Ford was looking to create product advocacy amongst millennial women for its new Fusion model by increasing the overall conversation — particularly around top drivers including design/style, performance, and technology.
At the time of this pitch, 25% of the conversation surrounding the Fusion was contributed by women. Ford wanted to increase its relevance among women and hoped to build engagement around the new Ford Fusion launch. They asked us to target millennial women with a campaign that would communicate confidence — enabling the target to look and perform at their best.
After reviewing client-provided research on the purchase drivers most important to women and the features inherent in the new product launch, we hypothesized that this opportunity was larger than a single car model. We believed that education was necessary to build confidence and brand loyalty among millennial women.
Through social listening, online research, and 1:1 interviews with peers, we found that millennial women are often overwhelmed by the process of buying an automobile. They don’t feel comfortable making choices and negotiating at the dealership, and lack confidence in vehicle maintenance.
We determined that we needed to close this industry-wide confidence gap, and that Ford could lead the charge.
To solve this problem, we created the Ford Carriculum: an app in which female millennial influencers can share stories and act as mentors to their peers. Influencers post tutorials or videos, host live events, and respond to questions about purchase and ownership decisions. The section on “car hacks” incorporates a social feed in which users can post anything from tech solutions to creative cup holder uses.
This app is intended to increase confidence among millennial women while building trust and engagement with the Ford brand. There is even an arm of the app that is designed to help dealers understand and connect with millennial women in new, meaningful relationships.
I collaborated on this project with a senior designer, UX designer, account manager and a communications strategist. Our proposal won a pitch competition at Blue State Digital and is currently being shared with top-level executives at Ford.