THE LINCOLN MOTOR COMPANY | HELLO AGAIN | 2013
When an old brand says "hello again," it rebuilds an entire culture / THE LINCOLN MOTOR COMPANY "HELLO AGAIN"
A brand that had been around for 90 years decided to shed 90 years of being "your dad's car." The password was "Hello, Again." Nice to meet you, once more.
The problem
For years, Lincoln had become almost synonymous with airport shuttle cars. In 2012, Ford set up a dedicated team called Hudson Rouge and launched a revival plan to introduce four new models in four years. But simply making new cars wasn't enough. The meaning of the word "Lincoln" itself needed to be rebuilt for a younger generation.
The insight
Something old and familiar can be rebuilt into something surprisingly fresh. That's exactly what was happening to the Lincoln brand itself. So instead of talking about cars first, the advertising decided to talk about culture.
The idea
The first move was a 360-degree interactive concert featuring Beck, directed by Chris Milk, built around David Bowie's "Sound and Vision." They filmed 170 musicians using 360-degree cameras and binaural audio, creating an experience where watching on screen felt more immersive than actually being at the venue. Alongside it, they launched a culture hub site called "Lincoln Now" and an AR app that let people scan old Lincoln ads.
What happened
The campaign won three Webby Awards and one Clio Award. "Hello, Again" went on to continue through tours, microsites, and a commercial featuring Matthew McConaughey.
Afterthought
"Nice to meet you again" isn't a line a brand uses to hitch a ride on culture—it's a declaration of commitment to rebuild an entire culture from scratch. Just imagine how much nerve it took, back then, to let people experience a Beck song in 360 degrees. What was supposed to be a car ad ends up being a conversation about a music experience. That leap is where you can see how serious Lincoln really was.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2013
