Australian divisions of big US car companies – namely Ford and GM Holden – have always been influenced by their Detroit bosses, not only in product and design but also advertising.
A number of Ford and Holden TV commercials screened in Australia over the decades were originally created in US advertising agencies, which were then modified to suit local products and audiences.
This classic Ford Australia ad from the 1980s, showing the toughness and power of its heavy duty F350 4×4 pickup truck, is a good example. Ford US conceived this idea back in the 1970s and used it for many years to needle its Chevrolet and Dodge competitors.
So Ford Australia eventually copied it, using the popular Toyota Land Cruiser cab-chassis tray-back ute as its rival this time. Given that the Land Cruiser probably weighed about 1800 kgs it’s a pretty good demo of the ‘Built Ford Tough’ motto. Didn’t do anything to dent the Land Cruiser’s popularity or sales success though!