How Ford Motor Co. spurned legacy media and leaned heavily on social to introduce a powerful brand extension

Mustang, the auto marque owned by Ford, was launching a new electric SUV, called the Mach-E, which marked a significant departure from the brand’s typical vehicles, and a major innovation in its own right.

Ford put the world of auto consumers on notice last year with a tweet hinting that an electric vehicle was on its way.

In late 2019, when the news of the Mustang Mach-E SUV began to sneak out, Ford revealed it would follow a model pursued by marques like Tesla, as it was announcing the car in advance of its final production, and accepting orders for a late 2020 introduction.

Good news for the supply chain became a tough challenge for marketing: “We had to build excitement around something that did not yet exist,” Lisa Schoder, head of Ford’s US...

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