Will China buy into the 'Lincoln Way'?

Client: Lincoln

Agency: Blue Hive

Market: China

Campaign scope: TV commercial, print, OOH, digital

Details: Lincoln’s launch in China aims not only to provide Chinese luxury car buyers with beautifully designed and expertly crafted vehicles, but also to deliver a truly personalised luxury experience.

The advertising campaign is meant to bring "The Lincoln Way” to life starting with a TV commercial that features Lincoln’s famous star logo repeatedly. The logo has appeared on familiar, celebrated Lincoln limousines over the last century and on the new Lincoln MKZ and MKC vehicles, as well as inside Lincoln’s new China stores and on the lapels of Lincoln China’s staff members. Print and digital executions elaborate on 'the Way' by highlighting key service aspects like the personal attention delivered by Lincoln's staff and the environment of its uniquely designed dealerships.

The TVC begins airing today nationally on CCTV and on OTV. OOH executions roll out throughout this month in anticipation of Lincoln’s official store openings in Shanghai, Beijing and Hangzhou on 6 November. The brand will open eight Lincoln stores in China, including Guangzhou, Chengdu and Qingdao, by the end of the year.

Press release quote: "Simply put, the Lincoln Way is about putting you first. It’s about caring about its customers and owners as much as Lincoln does its cars, about making every aspect of your Lincoln experience focused on you and your needs."

Comments: Lincoln is basically the last of the major luxury carmakers, or any major luxury brand for that matter, to open up shop in China. That puts the brand in an oddly enviable position of being able to learn from everyone else’s mistakes, some assert. But frankly, the unique selling point of Lincoln lies in the brand's fit-for-a-president associations, and we're not sure if diluting the brand essence for the sake of a broader target market will work out. We're also not seeing a lot of emphasis (at least in the creative work) on the push for customisation (padded backseats, in-car scents, concierge-like service) that sounded remotely exciting when it was first mentioned earlier this year.

CREDITS:

Executive Creative Director: Doug James
Creative Director/CW: Thomas Li
Creative Director/AD: Chris Petersen-Clausen
Producer: Ming Ni
Director: Jeffrey Darling
Production Company: Gwantsi
Editorial/Post-Production: Hogarth
Editor: Supra Arumugam