Hasta La Creative!

When Jim Farley was 14, he took a job in Los Angeles far from his family. Rather than use his airline ticket to go home, he cashed it in for an older Mustang, fixed it up and drove it across the country — without a driver’s license and insurance.

It is in this adventurous spirit that Ford, where Mr. Farley today is exec VP-global marketing, sales and service, is positioning the Mustang on its 50th anniversary. Rather than pitch the vehicle on its engine or specs, Ford is focusing on Mustang as an experience — “what it is like to be on a road trip with no agenda, no schedule, just to be free,” Mr. Farley said.

The “Icon Fifty” push will be themed around the idea of passion, exploration and adventure, and for the first marketing wave the automaker is allying with what it’s deemed pop culture experts — Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos, Zagat, Mashable and ESPN the Magazine — to identify “inspirational creatives” in different fields, many of whom have no current connection to the car.

Continue reading at AdAge.com