Malaysian Media Awards Winners Showcase

The Challenge
Christmas is generally a peak car purchase season, and also a highly cluttered time for advertisers. Ford had to find a way to break the clutter, and stand out as the most preferred car brand during the peak car purchase season.

Insight, Strategy and the Idea
Malaysians usually test drive cars to strengthen their intent to buy. It is a window of opportunity to positively influence the buyer in favor of the purchase. Media Agency recommended leveraging this test drive experience, and layering it with a distinct Christmas flavor to drive higher test drive sessions and build positive intent to buy. The idea was to turn the Ford Ranger into Rudolph, the Red Nosed Ranger by using antlers on the doors and a red nose on the front of the cars, and celebrate the Joy of Giving during Christmas. While other car brands offered test drives, Ford offered test drives on Rudolph, the Red Nosed Ranger and for every test drive taken, RM 5 was donated to charity as an act of giving symbolic of the spirit of Christmas.

Media Execution
Starting with radio domination across Lite FM, My FM and Mix FM, Malaysians were urged to test drive the Red Nosed Ranger and contribute to charity via the action. An entourage of numerous Ford Rangers dressed as Rudolph, toured from one Ford showroom to another across Klang Valley, serving as mobile billboards heightening the craze for the Rudolph test drives. Total campaign cost RM27,110.02.

Results and Effectiveness
The campaign generated peak awareness during the prime car purchase week during Christmas across the Klang Valley with a whopping 500+ test drives achieved within 2 weeks, and contributing a total amount of RM 2,500 to a charitable orphanage, to celebrate the Joy of Giving. By turning the Ranger into Rudolf, Ford spread smiles and earned test drives.