A lot of things have changed in the world since 1976. Political climates, gas prices, fuel economy standards, styling, and performance are all vastly different from what they were then. Some things have not changed a lick as you will find out when watching the video below which features 15 ads from the 1976 Ford truck model year. They hit almost all of the same themes you see in pickup truck commercials today.
There are wacky tests of the truck’s toughness and construction. There are hunks footage showing them conquering the open land of the American west, there are cowboys, and there are plenty of real time and slow motion shots of the trucks jumping and hammering through streams and stuff as well. There is a campy element to some of the ads which is kind of charming because today’s ad campaigns are devoid of such humor. We’re apparently too evolved for that stuff now.
We love 1970s Fords of both the early and late style. The Mr. Majestyk footage that was used in one ad is the best. Remember, this is 1976 and the truck in that movie is a 1968 model. Someone at Ford was smart enough after seeing the movie to look right past the model year and highlight the toughness and deliver a great message.
Advertising in the era when these were made must have been a blast. A few cocktails at lunch, a couple of decisions in the afternoon and then praying it all worked when the campaign started ages later. Hey, we’re still talking about these ads today so they must have been good, right?
