BACK TO THE FUTURE

One of the ways Land Rover North America is celebrating the brand’s upcoming 65th Anniversary is with a series of cool, retro‑inspired poster ads for its social media channels.

Kim Kyaw, Land Rover North America’s Digital Marketing and Social Media Manager, explains how this series of five classic ads manages to combine the old with the new.

Tell us what inspired the ads?
We were looking for cool ways to celebrate Land Rover’s 65th Anniversary on April 30 and in our research, we had come across some of the classic British print ads from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. We thought it would be fun to re‑imagine them featuring our new Land Rover models.

How will the ads run?
We’re posting them on Land Rover USA’s social media channels; Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. We started at the beginning of April with the 1950s, where we integrated and featured the Range Rover Evoque. Last week, it was the 1960s with the 2013 Land Rover LR4. This Friday’s ad will be the 1970s and feature the all‑new Range Rover. Next week, we’ll feature the 2013 Land Rover LR2 for the 1980s. We’ll end with the 1990s and the all‑new Range Rover Sport.

Was it fun creating these retro ads?
It was a lot of fun creating the retro ads because back in the 1950s and 1960s Land Rover tended not to use photography in its advertising so we had to find specialist illustrators. For the 1950s Range Rover Evoque ad, we found a terrific line‑drawing illustrator who took an original ad and replaced the old Land Rover vehicle with a 2013 Range Rover Evoque. For the 1960s ad, we found a water‑color artist to paint the 2013 Land Rover LR4 in this wonderful Sahara‑like desert setting.

So what do you have planned for the 1980s and 1990s ads?
While I wish I could share those plans, right now it’s still a secret! We really want to keep them a surprise so that our Facebook, Google+ and Twitter followers can look forward to seeing what we’ve created for the next three Fridays. I can tell you that they are really fun. During the 1980s and 1990s, Land Rover advertising gained a reputation for being very smart and witty; by having vehicles photographed in really interesting locations. Hopefully we’ve captured that same unique style.

What’s been the reaction to the first two ads?
We’ve gotten really positive reactions from our community around the first two ads we’ve posted. We received a lot of ‘Likes’ on our Facebook page, plenty of re‑tweets on Twitter and some really enthusiastic feedback all around. These ads are not part of our Land Rover North America media strategy. They’re intended to celebrate the 65th Anniversary and celebrate Land Rover’s rich heritage in a unique and innovative way; a way that stimulates a conversation on‑line.