There are a lot of people in this world, and that can sometimes make becoming the center of attention a bit of a challenge. So, you probably have a unique way of grabbing the spotlight, such as in how you dress or the way you make an entrance. Or maybe it simply lies in the fact that you own a Ford vehicle — we can attest to that grabbing significant attention.
When the all-new 2013 Ford Fusion was revealed, its looks certainly got heads turning. The design is elegant, athletic and, technically speaking, a thing of beauty. Couple those traits with the sedan’s remarkable fuel economy, and it almost seems to be in a class of its own.
Except for the fact that it’s not; it’s in the pretty competitive midsize car segment. That caused Ford to go with some out-of-the-box thinking with its print advertising campaign to ensure the car stood out, which in a way meant borrowing that same idea from reality: When the Fusion is around, all other cars seem to “disappear.” Therefore the new print ads capitalize on that precise theme. Ads appear in national automotive and lifestyle publications and showcase the Fusion in a city setting with other vehicles handpainted to blend invisibly into the background. One of the ads reads, “First rule of taking the world by surprise? Do something the world will actually notice.”
The words are being backed by the work of Chinese contemporary artist Liu Bolin — nicknamed “the invisible man” — who directed the production of the print ads. He is renowned for creating photographs in which he paints his body and clothing to camouflage himself seamlessly into his surroundings. He became the perfect advisor to bring the concept to fruition. Or is that Fusionition?
The process involved a team of Hollywood studio painters, who worked for hours to paint the details of the scenery — brick sidewalks, shrubbery, lamp posts and buildings — onto competitive vehicles parked on the set. “My work can be done on the computer without the use of paint,” said Liu, referring to a type of photography enhanced through the use of computer-generated imagery. “But computers cannot convey emotions. That is something that the artist captures with his paintbrush.”