A 16-Minute Car Ad About Divorce Won the Cannes Gold Lion / FORD "THE FAMILY"

The problem

Ford's main customer base in Denmark is middle-class families, and Denmark is known as one of the countries with the highest divorce rates in the world. This project set out to challenge the standard car-ad image of "a happy family out for a drive."

The insight

It all started with something the director noticed. The discovery was that in the middle of a divorce, a car can become an incredibly sacred, powerfully meaningful space. For a parent and child living apart, the car is often one of the few places where they actually come face to face, making it a physical "reunion space" for the family. What makes this work is its simplicity: they just placed Ford's own product right into that moment, as it is.

The idea

The piece was made as a 16-minute short film in three parts, quietly capturing the everyday reality of a family going through divorce. There are scenes of kids fidgeting restlessly in the back seat, and awkward exchanges between the parents. Ford's full range of vehicles, from something small like the Fiesta to a bigger family car like the Mondeo, appears naturally throughout, woven into the story without ever feeling forced.

What happened

The film was named Adweek's "Ad of the Day," and its international recognition was also reported on Denmark's TV2 network. At Cannes Lions, it won Gold in the Entertainment category, Denmark's first Gold Lion in four years.

Afterthought

This is an ad that doesn't rush to sell anything. It looks straight at divorce, a subject most people would rather avoid, and only after that does the car finally show up. Honestly, I think what sticks in people's minds after watching isn't the car at all, it's the expression on that kid's face in the back seat. But maybe that's exactly the point. Taking the long way around to make people remember turned out to be the shortest path of all.

Awards

• Cannes Lions Gold 2016

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