Ford aims for 'mobility' with Super Bowl ad, NYC hub
Ford is announcing two moves Monday to try to reinvent its image among consumers as a transportation solutions provider, not just an automaker.
The automaker is ramping up its image makeover with a new TV ad airing immediately before Super Bowl LI next Sunday. It is also opening a new demonstration center for tourists and locals in New York City called FordHub.
The Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker will air a 90-second commercial immediately before kickoff Sunday on Fox, Ford U.S. marketing director Chantel Lenard told USA TODAY.
The ad is paired with the opening of a 2,900-square-foot experiential FordHub exhibit at the Westfield World Trade Center. Lenard said both initiatives are designed to highlight the company's attempt to remake itself as a provider of "transportation solutions," instead of just a vehicle manufacturer.
The auto industry is bracing for sweeping change as self-driving cars paired with ride-hailing apps may eventually present an alternative to car ownership and public transportation.
Ford is "trying to stay ahead of what they see on the horizon," AutoPacific analyst Dave Sullivan said in an email. "They aren't walking away from cars overnight. People will always need to get from A to B. How we do that will eventually change. Ford is hoping to be part of that in whatever form it takes the shape of."
Ford CEO Mark Fields told USA TODAY earlier this month that the company wants to begin helping cities redesign their mass-transit networks potentially using self-driving vehicles. He views the "mobility" segment as a significant source of future profits.
"Mobility" is a frequent word you'll hear from Ford executives these days.
Talk is cheap, but Super Bowl ads aren't. And the company's decision to invest in a 90-second commercial between the coin toss and kickoff could cost close to $15 million, based on reported rates of $5 million per 30 seconds for official game ads on Fox.
Lenard declined to reveal the price Ford paid. It's the first Super Bowl ad for Ford since 2014, and Ford will pair it with stories about its ride-sharing, bike-sharing and autonomous vehicle efforts at FordGoFurther.com.
The ad features a string of humorous footage of people getting stuck in life circumstances.
The company hopes that the ad encourages people to visit its new FordHub in New York City. Visitors will get the chance to build a Mustang muscle car in a three-dimensional setting, view local transportation alerts on a massive video wall, engage in a virtual race featuring regenerative braking, and learn about the automaker's autonomous vehicles.
The one thing you won't be able to do there: buy a car. Ford is contractually prevented from selling vehicles without a franchised dealership, so employees will direct interested buyers to their local dealer, said Elena Ford, vice president of global dealer and consumer experience.
Elena Ford, a descendant of company founder Henry Ford, said the automaker benchmarked the FordHub with the Adidas store in New York and Burberry in London.
"We really see ourselves as having one foot in today and one foot in tomorrow," she said. "We love our core business and we are nurturing that and making sure that is very stable and having great products. But we also want to have one foot in tomorrow, and that is what we’re doing here."
Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.