MRigney
12-15-02, 12:24 AM
DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 12, 2002 ? It is not unusual for visitors to get inside products on display at auto shows. Ford Division, however, is taking the auto show experience to a new level by inviting North American International Auto Show visitors to ?get inside? the Ford oval.
Visitors to the new Ford Division display will literally walk into the automaker?s famous logo through a 24-foot tall, 190-foot wide oval opening. Once inside, the display is designed to give guests an all-encompassing experience of the people and the products of Ford through the last 100 years and into the future.
?Our goal in designing this stand was to change the way people experience an auto show,? said Francisco Codina, Ford Division general marketing manager. ?The physical environment, the audio program, and the visual experience combine to immerse visitors in the history, culture, people and products of the Ford oval.?
Entering the Oval
Not only does the entrance take the shape of the Ford logo, the entire 38,303-square foot display is housed in an actual oval with specially formed wood flooring that curves at the display?s outer edges, mirroring the curvature of the roof.
?Most auto show displays are set up so you simply walk past the vehicles in a large open air setting,? said Codina. ?Usually, the only differentiating features between automaker displays are the color and quality of the carpet you?re walking on. We have designed a display that literally envelops the visitor in the Ford oval. It?s a more complete experience.?
Inside the oval, the stand is divided into four areas to reflect Ford?s four product groups: Friends and Family, Living Legends, Tough Trucks and Outfitters. Each area uses graphics and colors that reflect the culture and history of the vehicles associated with the product group.
For example, in the Living Legends area housing the Ford Mustang, Thunderbird, and Ford GT, the key color is Passion Red, and images of asphalt provide a backdrop for the vehicle displays. In addition, images of vehicles from the company?s racing history are featured on 4-foot high walls that stand behind the legendary concept vehicle debuting at the show.
Visual Symphony
Tying the four areas together are two 120-foot wide LED video screens placed along the outer edges of the oval and running the length of the display. These 10-foot high screens will be used to tell the stories ? past, present and future ? of the Ford brand through a 14-minute video.
?The video is designed to be like a symphony,? said Codina. ?There are several movements which are complete stories of their own, but combined, they tell the story of the last 100 years and give a glimpse at the future of Ford.?
The video is divided into six sections:
Overture: The video begins with a look at Ford?s history, highlighting milestone vehicles and key personalities, including members of the Ford family, employees and dealers.
Product Groups: Each of the four product groups has a video chapter that features the group?s vehicle lineup. The chapters begin with the Ford oval opening onto relevant historical footage and move into a look at today?s products. They end with a look at the future by featuring one of this year?s concept vehicles on a ribbon of that product group?s unique color.
Reprise: Just as the Overture reviewed Ford?s past to the present, the Reprise showcases the present to the future using a video summation of the 2003 product lineup, along with images of concept vehicles from the 2003 show.
The video will play along both screens, sometimes as mirror images. At other times, vehicles will start on one screen and jump to the other, circling the entire display.
Building on the Past
2003 is Ford Motor Company?s centennial year, and Ford Division?s display celebrates that milestone throughout. The celebration begins as visitors enter the display, with a 20-foot wide, 8-foot tall freestanding centennial logo just to the right of the entrance. Within the display itself, the centennial will be highlighted with wall graphics presented in the unique colors of each product group.
The production of the stand itself is an ode to the company?s heritage. Henry Ford was known for his drive to reuse or recycle materials used in the products or processes of making a car, even going so far as to turn parts crates into vehicle floorboards. True to that philosophy, this year?s display reuses a number of elements from the previous Ford display, despite its dramatically different design. These reused elements include structural steel, aluminum flooring, staircases and elevators.
The 2003 North American International Auto Show opens to the public on Sat., Jan. 11 and runs through Mon., Jan. 20. Media will be able to preview the display during an opening ceremony on Sun., Jan. 5 at 11:35 a.m.
Visitors to the new Ford Division display will literally walk into the automaker?s famous logo through a 24-foot tall, 190-foot wide oval opening. Once inside, the display is designed to give guests an all-encompassing experience of the people and the products of Ford through the last 100 years and into the future.
?Our goal in designing this stand was to change the way people experience an auto show,? said Francisco Codina, Ford Division general marketing manager. ?The physical environment, the audio program, and the visual experience combine to immerse visitors in the history, culture, people and products of the Ford oval.?
Entering the Oval
Not only does the entrance take the shape of the Ford logo, the entire 38,303-square foot display is housed in an actual oval with specially formed wood flooring that curves at the display?s outer edges, mirroring the curvature of the roof.
?Most auto show displays are set up so you simply walk past the vehicles in a large open air setting,? said Codina. ?Usually, the only differentiating features between automaker displays are the color and quality of the carpet you?re walking on. We have designed a display that literally envelops the visitor in the Ford oval. It?s a more complete experience.?
Inside the oval, the stand is divided into four areas to reflect Ford?s four product groups: Friends and Family, Living Legends, Tough Trucks and Outfitters. Each area uses graphics and colors that reflect the culture and history of the vehicles associated with the product group.
For example, in the Living Legends area housing the Ford Mustang, Thunderbird, and Ford GT, the key color is Passion Red, and images of asphalt provide a backdrop for the vehicle displays. In addition, images of vehicles from the company?s racing history are featured on 4-foot high walls that stand behind the legendary concept vehicle debuting at the show.
Visual Symphony
Tying the four areas together are two 120-foot wide LED video screens placed along the outer edges of the oval and running the length of the display. These 10-foot high screens will be used to tell the stories ? past, present and future ? of the Ford brand through a 14-minute video.
?The video is designed to be like a symphony,? said Codina. ?There are several movements which are complete stories of their own, but combined, they tell the story of the last 100 years and give a glimpse at the future of Ford.?
The video is divided into six sections:
Overture: The video begins with a look at Ford?s history, highlighting milestone vehicles and key personalities, including members of the Ford family, employees and dealers.
Product Groups: Each of the four product groups has a video chapter that features the group?s vehicle lineup. The chapters begin with the Ford oval opening onto relevant historical footage and move into a look at today?s products. They end with a look at the future by featuring one of this year?s concept vehicles on a ribbon of that product group?s unique color.
Reprise: Just as the Overture reviewed Ford?s past to the present, the Reprise showcases the present to the future using a video summation of the 2003 product lineup, along with images of concept vehicles from the 2003 show.
The video will play along both screens, sometimes as mirror images. At other times, vehicles will start on one screen and jump to the other, circling the entire display.
Building on the Past
2003 is Ford Motor Company?s centennial year, and Ford Division?s display celebrates that milestone throughout. The celebration begins as visitors enter the display, with a 20-foot wide, 8-foot tall freestanding centennial logo just to the right of the entrance. Within the display itself, the centennial will be highlighted with wall graphics presented in the unique colors of each product group.
The production of the stand itself is an ode to the company?s heritage. Henry Ford was known for his drive to reuse or recycle materials used in the products or processes of making a car, even going so far as to turn parts crates into vehicle floorboards. True to that philosophy, this year?s display reuses a number of elements from the previous Ford display, despite its dramatically different design. These reused elements include structural steel, aluminum flooring, staircases and elevators.
The 2003 North American International Auto Show opens to the public on Sat., Jan. 11 and runs through Mon., Jan. 20. Media will be able to preview the display during an opening ceremony on Sun., Jan. 5 at 11:35 a.m.