In a new campaign that attempts to convey both luxury and cultural significance, Lincoln has unveiled “Mic Drop,” featuring tennis legend Serena Williams.
Crafted with creative agency Hudson Rouge, this ad positions the Navigator as the original full-size luxury SUV while leveraging Williams’ star power in an attempt to connect with young, affluent viewers.
The spot debuted during the Elite Eight of March Madness, and began a full rollout across TV, streaming, digital, and out-of-home places on April 1.
Here’s what iSpot’s Creative Assessment platform revealed on actual viewer response to the :30 spot.
The Details:
- Although higher income ($75K+) American viewers centered on Serena Williams and the music as they watched “Mic Drop” for the first time, that did not take away Desire for the Navigator, with an above-norm 52% of all viewers (+6 pts vs the average lux auto norm) reporting increased consideration:
- The music effectively grabbed Attention and the unique Cinematic visuals brought a sense of Curiosity and Change that kept viewers watching.
- “Mic Drop’s” best audience was found among Lincoln’s key targets—those 21-35 as well as women 36-49 while pulling in normative response across other demographic segments.
- The music effectively grabbed Attention and the unique Cinematic visuals brought a sense of Curiosity and Change that kept viewers watching.
- While 68% in total recalled Lincoln after watching the spot (a bit below category benchmarks), 29% recalled the Navigator model:
- The spot resonated near- to above-norm across auto intenders both near and longer term, with comments from higher-income viewers reflecting the healthy levels of engagement achieved, assisted especially by the audio track (also seen on second-by-second trace results).
- The inclusion of many interior and exterior design elements of the Navigator itself helped to drive interest for many viewers, with Serena generally a positive addition. The late appearance of the tennis legend allowed consumers to take in the auto itself first.
- The spot resonated near- to above-norm across auto intenders both near and longer term, with comments from higher-income viewers reflecting the healthy levels of engagement achieved, assisted especially by the audio track (also seen on second-by-second trace results).
Higher-income viewers on “Mic Drop” :30
“It made me curious as to why there were mics falling from the sky. The mic drop made sense and it made me wonder if so many mics were falling due to all the owners of the same car brand. Then I was slightly concerned that she was going to drive over the mics lol.”
Female 36-49
“The ad is very effective. It is one of the few ads that shows the interior and exterior of the car that is being advertised. The ad keeps your attention because you really want to know what is going on and why this is happening. I liked it a lot.”
Female 50+
“The music in the ad was enjoyable to listen to, and the visuals were engaging, making the overall experience entertaining and attention-grabbing.”
Male 21-35
“Overall, I was enjoying the visuals of the car. It really highlighted many of the key interior and exterior aspects of the vehicle. I also really liked the cinematography and music. Very memorable.”
Male 36-49
“Microphones falling out of the sky is just too unrealistic. Makes you think the company is a bit dramatic about their product. Love Serena Williams and love the music.”
Female 21-35
“The ad was very direct, highlighting the important features of the product. Also, I love the influencer that was used in the ad.”
Female 36-49
“I’m a Ford guy so I stick with Ford products. The Navigator is the go-to SUV in my personal opinion. Ford/Lincoln products are true American.”
Male 36-49
“I like the ad because the ad was very interesting, authentic, unique, and visually appealing, and I like that the ad showed me something new about the brand.”
Female 21-35
“Luxury, beauty, and style mixed with performance and reliability, all topped off with a tennis icon. Describes Lincoln very well.”
Male 36-49
- The vehicle visuals included in “Mic Drop” were persuasive to multiple audience segments, with the ad outpacing Top 2 Box consideration norms among the overall higher-income audience, as well as viewers 21-35 and one-year auto intenders:
- Lincoln can consider increasing budget with broad reach to higher-income viewers and/or targeting to the key segments.
- Analyzing three years of Lincoln ads to pinpoint the winning creative elements that most influence consumer intent reveals the Optimal Profile below, that sets high-performing brand ads apart:
- “Mic Drop” far surpassed this Optimal Profile in key KPIs: Change, Attention, Likeability, Relevance, and Information—all five components that drive purchase intent. The ad clearly showed that while the celebrity appearance and audio track were engaging, the product itself was not overshadowed by these other elements.
- Based on this profile, this :30 placed (on the left side of the chart) in the upper right quadrant of Lincoln ads, indicating that it would be expected to drive higher consumer consideration vs other brand ads.
- Armed with this information on each of the brand’s creatives (ads can be pretested to confirm potential even before airing), their media team is empowered to allocate budget accordingly to optimize business results.
- Note that other brands will have their own unique Optimal profiles.
- “Mic Drop” far surpassed this Optimal Profile in key KPIs: Change, Attention, Likeability, Relevance, and Information—all five components that drive purchase intent. The ad clearly showed that while the celebrity appearance and audio track were engaging, the product itself was not overshadowed by these other elements.
- By employing unusual scenes and audio to stand out while simultaneously showcasing important vehicle features, this creative tapped into higher-income consumer desires, driving higher purchase intent:
- “Mic Drop” compared favorably to many recently released lux SUV ads in driving Top 2 Box purchase/visit intent but did trail a BMW ad on their X Series in particular.
Ineffective creative, even if delivered to the right audience, results in missed opportunity and performance shortfalls. Great creative delivered poorly also results in failed campaigns.
Schedule a demo to find out how your brand can partner with iSpot to quickly solve both challenges simultaneously, delivering high-performing creative while boosting the effectiveness of planning and in-market execution to achieve—and outperform—campaign objectives.
Creative Agency: Hudson Rouge