How Swede It Is for the Motor City and Ford's New 'OctoGrip' Print Ad

Ever since Henry Ford first set up shop for his Ford Motor Company in Detroit, both the city and the automaker have benefited from this cross-branding relationship. This unique Motor City factor can be seen in everything from music with Motown to sports with the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, whose town team logo features a car tire with wings. So it came to no surprise that Ford's latest print ad campaign would once again be influenced by Hockey Town USA, as the cool ad borrows heavily on both the Detroit Red Wings logo and the hockey teams unofficial mascot the octopus - as the hockey crazed town has become famous for their strange tradition of throwing octopus on the ice during Red Wing home games. The ad's likeness is not just a mere copy however, but more an homage by the creators - as the ad agency and campaign are based out of Sweden. For it is common knowledge that the Detroit Red Wings have always preferred drafting Swedish hockey players, as the IKEA promo poster attests too.


Credits:
Advertising Agency: Dedicate, Gothenburg, Sweden
Creative Director: Klas Ekstrand
Art Director: Marc Zacharoff
Copywriter: Torbjörn Wannerfelt
Illustrator: Vemod Studios