The Power of Simplicity

The Power of Simplicity This magazine ad takes you to what must be in a heavy industrial area. This is evident in the tattered cardboard border showing signs of use with it’s wrinkled sides and smudges of sweat that mayhave been applied through the handling of dockworkers. Strangely enough there is a Sepia style photograph hastily applied to the cardboard. It is tacked on by two staples from a staple gun on the upper corners. Above and below the photo bold block print names to its maker. Ford Country has been branded into the bottom of the piece of cardboard and below it an unusual modern logo on a metal plate claiming “Built Ford Tough”. The black and white photograph depicts a work crew standing at ease next to their truck. The four of them represent three races and vary in age by 20 years. They wear wrinkled, dusty work clothes. Jackets, gloves and earmuffs aid in what must be a cold day. Hard hats and protective eyewear provide safety. In the foreground buckets of tools lay along side concrete forms stacked on top of hard pack earth. In the back ground a five story building, still in early stages of construction, stands steadily in the gentle breeze. The men are not posing. Their the facial expressi

This sets the truck apart from most other pickup trucks in that it can comfortably fit four men rather than having to squeeze into the back of other trucks only to have your knees jammed into the seat in front of you. This advertisement takes a timeless sense and applies it to the Ford F-150. They represent three major races and the adult age group in the United States. It is the only bit of added color, so it stands out a bit, which was the intent. The subtleties make this scene believable. Ford uses this to associate toughness with the F-150. Along with the picture and framing, the language is straight and factual. The buckets filled with tools, cement makeup forms, a light tree and hard pack around depict no luxuries, only function. An array of tools and common construction equipment adorn the scenery. It looks spacious enough for all four. When do we see pictures like this We see this type dating back to the 1950"tms.