FORD REINVENTS ALOHA WANDERWELL'S DRIVE AROUND THE WORLD
Born Licensing worked with the Estate of Aloha Wanderwell to help share her inspiring story
One hundred years ago, a little-known but now iconic adventure pioneer broke the mould to redefine what was possible for explorers. Between 1922 and 1927, Aloha Wanderwell became the first woman to drive around the world on a journey that took her through 43 countries. Partially sponsored by Ford Motor Company, she set the record in a Ford Model T.
Now, as Ford accelerates in its mission to lead the electric vehicle revolution, the company has joined forces with adventure influencer Lexie Alford – known to many as Lexie Limitless – to continue Wanderwell’s legacy of redefining exploration with an ambitious round-the-world journey in the new electric Ford Explorer. Beginning later this year, the expedition will take Lexie all over the globe; embracing challenges, meeting people from many cultures, and visiting places of outstanding beauty, all supported by the zero-tailpipe emission Ford Explorer.
BORN LICENSING’S ROLE
Ford’s creative agency approached us to manage the licensing of Aloha Wanderwell for this inspiring campaign. Having worked with many celebrity estates before including the estate of Bruce Lee (Boost), Peter Finch (Ovo Energy), Ingrid Bergman, and Humphrey Bogart (Tesco), we understood the sensitivities and respect required when working with the estates of inspiring figures who are no longer with us. For this campaign, Born Licensing's main priority was to ensure that the estate of Aloha Wanderwell was fully comfortable with how Aloha Wanderwell’s story was shared and that her legacy was honored. Born Licensing also managed the release of assets including archive footage and photography featuring Aloha Wanderwell. Born Licensing managed all aspects of communication between the estate, Ford, and AMV BBDO.
The campaign will air on broadcast, online, social, print, and OOH across Europe. Stay tuned for the start of Lexie’s expedition across the globe, later this year, as she follows in the footsteps of Aloha Wanderwell.
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