Adventures in Marketing: Looks Like B-Day Is Actually a Thing

Ford’s not calling it that, but the marketing push surrounding the debut of the new-generation Bronco on July 13th is looking a lot like a joke your author has tossed about the past few weeks.

The sheer amount of prime-time programming space purchased on the Disney Media Network’s ABC, ESPN, and National Geographic channels — as well as spots on streaming service Hulu — calls to mind the ill-fated experiment of “E-Day.”

Heralding an automotive invasion that was quickly repelled and thrown back into the sea, E-Day reached viewers on September 4th, 1957.

Surely you know of the short-lived brand that special day, and the hour-long CBS television show created for it, signifies. A colossal failure of market research and corporate hubris, the brand revealed during The Edsel Show turned America off with its controversial countenance and confused buyers by stepping all over the Mercury brand. Booooo.

The ’59s looked good, though.

Hey, look — a tease!

Surely, the media blitz organized for the much more thoroughly thought-out Bronco’s reveal won’t end in sudden disdain for a model Ford die-hards have clambered for for years. There’s space in the lineup for it, a direct rival that’s dominated the off-roader segment for too long, and a rich heritage to back it all up.

It seems the Bronco might have company on the airwaves, too, as Ford mentions the debut of the Bronco “family.” Ford’s all about families these days, what with the Mustang gaining a big brother in the form of a four-door crossover with the same name. One assumes the Escape-based Bronco Sport will be in tow on July 13th.

But get a load of what Ford’s planning here:

“The Bronco reveal marks the first time Disney CreativeWorks, Disney’s award-winning creative agency, is deploying custom branded content, across multiple networks during prime time on ABC, ESPN and National Geographic,” the automaker said in a release. “Each film will air on the respective networks on Monday, July 13, during the first commercial break in the 8:00 p.m. ET hour. All three films will be available to viewers on Hulu starting Tuesday, July 14.”

The ABC spot is a 2-minute film starring country music singer Kip Moore. On ESPN, a film (of undetermined length) will feature a “different” Bronco model and professional climber Brooke Raboutou. National Geographic is where things really get wild, as Ford says, “Academy Award-winning director and acclaimed cinematographer, photographer and professional climber Jimmy Chin will spotlight another Bronco during ‘National Parks: Yosemite.'”

All of this content will make it to Hulu. At the same time, Ford plans to run additional special content on its Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook channels.

As I said, B-Day.

The reason for the media blitz, Ford says, is because the organizers of the Detroit auto show scrapped the June event on account of the coronavirus pandemic. Plan B was quickly crafted, and the cameras started rolling. Should be an interesting day.

We might even cover it!

[Image: Ford]