Car giant Ford has embarked on a new social media campaign, featuring a puppet named Doug and some of the talent behind major US comedy shows, including The Simpsons, The Office: An American Workplace and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Doug, is a ‘spokespuppet’ with an obnoxious attitude that often lands the Ford Execs that hired him in trouble. The character was created to be a provocateur, to attract people’s attention that might not know about the All-New 2012 Focus, or who would never have considered it.
The campaign is a collaboration between Team Detroit (Ford’s retained advertising agency) and Ford.
The campaign centres around a regularly updated collection of YouTube videos created in collaboration with Paul Feig (best known for The Office) and Rob Cohen (Simpsons) and a selection of A-list writers. It is being showcased to UK audiences for the first time.
The campaign was created in the US exclusively for online consumption. Doug, the spokespuppet, will feature on social sites, including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, with further integrations with more mainstream Web sites in the coming months.
Collaborating with Paul Feig (Director of The Office, upcoming movie Bridesmaids, and creator of Freaks and Geeks) Ford developed the mockumentary-style campaign, from Doug’s heroic origins (saving a convenience store during a robbery) to his announcement as the Ford Focus digital spokespuppet.
Ford said it will be delivering new content every week for the next few months, sharing Doug’s story as he discovers the new vehicle and its technologies.
View the ‘Press Conference’ video from the Ford campaign below:
You can see the YouTube video collection in full here.
