Ford drives interest in new iKool model with mobile

By Giselle Tsirulnik

July 3, 2008

Iconic advertising

Ford Motor turned to mobile to introduce a new Ford Ikon Music Edition model called iKool to auto enthusiasts in India, one of the fastest-growing auto markets worldwide.

Involving�Nokia and Mindshare Interaction, the�Ford iKool campaign ran on the Nokia Media Network, a mobile advertising network, with banner ads driving consumers to a WAP microsite designed exclusively for the new car.

"We were very happy with the percentage of consumers who actually interacted with the brand through the WAP site," said Vinod Thadani, regional mobile director of Ford. "The Nokia Media Network provided the reach and response we were hoping for."

Ford worked with MindShare to design and implement the advertising strategy for the iKool. The MindShare Mobile team contacted Nokia to advertise on Airtel Live, the WAP site of the largest wireless carrier in India and a flagship property on the Nokia Media Network.

IKool banner ads were served across the Airtel Live mobile site. Consumers clicking on the banner ads were brought to a content-rich WAP site created by MindShare where they could download cool games, wallpapers and ringtones.

iCatching

The Ford iKool campaign received an average click-through rate of 8.58 percent, it is claimed. Banner ads running on content pages including "Services for You" and "News & Sports" are said to have achieved click-through rates up to 14 percent.

"Ford wanted to target the youth market in India for its new model, the Ikool, to highlight its iPod-compatible MP3 player and high-wattage soundsystem," said Sandy Agarwal, head of Asia-Pacific at Nokia Interactive Advertising,�Boston.

"The auto manufacturer turned to mobile, the advertising medium based on the device that young people use to stay connected in their world and have on them almost everywhere, almost all the time," he said.�

The goal of the campaign was to drive brand awareness and consumer engagement.

Also, Ford wanted to let people know its iKool is "Fuelled by music and driven by passion."

The campaign educated consumers about the new auto model while positioning Ford as a cutting-edge brand.

"Mobile penetration continues to rise and more and more people are accessing the Internet via their mobile handset," Mr. Agarwal said.

"Click-through rates on mobile are often double what they are on the traditional Internet and most people take their mobile device with them everywhere, around the clock," he said. "Mobile just makes sense."