STORY BEHIND THE AD: Ford Windstar

As a young pup of a copywriter, I got in trouble for this ad. It was one of the first of many weekly print and radio ads I'd do for Ford -- but at this point it could have also been one of the last.

This was THE opportunity for a young creative. WEEKLY ads for Ford Motors? That ran like clockwork on the front of the newspaper's auto section? Classic "headline and vehicle" setup? HELL YEAH.

So, I showed my list of headlines to my creative director for that week's Windstar ad (remember FORD MINIVANS?). I was beyond pleased with myself on this one particular headline. While my CD appreciated it, she didn't think the humor was hitting ("...A butt joke, Kwame? Really?"), so she picked another headline. When it came time to send the ideas over to the account team, I may or may not have *accidentally* left this headline in the mix.

It got picked. By the client. And they ran it.

My CD didn't see the ad again until it was in the paper. The same paper she held up in my face while standing in my cube that day. I got REAMED.

But...

A few months later, this ad won me my very first local Addy. And I got to write some of the most fun (and funny) ads for that client for the rest of my time there. (And yes, my CD eventually forgave me.)

© 2024 Kwame DeRoché