During the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), marketers do everything they can to get a photo of an a-lister with their product. They send invites to gifting lounges, offer luxury freebies (read: bribes) and pay for paparazzi shots of actors near their logo.
For this year’s TIFF, which wrapped Sunday, all Ford Canada had to do was offer stars a ride to their screenings. As the official automotive sponsor, Ford’s black SUVs were the vehicle of choice for the red carpet. The brand then maximized the sponsorship with a hefty social presence and loads of photos of celebs getting out of its vehicles.
To build anticipation, Ford Canada created the #whoisintheford hashtag and asked consumers to guess who’d be popping out from behind tinted windows. By the end of TIFF, the hashtag was a bonafide who’s who of the festival – and they were all standing next to a Ford SUV branded with its logo.
Take a look.
Steve Carell
Naomi Watts
Julianne Moore
Jake Gyllenhaal
John Cusak
Channing Tatum
Bill Murray
