- Ford Motor Company, in partnership with Wieden+Kennedy New York, has collaborated with esports organization NRG and its Full Squad Gaming media brand, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
- Ford built a mobile gaming studio inside a Transit Trail van, which is able to transport the Full Squad Gaming crew to TwitchCon, where the Gamer Van can be open to the general public.
- While Ford vehicles have been licensed for games for the last 20 years, the activation sees the automaker stepping up its involvement with gaming to involve streaming, podcasting, event and influencer strategies.
Ford has licensed its vehicles to video games for years, appearing in Forza, Rocket League and others, but its Gamer Van activation looks to fulfill gaming where it’s today: an always-on cultural channel. By engaging with gamers in a wide range of ways, Ford looks to extend its relevancy with younger consumers. Full Squad Gaming is a digital media brand that launched in late 2020 and focuses on gaming video content for YouTube and TikTok that seeks to create and curate viral content to attach gamers.
The Gamer Van takes inspiration from gamers’ rooms and features a gaming desk, custom-built couch, reactive cloud ceiling, external gaming stations and more. It also has the power to stream from anywhere. The van will transport the Full Squad Gaming crew and have guest appearances from NRG influencers Musty, Chell and Sapnap, who will film social content on the road. The trip will include a gaming camp at Mount Kare powered by the F-150 Lightning and off-roading with a Bronco Raptor at Mt. Potosi.
The trip will culminate with a stop at TwitchCon in Las Vegas (Oct. 20-23), where Full Squad Gaming will interview and podcast with gamers resembling SypherPK, Daltoosh, Tarik and Andrea Botez. The Gamer Van will then be open to the general public on the Ford booth on the convention. TwitchCon is an increasingly necessary convention for brands as they give the impression of being to attach with Twitch viewers, 73% of whom agree promoting is significant since it supports creators.
Automakers from Porsche to Toyota have made connections with gaming and esports in recent times. As a part of its multicultural approach to marketing its recent TX three-row crossover SUV, Lexus tapped gaming lifestyle brand 100 Thieves.
Ford last month appointed as global chief marketing officer Toyota veteran Lisa Materazzo, who noted a chance to “win the hearts and minds” of consumers by connecting product, service and ownership experiences through marketing.
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