Title	KUGA THE CATCHER CAR
Brand	FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Product/Service	FORD KUGA
Category	B07. Use of Events
Entrant	MINDSHARE Istanbul, TURKEY
Idea Creation	MINDSHARE Istanbul, TURKEY
Media Placement	MINDSHARE Istanbul, TURKEY

Name	Company	Position
Merve Aycan	Mindshare	Account Manager
Saniye Celik	Mindshare	Sr. Account Executive
Seda Kosan	Mindshare	Account Executive
Elif Güçlü	Mindshare	Account Director

The Campaign

We searched for a platform that highlights performance to strengthen the brand perception and to emphasize the ambitious and dynamic brand identity. To reach our target audience (people who are interested in sports and performance in their lives from the 30+ ABC1 group) we collaborated with Redbull, one of the first brands which pops in minds when it comes to "performance" and we placed Ford Kuga as the main sponsor and the “catcher car” at the Wings For Life World Run. The groundbreaking global charity run, which was on May 9, 2016, with official start locations spanning six continents, plus thousands of runners. They all hit the streets simultaneously, raising money to find a cure for spinal cord injury. Everyone can take part as the moving finish line, aka the Catcher Cars, gives chase and records fall.

Creative Execution

The Ford Kuga starring promotional video prepared by Redbull aired on TV and was posted on Ford’s social media accounts. The run was also supported in terms of PR by journalists, sports people carrying the run into their columns; and celebrities, Galatasaray football team supported the run by joining or posting about it. As for outdoor advertising, 2859 billboards were used in 15 cities. Radio DJ’s also promoted the run by inviting people on dj talks. A total of 8021 registries were made to the event with 5700 attending. The Izmir run became the second run with the most participants among 33 Wings For Life countries. The run going live on different TV channels such as NTVSpor, Sporx and Redbull TV. In the stands set up at Gundogdu Square where the race started, Ford vehicles were exhibited. Also WFL t-shirts with Ford logo were handed out to 1000 people.

- The equivalent of a 1.3 million TL advertisement was reached on earned media by obtaining 285 print, 39 TV and 960 web news. - A reach of 7.4 million and %235 ROI was provided. - Teaser film was broadcasted 4203 times on 45 channels. - 1284 contents about the race were published by national and local press. - The video of the race has been viewed 3.2 million times and 100 million views have been reached via digital banner usages.

This work is relevant for entertainment because it was implemented branded content with sport at its core in line with Ford Kuga's ambitious&dynamic brand identity. Pioneering the concept of a synchronized race where participants run simultaneously, the event introduced the exciting element of the Catcher Car format: Whether the Catcher Car rolls by participants early or late, participants get a kick out of surpassing personal goals, and the last individual man and woman to get caught are declared as Champions. That catcher car was Ford Kuga!

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

The reason Ford Kuga became the heart of the event was that it started 30 minutes after the runners and the race ended for anyone once the Kuga passed them. Kuga was positioned as "the car that triggers ambition and performance’’ in participants. The Catcher Cars, vehicles equipped with sensors, introduced to literally catch the runners not running towards a finish line but away from the finish line that chased them. Everyone can take part as the moving finish line, aka Ford Kuga, gives chase and records fall.