Television advertising for the new 2009 Ford F-150 begins Sunday on "NFL on Fox" with a series of straight-talking spots emphasizing the new pickups class-leading capability, unsurpassed fuel economy, safety leadership and smart technologies. Purposely void of corny gimmicks and flashy stunts, Ford’s campaign aims at core truck buyers who use their pickups for work and play and need to see what — and how — the new F-150 delivers that other trucks can’t.
In addition to TV and radio ads, a new online application will launch in mid-November at www.fordvehicles.com with a series of real-world comparison tests that put F-150’s unmatched capability in towing, hauling, durability and fuel economy front and center.
The four documentary-style webisodes, called Prove It, are hosted by F-150 Chief Engineer Matt O’Leary and Mike Rowe of "Dirty Jobs." They were filmed at Ford’s Michigan Proving Ground in Romeo, Mich., where the company torture tests its trucks during development.
For instance, one of six TV spots reinforces the F-150’s unsurpassed fuel economy by showcasing the SFE — or Superior Fuel Economy — package that delivers 15 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway. In rapid-fire
fashion, actor Denis Leary says in a voiceover:
"I figure the engineers who built the all-new ’09 F-150 are probably the same guys we all cheated off of in science class. We’re thinking about pizza, they’re thinking about aerodynamic wake properties. Crazy smart. Take fuel economy, for example. They gave it 21 miles per gallon. You can’t get a truck with better mileage."
Another spot emphasizes F-150’s class-leading towing capability of 11,300 pounds with standard Trailer Sway Control, giving the driver confidence while towing heavy loads.
