Ford Airing #FinishStrong Ads During Super Bowl LV
Photo: Ford
Ford is the latest automaker to announce that it will forego shilling cars during Sunday’s Big Game™ in favor of promoting a more important message. New ads in the company’s #FinishStrong campaign will air regionally during Super Bowl LV, continuing Ford’s mission of encouraging Americans to wear masks.
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Ford expects the new #FinishStrong ads — including 30- and 60-second spots — to garner around 325 million impressions in areas where the impact of the pandemic has been more severe. This includes Michigan, Missouri, Florida, Southern California, and Texas.
The message in these ads is clear: Wear a mask, you goofs. According to experts at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation — part of the University of Washington School of Medicine — continued mask-wearing and social distancing between now and June can save 50,000 or more lives. No, you shouldn’t listen to what your former high school friend who became a conspiracy theorist has to say about masks (or anything else for that matter, really). Just wear them. It’s simple.
“With the spread of new and more contagious variants of COVID-19, mask-wearing will be crucial to reduce transmission and save lives,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, director, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. “As we await a strong vaccine rollout, something we can all do to protect each other is wear masks and stay socially distanced.”
If you don’t plan to watch the game on Sunday because you hate Tom Brady (or for any other reason), you can check out the extended version of the Ford #Finish Strong Super Bowl LV spot below:
Mask donations increasing to 120 million
Not content just to advertise its message, Ford is continuing with its efforts to distribute crucial personal protective equipment. In the next five weeks alone, the automaker expects to distribute 25 million free masks to communities in need. This will include mask distribution days at Ford dealerships and nonprofits across the country.
Photo: Ford
Thus far, Ford has announced three mask distribution days. On Feb. 18, masks will be handed out in: Atlanta; Charlotte, North Carolina; Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and West Palm Beach, Florida; and Puerto Rico. On Feb. 23, Ford will hand out masks in: Dallas, El Paso, Houston, and San Antonio, Texas; Denver; and Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. Four major cities in Ohio — Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, and Dayton— will host mask distribution days on March 9. You can find more information on these events at the Ford Fund website closer to the dates.
Ford is also increasing its total mask commitment from 100 million to 120 million. To date, Ford has distributed 66 million masks to various organizations and entities across the United States. That includes 15,000 customized masks donated for the Jan. 20 inauguration of President of the United States Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Ford reveals clear respirator, air filtration device
On top of all this, Ford revealed two new pieces of information about PPE it’s developed since the start of the pandemic. Ford received patent-pending approval for a new clear N95-certified respirator. The goal with the equipment is to make it easier for people wearing the respirators to convey emotions and communicate with facial expressions.
“One of the things that’s missing during the pandemic is the power of a smile,” said Jim Baumbick, Ford vice president, enterprise product line management and leader of Project Apollo. “This clear respirator promises to improve interactions between neighbors, at the store, and for those who have hearing impairments.”
Ford plans to launch this new respirator in the spring.
The automaker also developed a template for an air filtration box fan that can be easily made at home. The design uses a die-cut cardboard base, 20-inch box fan, and 20-by-20-4-inch air filter and has been shown to discharge clean air at a rate of 213 cubic feet per minute. Ford says it will donate 20,000 complete kits to communities in need over the coming months.
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.