Troika Design Group has teamed up with longtime client The CW to create a weeklong co-branded on-air and web campaign for the 2012 Ford Focus, featuring several of the network's primetime stars. The campaign, developed and creatively executed by Troika, marks the CW's first ever multi-show, multi-talent brand integration initiative. Ford's weeklong takeover featured two unique :30 spots per night from Monday, April 4th through Friday, April 8th.
The concept behind the takeover, "Show Room," is a multi-platform campaign that features The CW's talent from Gossip Girl, 90210, The Vampire Diaries, Smallville, One Tree Hill, America's Top Model, and Shedding for the Wedding interacting with a Ford "salesperson." At the core of the takeover are 8 live-action comedy spots set in a CW branded environment specifically developed to highlight key 2012 Ford Focus features and The CW's stars.
Viewers were prompted with a :10 second intro to stay tuned and see who will be in The CW Show Room, followed by spots that aired on the specific night of the featured talent's show. The conclusion of the segments directed viewers to The CW/Ford Focus website to answer questions about the spots for their chance to win a new Ford Focus each night of the week.
"In such an ever evolving field, each brand integration project presents its own unique opportunity," said Whit Friese, Creative Director at Troika. "Our goal for The CW and Ford Focus' integration was to find the similarities between the two brands and merge their essences in an entertaining way. We created the Show Room campaign to allow Ford and The CW to feature their product and programming in a way that will connect with the network's young demographic."
"When we turned to Troika to develop an innovative campaign for us and our advertiser Ford, they took our creative concept to a whole new level with a unique approach on our partnership and phenomenal execution," said Alison Tarrant, Executive Vice President, Integrated Sales & Marketing, The CW. "The final product, which stretched across our schedule and digital platforms, represents a new high for our brand in the integrated marketing space."
In all, Troika conceptualized, wrote, shot and produced eight :30 spots for the campaign. The overall design package is aesthetically based on the network look Troika created with The CW, and includes opens, closes, lower thirds and in-program promotion. The spots were developed by a team of over 15 creative directors, writers, designers, animators, editors and producers at Troika and were built in After Effects, Cinema 4D and Final Cut Pro.