Ford F-150’s new ad highlights the truck's strength more than its fuel-efficiency

Ford will unleash the ads for its new F-150 on the last day of the year and it will be displayed during the College Football Playoffs which starts off on December 31. However, the campaign will be highlighting the strength factors of the car rather than its fuel efficiencies.

The short ad blitz focuses more on the toughness and lightweight of the truck rather than its fuel efficiency attributes. Ford is working on a television commercial that will highlight the 5 to 29% improvement that can be achieved through the model being 700 pounds lighter. However, that ad will not be ready in time for the grand debut planned by Chantel Lenard, the director of U.S. marketing in Ford.

Ford has already invested a lot of time and money in this project, not to mention put the reputation of its most popular vehicle at stake by going radically aluminium, dumping the old steel body. Timing could be considered a bit off to release this super light, fuel-efficient and considerably expensive truck as the fuel prices have dipped to a 5.5 year low. However, Doug Scott, Ford truck group marketing manager said “It’s not going to diminish our customers interest in buying a new F-150.”

Since many of the dealers have not yet received their first new trucks and Scott admits it is a bit too early as they usually do not begin advertising before there is a 50-50 mix between old and new trucks in the market, “but this College Football Playoff is such an attractive property,” says Scott. Using the slogan “the future of tough,” the ads show the truck on a variety of job sites hauling big loads and towing heavy trailers. Comedian Denis Leary continues as the voice of the F-150, promoting the truck’s “high-strength, military-grade aluminum alloy body, up to 700 pounds lighter, so you can haul even more.”