Ranger Y Yo: Ford & JWT tapped local legends and creative talent in launching the new Ranger in BA.

Borges…Cortázar…Ranger? Lovers of Latin American literature know Argentina has a rich tradition of magic realism. The literary style which draws heavily upon fables and myths to highlight the magical in contemporary society exploded in the 1960′s and continues to inspire young writers today…often in places where you least expect it.

Take for example this story from AdAge of Ford’s new truck roll-out in Argentina. Yes, everyone agreed, the 2010 Ranger is a fine truck, but the new model didn’t really have head-turning upgrades over last year’s model. So Ford turned to its agency, JWT, who in turn created a campaign that solicited countryside fables from citizens in BA, narrowed the entries down from 1,000 to 3 and selected tree different playwrights to create original, 25-minute plays.

Expensive? Yes. Time-consuming? Yes. A brilliant way to connect with your customers, broaden your base of potential buyers and bring cultural stimulation to the masses.? Yes, yes and yes. The traveling production, which played four different cities in BA province and drew large crowds hand-picked by local dealers, has been so popular that, according to Marketing Director Ricardo Flaminni “local mayors have contacted Ford and asked if the dramas can come to their towns, too.”

So how does the play end? The bottom line focus for Ford is ultimately regaining market share in Argentina’s competitive truck space, but the value of what they and JWT created and gave back to the masses can never be captured in a PowerPoint. Bravo!

For more information about Argentina’s Creative Class, search the archives and download the new issue of InvestBA Privada.