Ford and Bryan Cranston urge People to comply with Covid’s precautions

Still from Ford’s “Finish Strong” spot.

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In a new ad campaign starring actor Bryan Cranston, Ford Motor urges Americans to adhere to Covid-19 protocols to save lives in the next phase of the pandemic.

The campaign, part of an initiative the company named #FinishStrong, features a new commercial from filmmaker Peter Berg voiced by the star “Breaking Bad” and “Your Honor”. The spots will be released in early January during college football bowl games on ABC and ESPN and NFL games on Fox.

Ford leaders said on a call Wednesday that the company wanted to step up Covid protocols in the final leg of the pandemic to prevent tens of thousands of additional deaths from vaccine adoption.

“We’re entering a really critical time,” said Mark Truby, Ford’s chief communications officer. “Vaccines are just around the corner, but we know from health professionals and so on that until there is a mass launch of vaccines and so on, up to 50,000 more American lives could be saved, and what kinds of numbers will really make a difference. ”

The ad, which contains scenes of frontline workers and those affected by Covid, is intended to set a uniform tone.

“We know Americans don’t necessarily want to be preached, and they don’t want to hear fear tactics,” Truby said. “The idea behind it was how we can develop a positive message that appeals to the sense of humanity, patriotism and the feeling of doing what’s right for each other.”

The company worked on site with the advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy and the Civic Entertainment Group. Ford is dedicating a number of slots during the games in early January that were originally intended to be used to promote its F-150 truck.

Ford has worked with the UAW to manufacture tens of millions of personal protective equipment, including 20 million face shields, 50,000 ventilators, 32,000 respirators and 1.4 million robes, amid the pandemic.