Lincoln to lean on Abraham Lincoln, Jimmy Fallon during Super Bowl XLVII
Lincoln is looking to make a comeback during Super Bowl XLVII in Feb. 2013. (Photo Credit: CC BY/Ford Motor Company/Wikipedia)
Winning a Super Bowl automatically makes an NFL football team relevant. For Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3, 2013, however, Lincoln Motor Company will make its bid to become relevant for the first time since the introduction of the Lincoln Continental in 1939 by running its new television spot. Late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon and a social media push will be included in the luxury brand’s effort to publicize the 2013 Lincoln MKV. Even former Republican President Abraham Lincoln will make a posthumous electronic appearance.
Lincoln needs eyeballs
Matt VanDyke, Lincoln’s director of global marketing, sales and service, told the Detroit Free Press that the automaker needs to make a big splash.
“We have to get noticed,” VanDyke said. “The Super Bowl is as massive as you can get and we need to make sure people know Lincoln is not what they thought it is.”
In 2011, the Super Bowl telecast included a big-time ad campaign from Chrysler, featuring luminaries from the chair-talking Clint Eastwood to Detroit native Eminem. That made a big difference in February 2011 sales and the 31 months that followed, the kind of difference VanDyke would like to see duplicated for Lincoln and the 2013 Lincoln MKV. He has upped Lincoln’s marketing game for this push, which will include more social media interaction with consumers than ever before. VanDyke’s enthusiasm sold Ford’s global marketing chief, Jim Farley, who previously viewed social media as being somewhat dubious.
“We convinced him if we do it in a unique way, it can be very valuable,” said VanDyke.
‘Introducing the Lincoln Motor Company’
The new Lincoln TV spot will be called “Introducing the Lincoln Motor Company,” and according to reports, Ford’s luxury brand is looking back to its roots in order to forge ahead with exciting new models. It’s a marketing move that Lincoln expects will help once the brand hits China for the first time in 2014.
Ford CEO Alan Mulally hit on the Lincoln brand’s 90-year history at a recent presentation.
“Today we are announcing a new beginning for a brand that has been part of our company and the American fabric more than 90 years,” said Mulally. “The new Lincoln brand will be defined by great new luxury vehicles, such as the new MKZ.”
While Lincoln Motor Company has not revealed the cost of its Super Bowl commercial, general estimates of the cost of a 60-second TV spot during Super Bowl XLVII put the figure at $7 million for the time slot alone. VanDyke sees such a cost as being worth it. Fallon will reportedly both curate and write the Lincoln Super Bowl ad via social media, using public tweets about the Lincoln brand to guide the presentation. It has not been revealed whether the “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” host will appear in the ad that airs during Super Bowl XLVII.
“With all the actions we have planned, we can’t be quiet,” VanDyke said. “We have to go big and get people back on Lincoln’s radar screen.”