Shawn Thompson and Ford Motor Company leveraged the classic poem, “The Rose That Grew From Concrete,” from one of the most talented and beloved rap artists of all time, Tupac Amaru Shakur, to help illustrate and convey the spectacular new attributes of the 2013 Ford Fusion.
“We were able to use the poem, ‘The Rose That Grew From Concrete’ to talk about the breakthrough with the Ford Fusion, totally brand new, totally brand new design,” says Ford’s multicultural marketing manager. “The poem talks about how a rose is able to break through the concrete and how we are able to break through with our design. And that’s how we were able to relate the two.”
To Thompson, the poem is about perseverance and never compromising.
“What I feel the poem stands for is, you are never quitting, never compromising. That is something that Ford is known to do. We never compromise our DNA. Part of our DNA is known for always giving back to the community — always. And that something that Ford never compromises and we will never quit doing that. So, this poem and what Ford continues to do in the community is a perfect match. You remember when Ford was going through those hard times? Ford did not quit. … We are still giving back to HBCUs. We were still advertising with BET, TV-One, Centric and different magazines. We never quit. And, to me, that’s what the Tupac Shakur poem represents.”
Thompson was in attendance at the Ford Hoodie Awards, now called the Neighborhood Awards, when they gave away a 2013 Ford Fusion to the Community Leader winner at the Ford Hoodie Awards and had it on display in the MGM Resort and Casino throughout the awards weekend.
What were some of the attendees’ observations?
People just walk past it and some of the comments that our Ford executives heard were, ‘Is that a Ford?’ ‘Is that the new Fusion?’ they were looking at the new grill, the new design of it. People could not believe the dramatic change to it. It is one of the most fuel efficient, mid-size sedans in America. It is the first mid-size sedan that offers hybrid options,” says Thompson.
To learn more about the Ford Fusion as well as the program activation with “The Rose That Grew From Concrete,” please log on to www.ford.com/brandnew
