Crash worthy: Ford takes on Toyota

Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News

Ford Motor Co. will push the envelope a little further tonight with a new television commercial that shows an actual crash test of one of its pickups.

The new spot is the latest in a series of ads for the F-150 featuring Mike Rowe, host of the Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs." It is designed to call attention to the fact that Ford's pickup received the highest possible safety rating from the federal government, while competing models from rivals Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. did not.

A second ad, which focuses on the merits of Ford's larger leaf-spring bolts, will begin airing later this month. Ford will also start buying space for print and online versions of the ads in a variety of media outlets.

Both ads are part of the automaker's new "Ford Challenge" campaign, which dares consumers to compare its cars and trucks against competitors' vehicles. The campaign is designed to strike a more confident tone and highlight the segment-leading features of Ford's products.

"It really goes back to telling our story," said Ben Poore, Ford's truck marketing manager.

While most automakers have traditionally been hesitant to feature crash-test images in their advertising, that may be changing as safety climbs higher on the list of consumer car-buying considerations.

"Sometimes it can conjure negative images with a product, even if it is successful," said Alexander Edwards, a marketing expert with Strategic Vision in San Diego. "Once you put in this crash test, it really depends on the executions."

The Chrysler Group, in its short-lived Dr. Z campaign, showed DaimlerChrysler AG Chairman Dieter Zetsche crash a Pacifica crossover.

Volkswagen AG has been running a series of jarring ads depicting crashes involving their vehicles.

National Highway Transportation Safety Administration director Nicole Nason recently praised Volkswagen's in-your-face ads, saying safety has become a major selling point with U.S. motorists.

Speaking last month at the Society of Automotive Engineers 2007 World Congress in Detroit, Nason said that "consumers used to take tepid sips of the safety Kool-Aid and are now gulping it down."

Ford's F-150 received a five-star safety rating from the NHTSA for both the driver and front passenger. Toyota's new Tundra, which is seen as a direct threat to Ford's best-selling model, received four stars.

Ford's ad does not mention the Tundra by name, but only says some competitors did not fare as well in the government crash tests. Nissan's Titan pickup also received four stars.

The new ads also depart from the norm by casting actual Ford engineers as the straight men to the witty Rowe.

In the safety ad, Bill McDonald, a supervisor at Ford's crash barrier facility in Dearborn, tries in vain to upstage Rowe for laughs.

The leaf-spring ad pairs Rowe with Paul Angove, a Ford truck suspension engineer, who discusses the finer points of leaf-spring bolts with the celebrity.

Ford began using Rowe in truck ads earlier this year. "We're really happy with the results," Poore said.

According to the automaker's internal research, the "Ford Challenge" ads are increasing consumer perception of its products, boosting purchase consideration and sales.

Adding actual Ford employees to the equation was logical step, Poore said.

"This is what Mike does in the real world. He goes to peoples' jobs and he makes them heroes," he said, referring to Rowe's TV show spotlighting less-than-glamorous occupations.

Rowe is not Ford's only truck pitchman.

Country music star Toby Keith remains one of the most powerful weapons in the company's marketing arsenal, and he is getting ready to take Ford's F-series on the road again as part of his "Big Dog Daddy" concert tour.

"We'll have a major integration of the truck into his show," Poore said.

You can reach Bryce Hoffman at (313) 222-2443 or bhoffman@detnews.com.