Ogilvy & Mather's Bumper Campaign for Ford

Paris can be a tough place to park, just like any big city. Finding a free space to leave your vehicle is a nightmare and when one does become available, people will do anything to occupy it, even if it means a bit of bumper banging and grill grinding to make the squeeze. Ogilvy & Mather Paris recently created a fun, outdoor campaign for Ford Europe to highlight the parking problem and show that it can be simplified with the brand’s new Active Park Assist Technology, and it makes for an interesting watch.

To show that the kit can make a real difference to everyday drivers’ lives, the agency built its campaign centred on a larger-than-life pinball machine installed above a small purposely-constructed gap between two parked cars. Drivers would attempt – and fail – to park their vehicles without hitting something and the machine went berserk with excitement each time a nudge was felt.

The idea was born out of a common cultural insight that Parisian parkers are the worst for their nonchalant attitude when it comes to crashing into other cars. As ECD Chris Garbutt says:

“If you've ever been to Paris, you'll know how true the parking issue is... and this is where brands can play a useful role in peoples’ lives by solving a real need. When my creative team came up with the idea, it was so obvious to me that it was a perfect way to demonstrate Ford’s Active Park Assist technology, in an engaging and memorable way. Hopefully, everybody will have as much fun watching the film as we had making it!"

As the hits and blows go up in the video, the score rises to “cruel” and “savage” heights before a new record is born and the ‘worst driver’ (the person in the car at the time) is rewarded with an ‘extra ball’ in the form of a new Ford car, complete with the technology, so he can finally park in the space with no hassle.

Even before Ogilvy’s fun stunt film, directed by Clement Beauvais, parking in Paris has pretty much always been a spectator sport. When a driver hits another parked car in their attempt to manoeuvre their motor into the tightest of spots, onlookers will watch, astonished. But, hopefully, with enough of Ford’s technological answer to go around, Paris just may have seen the last of battered bumpers and grazed grills.

"It's the perfect cultural insight of how Ford's technology can really impact your daily life, almost kill a cultural trend", explains Fred Levron, executive director, head of digital and brand content at Ogilvy & Mather Paris. "Ford has always been a democratiser of technologies, ensuring the best for all.”

Garbutt concludes: "Often, the best ideas are born out of life's insights. And the more relevant the tension or need is, the better. That's why Pinball Park works so well for me.”

The live stunt campaign is the agency’s second execution of this type in a matter of a few weeks, with this latest project following in the footsteps of The World’s Worst Bad Breath for Tic Tac.