Lincoln Targets Younger Buyers

This is no longer your grandfather’s Lincoln.

Ford Motor Co. announced on Wednesday that Lincoln will have an ad during this year’s Super Bowl. The ad will be used largely to change viewers’ perception of the brand, rather than to generate sales in the short-term.
The brand, which is undergoing a facelift to attract younger luxury buyers, is also engaging Twitter users as part of their integrated marketing campaign around the big game.

111 million people watched last year’s Super Bowl. Pretty good, right?

Until you consider that the ad alone will set Lincoln back over $8 million, which is especially painful for a company that saw a 3% decline in sales over the past year.

Beyond the alarming cost of the commercial, is the Super Bowl really the right medium for Lincoln in their re-branding campaign? Yes, it will be seen by a wider audience than the brand’s traditional demographic. Especially during halftime where young females will no doubt be tuning in for Beyoncé’s performance. But will it allow them to break through the clutter of the game’s other memorable commercials?

It seems that Lincoln’s other confirmed advertisements --- during both NBC’s The Voice and ABC’s Modern Family --- may in fact be better fits altogether.

Jimmy Fallon and Emmitt Smith have been tabbed as celebrity endorsers for the car. While both are recognizable faces, it begs the question whether either will appeal strongly to their targeted car buyers.

As for their Twitter crusade, there is little that can be evaluated until the campaign is actually launched. However, Lincoln’s interest in Twitter alone, where the average user is a 37-year old female, demonstrates their dramatic departure from their typical customer, a 65-year old male.

The question remains not only will Lincoln’s Super Bowl investment be worth their money, but also whether they can appeal to younger luxury buyers, without abandoning their traditional demo.