ford drive pilot

case study:

THE BRIEF

When Ford Drive set out to reimagine rideshare mobility, they turned to NoLie Communications to help build the program’s  marketing funnel  from the ground up. Launched as a pilot program, Ford Drive  offered flexible, eco-friendly electric vehicle subscriptions to rideshare drivers in select California markets. As a brand-new venture, it required full-stack support—go-to-market strategy, digital infrastructure, media planning, creative development, and rapid test-and-learn cycles to drive interest and adoption.

NoLie acted as an extension of the client team, approaching the program with a startup mentality: agile, strategic, and responsive to real-time results. Over a year and a half, the pilot program expanded its presence in the key cities of Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco - gaining traction, evolving its offering and building a foundation for future potential.

The Brand

Ford Drive redefined  rideshare mobility with a flexible, high-performance electric vehicle leasing program designed for rideshare drivers. Launched in San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, Ford Drive offering is  an accessible and eco-friendly alternative to traditional car ownership. By providing the cutting-edge Mustang® Mach-E® Select in convenient one-week increments, Ford Drive empowered drivers with a smarter, more sustainable way to move people and the things that matter to them—without the long-term commitment of ownership.

TIMELINE SNAPSHOT

Summer 2023 | Laying the Foundation

  • Launched initial pilot in San Diego.

  • Developed GTM strategy, KPIs, tracking systems, and a flexible, low-commitment product offering.

  • Supported Ford Drive website development with full tracking and reporting capabilities.

Winter 2023/24 | Building for Scale

  • Implemented full-funnel media strategy across Meta, Google, and programmatic channels.

  • Expanded operations to San Francisco and Los Angeles.

  • Optimized the sign-up flow based on user behavior.

  • Enhanced creative production with influencer-driven video and social content.

  • Shifted media strategy toward video-first and user-generated creative for higher conversion rates.

  • Supported marketing automation to nurture leads and drive loyalty.

  • Contributed to a 10x growth in total customers from initial pilot.

Summer / Winter 2024 | Accelerating Impact

Strategy & Infrastructure:

  • Taking into account internal Ford Drive resources, NoLie’s team and additional external resources, NoLie stratetgized a channel expansion based on agility factors such as time to market, effort and costs as well as potential impact.

  • Designed Ford Drive’s digital marketing ecosystem from the ground up, including the digital GTM strategy, audience segmentation, media mix, and measurement framework.

  • Executed fast testing cycles with 5x new channels in a 3 month period inclusive of concept development, media run and analytics review.

  • Integrated marketing automation to support customer acquisition, onboarding, and retention.

HOW NOLIE HELPED Build ford drive:

Creative & Content:

  • Collaborated with the Ford Drive team to amplify and further characterize the Ford Drive brand’s tone and feel for a distinctive look.

  • Produced high-impact creative assets, expanding from polished brand executions to influencer-driven, authentic content to match audience preferences.

  • Built a scalable content library optimized for seasonal campaigns, viral trends, and full-funnel use.

  • Developed a hierarchy of messaging avenues for each phase of the funnel along with a wisely measured testing plan.

Creative Strategy:

Compelling and data-driven creative was at the core of Ford Drive’s success. NoLie developed high-performing digital assets, including social media ads, display banners, and video content tailored to the rideshare driver audience. Our creative approach emphasized ease of access, financial flexibility, and the benefits of EV adoption, resulting in increased engagement and conversions.

More testing versatility

Isolate variables

Faster production

Converts keen customers

Higher engagement

Lower cost per acquisition

Longer and more costly production

Educates new clients

media & measurement

  • Led full-funnel media execution with a focus on measurable business outcomes, not just vanity metrics. Partnerships with the on the ground sales team allowed for strong insights and gradual top of funnel optimizations for max efficiency.

  • Tested and refined campaigns based on real-time performance data, constantly improving CPA and lead quality.

  • Geo-targeted key markets with hyper-localized landing pages and campaigns  to maximize conversion rates.