Ford believes its F-150 line of trucks is as strong as a boxer.
Now, thanks to a newly forged agreement with U.S. Spanish-language broadcast network Azteca, it hopes Latinos in the market for a new vehicle feel the same way while also learning about what it takes to jab and score a knockout punch.
On July 7, Azteca unveiled “Fuerza Ford,” the first installment in a 10-episode webisode series offering a tutorial for would-be boxers. Users can view each episode on Azteca’s website; the network’s Facebook and Twitter feeds are also updated with links for new installments of “Fuerza Ford” as they are made available for viewing.
Ford’s F-150 is featured prominently in every installment — as are Mexican professional boxers Giselle Leal, Edgar Juárez Calzada and Michel de la Vega Esparza Oteo.
The webisodes will offer expert boxing tips, provide an inside look into the fighters’ lifestyles and show how the boxers’ determination, passion and hard work “echo the spirit of a Ford owner,” Azteca said.
“Fuerza Ford” extends Ford’s relationship with Azteca; the automotive company has sponsored the network’s boxing series Box Azteca since 2010.
"Ford is a leader in content marketing for U.S. Latinos, which is why we're so honored to work together on the ‘Fuerza Ford’ boxing video campaign,” Azteca executive vice president of network sales and digital for the U.S. Hispanic market Court Stroud said.
Ford multicultural marketing manager David Rodriguez added: “Ford is proud to partner with Azteca to create a unique co-branded online hub as a source for Hispanic boxing lovers and newcomers alike to come and enjoy extended content beyond the matches in the ring – something we know the audience is passionate about.”
Coral Gables, Fla.-based Zubi Advertising, Ford’s longtime U.S. Hispanic agency of record, assisted in producing the webisodes. The sponsored-content initiative is a natural extension of Ford’s relationship with Azteca, Zubi associate media director Michael Roca told Hispanic Television Update in an interview.
“Given the passion of boxing among Ford’s key Hispanic audiences, the partnership with Azteca America over the years has concentrated on their robust boxing platform, across broadcast and digital channels,” he said. “In an effort to further engage audiences on a personal level, Ford, Zubi and Azteca came up with a concept of a custom digital series of boxing tutorial videos that organically fused in the F-150 ‘Fuerza’ messaging and vehicle attributes. The videos’ objective is to provide a source of ‘Boxing 101’ tips while showcasing the fuerza of the F-150 from a unique perspective.”
