# Unusually Hand-Cuffed Car Ads The 2014 Ford Escape Campaign Focuses on Foot-Activated Liftgate By Meghan Young | Published 2014-05-05 | Autos Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/2014-ford-escape References: [adeevee](http://www.adeevee.com/2014/05/ford-escape-crate-vase-carpet-print/) & [yr](http://www.yr.com) The 2014 [Ford](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/british-deaf-association) Escape ad campaign addresses the common hand-cuffed feeling drivers have when putting objects into the trunk of their car. When it comes to items such as fragile vases, unwieldy carpets and heavy crates, opening that back door can prove to be incredibly tricky. That is why this ad campaign focuses on the vehicle's foot-activated liftgate feature. Conceived and executed by the [Young & Rubicam ad agency](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/you-are-how-you-car) branch based in Toronto, Canada, the 2014 Ford Escape ad campaign brings attention to a practical feature that could easily sway a person's decision when car-shopping over a sunny weekend. It was art directed by Mike Lo Nam with creative direction by Jonathan Smith. The images were shot by Adrian Armstrong and retouched by Adrian Armstron. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.6/10 - Popularity: 36% | Activity: 63% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Autos](https://www.trendhunter.com/autos) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Foot-activated Liftgate:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop new technologies that allow for more intuitive and convenient ways to open car trunks. - **Addressing Common Pain Points:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create products or services that tackle common frustrations in everyday tasks. - **Emphasizing Practical Features:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Design marketing campaigns that highlight practical features of products or services to influence consumer decision-making. ### Where This Applies - **Automotive:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore new ways to improve car functionality and convenience. - **Advertising:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Find unique and compelling ways to showcase product features in advertising campaigns. - **Retail:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop innovative solutions for addressing common pain points in the shopping experience. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Hands-Free Car Innovations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/british-deaf-association.md) - [African American-Inspired Auto Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/What-in-the-Frunk.md) - [Hands-Free Driving Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/passenger-princess.md) - [Online Car Retailer Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/clutch-ad.md) - [AI-Lead Car Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/Be-Surreal-Be-Ford.md) - [Online Car Retailer Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/deflate-the-dealership.md) - [Changemaker Automotive Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ford-explorer-mens-only-edition.md) - [Reality-Bending Car Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cargurus-latest-ad.md) - [Humorous Automotive Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/where-have-you-been.md)