Ford gives interactive calendar to drivers and their families

In Brazil, Ford has created Calendário da Saudade, which uses GPS tracking to notify the families of truck drivers when they are within a kilometre of their home.

In a world where above the line advertising no longer has the impact it once did, brands are turning to increasingly innovative ways of engaging their audiences. Some of the more recent, most interesting examples we’ve covered at Springwise are this mattress company that launched a chatbot for insomniacs to talk to when they can’t sleep, and this clothing company that crowdsourced its company values. Now Ford has launched an interactive calendar in Brazil, Calendário da Saudade.

“Saudade” is a Brazilian word, not directly translatable, meaning the emotional state of longing, melancholy or nostalgia for something or someone, and it is this feeling that Ford have attempted to capture in their Christmas campaign. The calendar itself is shaped like a cardboard truck. It connects to a GPS device that drivers of Ford trucks can place on the dashboard. Then, when the vehicle is one kilometer away from the calendar, it will begin to honk and blink its headlights. The idea is to enable families of the drivers to see when their loved ones are close to home.

Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world. Because its railroad system was never fully developed, distribution happens largely through trucks with drivers sometimes travelling for several days to reach their destinations. As Vico Benevides, GTB’s executive creative director, explains, the idea is to value the moment of arrival at home. “Ford creates the best trucks so that the driver can carry any load with comfort and safety, but we know the weight that his absence has for the family. So we have decided to create a different desk calendar, using technology to help those who love the Truck driver the most.”

How else could brands creatively give back to their staff this Christmas?