partnerships similar to those with Sydney Sweeney, Dee Bryant, and Kai Lenny
  • Return to higher spend
  • Seek additional new agency partners, especially once it taps a new CMO (more below)
• Target demographic: 
  • ​​​​​​​Gen-Z and millennials with a male skew

Additional spending insights:

• Broadcast insights (TV ad creative spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)
  • YTD spend: Ford has spent approximately $23.6m on national TV commercials YTD, less than half of the approximately $69.5m spent by this point last year.
  • Last year: The automotive company spent around $117.6m on this channel last year after having spent much more, around $294.8m, in 2021.
  • 2023 ad programming: Ford's 2023 commercials have targeted male sports enthusiasts watching shows such as NFL Football, NBA Basketball, the NASCAR Cup Series, College Football, and NHL Hockey.
• Digital and social insights (digital ad spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)
  • YTD spend: So far this year, the company has allocated roughly $3.7m toward digital ads, 34% less than the roughly $4.9m allocated within the same 2022 timeframe.
  • YTD data: Ford has earned ~422.1m digital impressions YTD via YouTube (33%), Facebook (28%), Instagram (21%), desktop display (12%), desktop video (5%), and mobile display (1%) ads.
  • Last year: In 2022, the company's estimated full-year spend of $21.7m reached about a third of that of $60.1m in 2021.
• Additional channel insights  
  • The company utilizes local broadcast, print, radio, OOH, Google Ads, Facebook, and online video (Youtube.com) ads.
  • Ford sponsors podcasts such as Up First, Planet Money, The John Batchelor Show, TED Radio Hour, and The Kyle & Jackie O Show.
  • The company invests in short-form DRTV.
    • ​​​​​​​It has very highly concentrated network TV coverage and will not likely launch a new campaign soon.

Additional agency insights:

• Opportunity: Get in touch soon to be top-of-mind when Ford finds a new CMO to succeed recently-retired Joy Falotico; additional AOR appointments will likely follow this one.
• Current agency roster:
  • WPP: Social AOR (Ford Blue - 2023)
  • VaynerMedia: Social AOR (Ford Pro - 2023)
  • Mindshare: Media agency partner (2023)
  • VMLY&R: Creative agency partner (2023)
  • Wieden + Kennedy NY: Global creative and brand strategy AOR (October 2022)
  • : Multicultural marketing agency partner
  • : Creative and media planning AOR​
  • : US CRM/Creative AOR 
  • )
  • : Media buying, planning, and activation agency partner  ​​​​​
  • : Multicultural agency partner

Insight Sources: Broadcast insights estimated by .