Analyze Communications

 8/28/23

Analyze Communications: Ford

    When I think of brand communication, one of the first things that come to mind is Ford's rainbow cars to represent their allyship with the LGBTQ+ community. It all started back in June 2022 when Ford's, "Very Gay Raptor" appeared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK. The idea of the gold and rainbow sparkled car was born after a negative comment was made about the new Ranger Raptor looking "very gay." Along with the debut of the car at the festival, Ford represented sessions called "Tough Talks" hosted by Gareth Thomas, the first openly-gay rugby union player. These sessions deeply discussed how "the automotive industry can foster a culture of inclusion and allyship for the LGBTQ+ community," (media.ford.com) as they redefine what 'tough' means in a new generation. Due to all of the positive responses online, Ford decided to make it real, outliving their stance on the message of discrimination in the industry. This message continued on when Ford decorated their Bronco in gold and rainbow sparkles to celebrate Pride month in June 2022.





    I think the insight behind this brand communication goes deeper than just responding to a negative comment. Ford, in a way, rebranded their mission and values with this message, as they clearly communicated their brand awareness and where they stood in relations to the automotive industry and the LGBTQ+ community. In The Practical Pocket Guide to Account Planning, author Chris Kocek discussed the "4 C's" to form insights when confronted with a communications challenge. I think Ford did an amazing job tackling all of the categories of culture, category, competition, and consumer as they conducted this marketing campaign. Not only did this piece of brand communication resonate with me, it resonated with thousands of people my age in the LGBTQ+ community. Growing up in this generation, there have been a lot of stances taken on this specific topic. As someone with many friends apart of the LGTBQ+ community, I have always been an ally and a supporter of the community because I have seen some of the seriously negative stories that have come out about those who have not supported members of the community in the past. I stand with my friends and so many others as I firmly believe people should be able to love whoever they want to love. I think the brand's planning team did a lot of research on how they should execute this message, and I think it was executed perfectly. The message was well received globally, as they were the first automotive brand to side with the LGBTQ+ community. Unfortunately, I think there is still a good chunk of people that this communication is not for. While I wish that wasn't the case, the world has its fair share of people that don't necessarily agree or support the LGBTQ+ community and brands that support them as well, especially in the automotive community, as we learned when hearing about the homophobic comment made about one of Ford's cars. So although the target market isn't for everyone, I do believe this specific marketing strategy reached the right audience and received the outcome the branding team deserved.


Anderson, B. (2022, June 8). Ford celebrates Pride Month with a special bronco. Carscoops. https://www.carscoops.com/2022/06/ford-celebrates-pride-month-with-a-special-bronco/ 

Ford’s “Very Gay Raptor” Set to Redefine “Tough” at Goodwood | Ford of Europe | Ford Media Center. (n.d.). https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/feu/en/news/2022/06/21/ford_s-very-gay-raptor-set-to-redefine-tough-at-goodwood.html 

Kocek, C. (n.d.). The Practical Pocket Guide to Account Planning. 

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