Ford adds cool to the frunk in YouTube series

As brands rush to tell consumers about what electric vehicles can offer, Ford Motor Co. is trying to bring “frunk” into the cultural lexicon.

“Frunk” is slang for front trunk, or the empty space under the hood where most gasoline-powered vehicles have an engine.

The frunk is representative of how the arrival of mainstream EVs will herald significant behavior changes in the driving experience, including zero trips to the gas station.

Although automakers selling EVs have spent most of their time assuaging consumer concerns such as range anxiety, Ford is now focusing on the fun and trying to make the frunk a cultural moment and part of a lifestyle.

The social media-led campaign centers on the question of “how can we get this term into the lexicon, where it’s in pop culture and it’s not in a cheesy way” Tania Taiwo, a creative/writer for ad agency Wieden+Kennedy, which handled the campaign, told Ad Age.

It takes the form of a YouTube series of three videos showing influencers using the frunk in different ways. For instance, one shows a Bronx-based chef collective called Ghetto Gastro cooking shrimp and waffles using power from an electric Ford and then eating inside the frunk.

Other videos star musicians Imani Lauren and Kaelin Ellis and tattoo artist Suro Shinn using the vehicle’s battery to power their art.

This focus on “the lifestyle you’re going to have in the car” also serves to justify the typically higher price tag for EVs by highlighting “what else am I going to get with my money,” said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of insights at Edmunds.