Aaron Brzozowski
Ford has followed up its smart, pointed TV spot for the Ford Focus compact hatch, using images and themes from the Dragon Ball ZÂ animated series, applying the same classic ’90s anime treatment to the Ford Fusion mid-size sedan.
The result can be seen above, and it’s tremendously funny.
For those readers who aren’t well-acquainted with the series, allow us to explain. In this clip, the two children – Trunks and Goten, Goku’s second son – are performing a “fusion” to combine into a single, more powerful entity (for a time). However, instead of fusing to become a more capable fighter, in this ad, Trunks and Goten combine to literally become a Ford Fusion sedan.
Yeah, you sort of have to be “in” to get it.
That’s sort of the strength of this Dragon Ball Z-themed Ford Fusion ad, and the earlier Focus spot. The Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z anime series were hugely popular while members of Generation Y (a.k.a. the “Millennial” Generation) were children, and that generation is coming up fast in terms of purchasing power and market importance. By speaking to Millennials through clever, knowing references to a cultural staple like Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, Ford can continue to make itself the first automaker considered by that demographic.
