Men’s Only Edition Explorer

On International Women’s Day, Ford launched the Men’s Only Edition Ford Explorer—a car missing all the parts invented by women—sparking a global conversation and showcasing women’s key contributions to automotive history.

Launching a Ford SUV with a name like Men’s Only Edition had immediate stopping power and was a lightning rod for curiosity and commentary. It allowed us to tell the story of the many contributions women have made to the automobile that have gone unnoticed and uncelebrated. The misdirect earned incredible attention during Women’s History month and helped us build affinity with that important audience.

Erica Martin

Marketing Communications Manager, Ford

For the last decade, women have driven growth in the non-premium automotive sector. Ford, long perceived as a male brand, has not realized its share of this growth, and its positive perception among women has declined year over year. We needed to change that perception and reach this critically important audience.

Historically, women have not received the recognition they deserve for their inventions. And the work done by these women in the automotive industry was no exception. So, we chose International Women’s Day to launch our content and celebrate women past and present who have contributed to the success of the industry and beyond.

The first car missing all the parts invented by women: The Men’s Only Edition Ford Explorer. This fictitious Explorer highlighted women’s contributions to the auto industry and the vehicles we drive today.

A lively, critically-acclaimed global conversation sparked impressive growth, generating over 39 million in earned media impressions and 4.6 million social impressions in 24 hours with no paid media. Combine that with 2.8 million video views across Ford's social channels and a 249% increase in visits to ford.com and the International Women's Day landing page, made the campaign a big success.