Ford Sales & Service Thailand

The objective

Rewriting the playbook for automotive marketing

For decades, car brands were used to splashing out on prime-time TV commercials to get the attention of prospective buyers. But in an era where digital platforms like TikTok are grabbing the lion’s share of consumer attention, automakers are embracing new strategies to drive continued growth for their brand.

One such automotive brand rewriting the playbook is Ford. This American automobile manufacturer has become a global household name for its passenger cars, SUVs, and commercial vehicles. Most recently, Ford added the Ford Everest Wildtrak to its Everest range—an SUV lineup that combines luxury interiors with rugged off-road capabilities.

To launch this latest model in Thailand—where nearly half the population are active TikTok users—the Ford Thailand team knew they had to go beyond the traditional TV ads. A TikTok strategy would help them drive lead generation among a new breed of car buyers, while enabling them to track and measure how their ad spend shapes buying decisions.

The solution

Transforming creative assets from TV to TikTok

Making full use of their existing assets, Ford Thailand seamlessly transitioned their advertising approach by recutting TV commercials of the Everest Wildtrak.

Recutting is one of three key tactics in TikTok’s 3R framework for effective TikTok campaigns (the other two being ‘Remix’ and ‘Reimagine’). By analyzing thousands of successful campaigns on the platform, TikTok has found that brands who do best can reframe and rework their content to fit TikTok best practices. This includes applying vertical framing, always choosing sound on, and putting main branding cues in the first three seconds of the video.

As with most TV ads, Ford’s commercials left their branding cues to the closing scene. Ford adapted the commercials to TikTok’s fast-paced, attention-grabbing style, by adding early CTAs within the first five seconds of content.

This was no simple tweak—Ford creatively inserted 360° truck rotation scenes into the start of the video. These animations were a clever way to show off the unique bumper and gray accents of the Everest Wildtrak. The 360° rotation also highlighted the Wildtrak logo emblazoned on the car’s front doors, hood, and tailgate, elevating brand recall in a stylish way.

The results

Driving business results on the same budget

Ford Thailand’s foray from TV to TikTok led to dramatic improvements in lead generation—all on a nearly similar budget.

Results from the campaign revealed that cost-per-lead (CPL) plummeted by 26%, suggesting the cost-effectiveness of Ford’s TikTok strategy. The team’s move to align the ad with TikTok best practices, such as adding early CTAs, also paid off. The campaign spurred a whopping 153% increase in conversion rate (CVR).

Ford Thailand’s simple yet highly effective campaign demonstrates how easy it is for brands to create quality content on TikTok without breaking the budget. Brands can use TikTok Ad Manager to create, monitor, and measure campaigns that drive real business results.