Team Detroit Selected as Winner for Best Use of Humor in the 8th Annual Shorty Awards

DEARBORN, Mich., April 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WPP's Team Detroit wins a Shorty Award in Best Use of Humor for Mustang Speed Dating, a video created for client Ford Motor Company.

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and recognize the people and organizations producing content on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, Instagram, Vine and the rest of the social web.

Mustang Speed Dating aimed to reach Millennial female buyers, who outpace male buyers by 53 percent, in a unique way. Team Detroit's strategy was to reject perpetuated stereotypes and show a woman being independent, powerful and authentic in a humorous way. The message was delivered through video footage captured of Prestin, a female professional stunt driver armed with a 2015 Ford Mustang, as she picked up her unsuspecting blind dates for the ride of their lives.

"We showed the world a woman who was comfortable with her beauty, brains and brawn, who is unfortunately being underestimated by the men around her," said Toby Barlow, Global Chief Creative Officer at Team Detroit. "But when she unleashed her talents, she blew their expectations — and gender stereotypes — out of the water."

Although Mustang Speed Dating was aimed at the female market, the content was received favorably by both sexes. Ninety-eight percent of the 12.8 million video views were due to viral earned pick up, and the spot became the second most-viewed YouTube video among US auto companies. Earned coverage of the video ran across large media outlets including CNN, Yahoo, the Today Show, and USA.

"Our ambition is to connect with audiences in surprising and creative ways in social media and this Shorty Award is evidence of that," said Curt Jaksen, Global Managing Director, Content Hub/Brand Content & Alliances at Team Detroit. "Not only was Mustang Speed Dating a win for Team Detroit, it was a bigger win for Ford." 

Winners of the Shorty Awards were selected by members of the Real Time Academy of Short Form Arts & Sciences, comprised of luminaries from advertising, media, entertainment and technology. The group includes Apple co-founder Steve "The Woz" Wozniak, CMO of Virgin America Luanne Calvert, Instagram Co-Founder Mike Krieger, actress and philanthropist Alyssa Milano, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post Arianna Huffington and more.

About Team Detroit

Based in Dearborn, Michigan, Team Detroit was founded in 2007 as an entirely new model of collaboration that gives marketers access to the breadth of WPP's talent, ideas, and tools. The agency has 36 U.S. offices and employs more than 3,000 worldwide. Outside of the US, the agency is branded as Blue Hive. Clients include Ford Motor Company, Lincoln Motor Company, Johnson Controls, Purina, Ohio Art and the United Way of Southeast Michigan. Visit www.teamdetroit.com for more information.

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SOURCE Team Detroit

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