Ford: Ford

Credits & Description:

Brand FORD
Entrant OGILVY AMSTERDAM
OGILVY AMSTERDAM Amsterdam, The Netherlands Entrant Company
OGILVY AMSTERDAM Amsterdam, The Netherlands Idea Creation
OGILVY AMSTERDAM Amsterdam, The Netherlands Production
HOLY FOOLS Amsterdam, The Netherlands Production
KAPSALON Amsterdam, The Netherlands Production
HIELKE PRAAGMAN Amsterdam, The Netherlands Production
TUSSEN KADIJKEN Amsterdam, The Netherlands Production
OGILVY AMSTERDAM Amsterdam, The Netherlands PR
MINDSHARE Amsterdam, The Netherlands Media Placement
Djajant Hanenberg Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam Concept / Copy
Helen Fernando Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam Concept / Art
Martijn van Marle Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam Creative Direction
Peter van Rij Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam Creative Direction
Swantje Hoppe Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam Production
Vanessa Jansen Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam Production
Joshua Fenton Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam Editing
Johan Karper Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam Strategy
Tom IJzer Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam Account Management
Joost van der Pol Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam Account Management
Ann Maes Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam Public Relations
Tim van Aerschot Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam Public Relations
Myrte de Jonge Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam Public Relations
Coen Stroeve Holy Fools Direction
Wikke van der Burg Holy Fools Production
Erik Mertens Holy Fools Production
Wouter Revier Holy Fools Camera
Martin Struijf Holy Fools Camera
Brian Ent Kapsalon Camera
Jef Grosfeld Tussen de Kadijken 2 Grading
Hielke Praagman Studio Hielke Praagman Sound Design
David Pedro Mindshare Nederland Exchange Management

Synopsis
Henry Ford’s purpose was to “open the highways to all mankind”. Ford wants to help people forward in life. The company has always been persistent in tackling cultural challenges with their own means.

In 2003, Ford was the first company in Europe to introduce a ‘disability manager’ and a disability HR team. Ford of Europe currently employs 4200 people with a disability.

Still, misperceptions of people with a disability are everywhere. Even in a country like the Netherlands, so proud of their open-mindedness, a stunning 55% of people with a handicap are struggling to find a job.

Ford’s objective is to show the Dutch they should value people with a handicap for their capabilities, instead of focusing on their limitations.

Strategy
Like all great stunts, Handicab isn’t about the number of passengers, it’s all about the number of people learning about the activation.

So our PR and social campaign has a strong focus on reach: Radio, TV, newspapers, blogs and social platforms.

The stunt has three stages. 1) A pre-launch to generate content for our video and give media and influencers an unforgettable ride, kick starting our story. 2) The launch event: distributing the social video and amplification via national media that attend this event. And finally 3) a post-launch event, generating extra publicity on the National Day for the handicapped.

Relevancy
Ford Handicab is a pop-up event: the world’s first taxi service with handicapped drivers only.

We don’t just involve the general public, but cleverly ask influencers, celebrities, media crews and the most famous Dutch radio DJ (millions of listeners and social followers) to take a ride with our handicapped taxi drivers as well. This gives us the leverage of both the media that follow these celebrities and the channels of the influencers and celebs themselves. All reach is generated organically.

Outcome
Ford Handicab quickly becomes trending topic on social media, reaching 4.6 million people (25% of Dutch population). Coverage of our launch event on the biggest national radio stations, Radio 3FM and Radio 1, reaches 4.3 million people. On the National day for the handicapped, interviews with our drivers on local and national TV shows reach more than 850.000. Interviews in regional and national newspapers reach an additional 500.000 people. Total reach: 10.1 million = 60% of the Dutch.

Engagement analysis shows that 60% of our audience indicate that Handicab has changed their prejudice about people with a disability.

Execution
Drivers of the Ford Handicabs are Tim, Debbie and Sebastiaan. Three great handi-capable ambassadors.

At our pop-up cab station, we ask the public to put their lives in the hands of people with a handicap. Not everyone is open to the idea. But the ones that are, experience firsthand that people with a handicap are perfectly capable.

At the pre-launch we invite celebrities (including the nation’s most famous radio DJ), and the media that follow them, to take a Handicab ride. We use the footage for our social video. On the actual launch, we distribute the video and national radio, TV, influencers report about our pop-up event, which is the talk of the town in Summer 2017.

We relaunch Handicab on December 4th, National Day for the handicapped. Focusing on a regional hero (driver Tim) we activate regional radio, TV and press.

Campaign Description
Ford Handicab is the world’s first taxi service with handicapped drivers only. At pop-up cab stations in major Dutch cities Ford Handicab offers rides to the public. Will the Dutch focus on the missing limb only, or are they able to see a capable cab driver? Will they step in for a ride?

The Handicab stunt first confronts passengers with their limited view of people with a disability, then immediately convinces them with a life-changing ride and conversation with our very capable cabbies.

Next to regular people looking for a cab, we invite local and national media, influencers and celebrities to hop in and take a ride, which they immediately share with their audiences. In addition, we create an impactful social video, so viewers experience the exact same process of the hesitant passengers in the Handicab: confrontation with their prejudice and overcoming it during the ride.