Matthew McConaughey Has Created A Lasting Impression In His New Lincoln Ads
Since the commercial’s premiere, Lincoln’s 2014 ad campaign featuring Matthew McConaughey has been the target of several high profile television and online video spoofs. The original commercials went viral soon after airing and many viewers have questioned the seemingly cryptic poetry delivered by McConaughey – giving way to a plethora of media spoofs, and heled increase sales for the Lincoln Motor Company.
It makes sense that McConaughey, 44, who starred in 2011s “The Lincoln Lawyer,” has partnered up with, and is now the pitchman, for the car company Lincoln Motors.
What Was The Initial Reaction?
According to Crimson Hexagon, a digital marketing copmany from Boston, nearly 18,000 tweets mentioned McConaughey and Lincoln since the actor first appeared in the car commercials. The original Lincoln television commercials featuring McConaughey have generated over 2.5 million YouTube hits and counting. (Businessweek.com)
The television commercials have attracted the attention of several high profile celebrities and shows. Comedienne Ellen Degeneres was the first to air her parody version of the commercial during an episode of her talk show in September. Degeneres chose to hone in on McConaughey cryptic poetry and spin the commercial to portray the idea that she and McConaughey may have been under the influence of undisclosed substances.
Comedy Central’s South Park also created a spoof version of the commercial in mid-October, and not even two weeks later Jim Carrey stared in his own spoof of the commercial that was had various altered segments aired throughout an episode of SNL. The most recent spoof by Jim Carrey has proven to be almost as popular as the Lincoln - McConaughey original. The continuous light-hearted humor has boosted the online viral nature of the commercials and the media exposure. This type of exposure has generated even more attention for the Lincoln brand than they could have ever hoped for.
It doesn't stop there – the viral nature of the commercial has inspired copycat YouTube videos featuring individuals creating their own parodies of the commercial.
What does this mean for Lincoln, and what does this mean for McConaughey?
McConaughey has remained quiet about his feature in the commercials, and seems to be keeping himself busy promoting his newest film release. The level of exposure from the viral commercials, however, is not hurting the Oscar winning actor. But could such a level of parodied exposure be damaging for Lincoln? Seemingly not, as Lincoln reports that their sales are up by 13 percent year-to-date. Arguably, this is a huge turnaround for Lincoln considering the commercials has only been in circulation for approximately two months.
McConaughey’s partnership with Lincoln has been directly attributed to the success and bump in sales. Lincoln reports that the newly released vehicles have been warmly received by auto-critics. Since the MKC first hit dealerships in May, U.S. sales have steadily increased. Lincoln also reports that dealers have had to offer little in the way of incentives for customers to purchase the cars.
Automakers and brand marketers alike should use this as a triumphant case study of how celebrity endorsement and branded content can align to create a sales impact unattainable by traditional advertising.
Parodies And Spoofs Leave A Lasting Impression
Parodies and spoofs aren't the only contributors to huge increases in sales. Read how the Toy Story franchise has increased these toy companies' sales.
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