MEDIA

Lincoln shoots itself in the foot and head

Ford’s Lincoln division, one North America’s great luxury brands in years past, is trying to re-image itself and attract new customers – those under 65. There is new styling, trendy letter car names such as the MKZ (see my earlier blog on this stupid trend) and full page ads with colour.

The new campaign, which takes up 2 full pages in the Globe and Mail, February 13, 2013 Life & Arts section, is a disaster and unlikely to accomplish anything but get the ad agency fired!

Redhead Ad

One full page ad starts with dramatic flair and colour that catches the reader’s eye.   It shows a variety of people with gorgeously bright red hair. Then, in the middle of the page is the MKZ front view.  It is a dull dark grey and looks like an old black and white picture.    Then the text below, in relatively small print for the size of the ad, becomes even more laughable.

The message – with the obscure 2 headlines about statistics --argues that the new Lincoln Motor Company is “focus[ed] on the individual”.  It then adds at the end – without a matching picture image, the new “fully retractable glass roof”.

If the goal of this ad is to attract younger buyers with money, who believe in highlighting their distinctiveness through flashy red hair – probably all dye jobs – and eye catching hair does, why have the CAR in dull grey or black and white?

The car too should have been in bold redhead colour to stress its out-of-the-crowd ‘individuality’ – even if the real cars do not come in such a colour.

They could have an entire campaign going through the colour spectrum with platinum blonde, gold, purple, neon green, orange, etc., hairdos and matching car colour.  

And, finally, as to the text portion, it is old fashioned and Dull, Dull, Dull!!!   Boring and in thin, pale grey type!!!

Why not matching redhead type?   Why no funky font?

Why no memorable tag line or slogan?

 Maybe the emphasis on the company’s new name --  in the bottom right corner (which is a key visual spot) -- says it all.

“Introducing THE LINCOLN MOTOR COMPANY”

How pathetic!!!   Firstly, the company and name is decades old and not new. 

More importantly, no one in his or her right mind would stretch out this key endpoint with the words “motor company” as the ad is not for chocolates or cat litter.

Long, wordy phrases that mean nothing is bad advertising.  Short and snappy is in.  So it should simply have said:    “LINCOLN” in larger font.

Better yet, have a slogan such as:

·  “the wave of the future”	§  “the future is now"
·  “where technology and art become one”	§  “take a stand”  (the ‘individual’ theme)
·  “making others envious”	·       " Be a leader"

 

·         “Bold and beautiful”

 

Full Page Ad #2

The adjoining page, with large and a bold redhead headline, is also very much a waste.

 Firstly, the ad pretends to be a newspaper review article using standard newspaper tiny print – a devious and transparent fraud that any educated reader would pick up even if they did not see the G&M warning at the top: “SPECIAL INFORMATION FEATURE”.

Secondly, in today’s world of text messaging and twitter, LONNNNNNGGGGGG texts are Stone Age relics to be avoided.  Short and snappy is the mantra.

So this full page ad shoots itself in the foot from the start.  Just looking at the         5 columns of print would make most people just move on.  (Grade F-)

As for the text’s content, the first 1/3 chronicle’s the company’s history going back to 1921 and is unlikely to influence any younger reader.  Again, in today’s younger mindset, old history only becomes of interest re: vintage wines.    The long history lesson is counter productive!  (Grade: F)

The next section --  on the new designer -- is helpful as he is young at 40 and non-American, and he says frothy lines that say nothing but are in vogue among today’s affluent.  (Grade: B)

The final 1/3 is pure brochure material.  Too tiny in print but with nice pictures.  Too bad it did not take up the entire page -- so the font could be large and readable!!   (Grade: C)

 

Oh, and NO SLOGAN!    (Grade:  F-)

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In conclusion, Ford’s Lincoln division is trying to re-image itself and sell more than just a few cars to those over age 65.  These two, full page ads, however, are more memorable for their flaws and dullness, though one might be tempted to try a new hairdo or buy Clairol’s bright red hair dye!