At this month’s Ohana Festival in Southern California, Ford debuted a new kind of vehicle experience. A personalized cinematic short film built around you, your passions, and the way you imagine experiencing life in a Mustang Mach-E.
The Mustang Mach-E is designed for people who don’t want to choose between performance and practicality, pairing the spirit and unmistakable style of Mustang with the versatility of an electric SUV.
The electric SUV pairs iconic Mustang styling and sports-car performance with everyday practicality under its core promise, The Freedom of Never Having to Choose.
To bring that idea to life in a way that feels personal to the audience, Ford collaborated with creative agency Sounds Fun and cultural strategy partners Sherpa Jacket Club to introduce the ROAM Story Engine.
Rather than simply telling attendees what the Mustang Mach-E can do, ROAM puts them at the center of the story. When someone arrives at the experience, they answer a few simple questions about themselves: what they love, where they’d go, what matters to them. In the time it takes to have a short conversation, the ROAM Story Engine transforms those answers into a cinematic short film in which they are the main character, driving a Mustang Mach-E through a story shaped entirely around their own passions.
The final film is showcased on a big screen for all attendees to see and is also sent directly to the participant’s phone as a social asset to keep and share as they choose.
The experience is brought to life with a combination of 3D and generative technology that gives ROAM control over how both the Mustang Mach-E and participants appear within the environment, allowing the story to move beyond static traditional road cinema.
Each sequence creatively weaves the participant into the frame, from subtle motion reflections to dynamic discoveries by the camera, with multiple inventive ways of featuring the driver seamlessly throughout.
Just as each ROAM film is shaped around the individual, the Mustang Mach-E is designed to adapt to a range of lifestyles—whether that means an everyday commute, a weekend road trip or an outdoor adventure.
For its Ohana debut, the ROAM Story Engine experience is localized with elements tailored to coastal culture.
This debut marks Sounds Fun and Sherpa Jacket Club’s inaugural collaboration with Ford, serving as the launchpad for a multi-activation experience, rolling out at different venues nationwide.
“More than a face swap, The ROAM Story Platform is a completely new approach to experience design and storytelling,” said Iain Thomas, Chief Innovation Officer at Sounds Fun. “After answering a few simple questions, it allows us to map someone’s most compelling passion points and create an individual cinematic experience that shows them what life could be like in a Mustang Mach-E, in a way that puts them, their wants, and their needs at the very heart of the story. This work is an embodiment of our belief that technology is at its best when it’s used to create completely new opportunities in storytelling.”
“Everything we do at Ford is about giving people the freedom to pursue what they love. Mustang Mach-E was built on the idea that you shouldn’t have to choose between your passion and your purpose. The ROAM Story Engine is a new way for the audience to experience that belief themselves, starting with the Ohana Festival crowd and the Southern California coastal lifestyle.” Mark Dipko, VP General Manager at Ford Model E, NA
