Ford C-MAX Commercials Launch With La Linea – Video

Ford’s all-new C-MAX Hybrid is aimed directly at the Toyota Prius V as a fuel-friendly family car, and in our recent review, we took a look at how it stacks up to the competition.

The American automaker is looking to target those Prius and non-hybrid owners with its newest ad campaign, which features the Italian “La Linea” character that was made popular in the US in the 1970s and 80s. The new ads focus on the C-MAX Hybrid’s “real-vehicle” performance, as the automaker calls it, along with its technology and value to attract non-hybrid owners.

The C-MAX Hybrid is rated at 47-mpg city, 47-mpg highway, which is 7-mpg better than the Prius v. It also has a starting price of $25,995 including destination and delivery, making it $1,300 cheaper than a Prius V.

As for the national campaign for the C-MAX Hybrid, expect to not only see it on the internet, but also on television, social media, print ads, and at events in targeted regions. It’ll incorporate elements from the animated “La Linea” series which was a pop culture phenomenon from 1970 to 1986 and was seen in various ways in more than 50 different countries.

Even though the original artist of “La Linea” passed away in 2007, the company that controlled licensing of the show for 30 years, Quipos, maintains control of “La Linea.” Quipos worked hand-in-hand with Team Detroit, Ford’s advertising agency, to ensure that the C-MAX advertisements and commercials had the vintage look and authenticity fans worldwide have known over the decades.

“The fact that each cell has to be hand-drawn lends a certain warmth to the animation,” said Brad Hensen, creative director at Team Detroit. “All of this other computer animation we are being inundated with – including ads by other automakers – is just too fluid, too slick, too perfect. Life isn’t that way. Being more real is another way this campaign truly reflects the vehicle.”

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