Content Strategy Review – Ford F-150 Edition

Back that Ads Up. Content Strategy Review – Ford F-150 Edition

 

Content Strategy Autopsy: A quick forensics look at persuasion in content.

Content strategy exists in many parts. This particular review is over tactics in a phase of content strategy, content creation, and how a copywriter or content strategist works to get a message across.

It’s not what they say. It’s what you hear. F-150 Edition.

 

In the advertising campaign that launched during opening weekend of the 2017-18 NFL season, the voice over of Dennis Leary in the Ford F-150 Edition ad say the F-150, “It doesn’t just raise the bar; it IS the bar.”

Wow, that’s awesome…wait a minute.

The voice over and copy doesn’t actually say…

1. How high the bar is
2. If the bar is higher than before is or even if the F-150 actually sets a valuable standard.

Read it or listen with your rational brain, shave off the emotionally delivered “confident attitude” that Leary delivers and it’s quickly clear that voice over is really only saying that there is a bar.

“It’s just doesn’t raise the bar….” (Compared to what? Itself? Another bar-setting competitor. Is the bar being raised from “zero?” )

“…It is the bar” (Compared to what? Or are you just saying it is a bar, like it’s a shelf?)

At best, it’s just saying there is a bar that is higher than something. There’s no claim of superiority. It’s implying a benefit without actually promising. But, boy, it sounds exciting. The energy of the delivery encourages the audience to fill in the blanks.

That doesn’t mean the F-150 isn’t a great product. It’s just that this ad doesn’t say it explicitly or with proof. The content strategy here has the persuasion in the messaging largely based on emotional appeal.

 

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