Ford Motor Company makes the country’s best-selling vehicle, the F-150 pickup. It takes the truck seriously. But the carmaker can also have fun.
Consider the manufacturer’s recent clever marketing:
“Developing a new vehicle is a challenging process under normal circumstances, but this is something completely different. Today we’re proud to introduce the #TruckEmoji.”
The campaign has fun with the wondrous, sometimes silly world of emojis. It’s posted on Ford’s official YouTube channel.
Viewers of the video had many responses, some clever, others were less than complimentary.
Here are a few: “Wanted a Bronco reveal, got a pick-up emoji.” “It looks like the hill climb challenge game pick up truck.” “Where can I use or find that emoji? what applications does it have?” “So this is what ford has been up to.”
And there were sarcastic comments, including: “Discontinued Taurus. Spends time making emoji.” “LOL. Hmmm. I guess you can have it any color you want as long as it’s blue.”
Ford posted the video on July 17, World Emoji Day. The day is deemed a “global celebration of emoji” and is celebrated with emoji events and product releases. It’s been celebrated annually since 2014.
Last year, the automaker submitted a proposal to the Unicode Consortium, which reviews and approves proposals for new emojis. After a review, the group determined the pickup truck offering has been added to the shortlist of candidates to be included in a future version of Unicode.
“When customers started demanding a truck emoji, we knew we had to help make it happen,” Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of automotive, said. “Given the popularity of Ford trucks globally, there’s no one better than Ford to help bring an all-new pickup truck emoji to hard-working texters around the globe.”
The company said that the concept has been styled to meet current trends. The Ford team spent time digging through message boards, texting influencers and watching social media feeds.
“People want a truck emoji that’s fresh, stylish, carries their ideas, and ‘tows’ the line on what a truck means. The result is a modern icon that should give all truck fans a smiley face emoji,” Ford North America Design Director Craig Metros said.
If the emoji is approved early next year, it will be customized for all mobile platforms.
Article Last Updated: July 29, 2019.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
