How Pete Zillig's creative roadmap is driving change at Ford

When Pete Zillig joined Ford five years ago, he wasn't looking for a smooth ride. Like the 52-mile ultramarathons he’s completed, Zillig was searching for a next-level challenge to ramp up the stakes.

"I've never taken an easy job," he declares. Accompanied by Zillig’s steely gaze, the statement is hard to disbelieve. "The challenge of transforming the company, the brand and the marketing strategy was too good to turn down."

Sitting opposite Zillig in Wieden & Kennedy’s spaciously eclectic coffee-shop-esque offices – a hop, skip and jump from the uber-hip Spitalfields market and its trendy boutiques – it’s clear he’s relaxed in the agency’s world.

That's not surprising given his career has been a strategic hopscotch between agency and client-side roles, furnishing him with a distinctly dual perspective.

Zillig's journey has been anything but conventional – a Zillig-zag, one might say. Shaped by transformation, his career began as a junior account manager on Bahlsen and Jacobs at a small Frankfurt agency before moving to a Grey-owned sports-brand specialist in Munich. He then shifted gear, picking up a leadership role in London with IT brand Compaq (later acquired by HP), which lasted over five years before he stepped back into the agency world.

Director-level roles at Lowe, Euro RSCG, and Tag followed, with Zillig switching between the London and New York skylines. His chief exec post at Cheil UK lasted almost four years before he was lured back into brand-side marketing after two decades agency side, with ‘director of marketing, Ford of Europe,’ proving impossible to resist. Today he splits his time between Cologne and London.

This zigzag path has shaped Zillig’s approach to marketing at Ford: "Working on both sides has made me quite demanding, because I know what's possible and how to push us. I know that good is the enemy of great, so I won't accept good or average work,” he says. “We're on a mission to make Ford famous again. There's so much latent love for Ford, and we need to reignite that with many populations around Europe.”

Growing up in Chelmsford, Essex, Zillig was surrounded by Ford vehicles churning out of the nearby Dagenham plant – hardly surprising seeing as 10,980,368 cars were produced there between 1931 and 2002. So his current role feels almost predestined.

"Weirdly, it felt like a homecoming," Zillig recalls. "I grew up with mates whose parents worked for Ford, either at the plant or at the Brentwood HQ, and there were Fords everywhere on the road. To have the opportunity to work on this brand now is quite personal to me, it’s a huge gift."

Committed to the EV journey

Ford's transformation is more than a marketing challenge – it’s a fundamental and ambitious business reinvention to ‘Bring on Tomorrow’, as set out in January 2020.

But the market is challenging and competitive, with appetites for EVs potentially hindered – at least stateside by the arrival of President Trump. Zillig is pragmatic, watching the US with interest to “see where things settle,” but refuses to be drawn on the dynamics of the American auto industry.

“From a European perspective, we are absolutely committed to the EV journey. We'd like the pace to be quicker. We'd like customer demand to be greater,” he says.

He reflects on Ford’s ‘Park the Car’ initiative launched in 2022 and designed to encourage people in Europe to walk or cycle the 50 per cent of daily car journeys that are five kilometres or less. Walking or cycling instead of driving just once a day could reduce personal daily carbon footprints by up to 84 per cent, which in turn could support an 8 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by cars.

“Firstly, EVs can easily cope with that. And secondly, why wouldn't you sometimes get on a bike or go for a walk instead of driving 5k in what's probably a school drop off at rush hour? Clearly, we want people to buy cars, and we want people to drive cars. But we want people, ideally, to be buying EVs and doing the right thing for the planet. We've also been bold enough to suggest that, for those short journeys, you take alternative transport. I think it's a brave thing for an automotive brand to say,” says Zillig.

He's idealistic, but also realistic about the EV industry's future.

"Not everybody will make it. Yes, we'll see some manufacturers have their blockbuster moment, but there will also be many Nokia moments, as many won't survive this transformation,” he says. “We're already seeing plenty of Chinese competitors who launched in markets like Norway, and sold a few thousand cars, now pulling out."

Up to 40 different EVs were launched in Europe over the past year, he says, pointing out that China launched “even more in a single year, and they're coming to European markets."

The customer acquisition strategy is equally complex. "About 40 per cent of Ford EV buyers are already loyal Ford customers, and 60 per cent are totally new to the brand," he explains. "For many, it's their first EV. It's a huge opportunity to conquest new customers and secure the next 120 years of the brand in Europe."

So, what about retaining customers that have switched to a Ford EV?

In the US, the auto giant has launched the ‘Power Promise’ scheme, whereby a charging wall box, charging packages, and breakdown cover are also parcelled up as part of the EV package. This scheme could also potentially be delivered in the UK and Europe, he explains: “It’s a comfort blanket, because obviously you want a customer to never go back once they’ve purchased their first EV, hopefully a Ford EV. You want their next car to be an EV as well. Very few people will go back once they've driven an EV. But it's really about making sure that everything you do around that purchase is giving them peace of mind and security. Because it's a leap of faith for a lot of people the first time around.”

Brand loyalty from second-and first-time EV-purchasers has yet to be tested, says Zillig, because we are still in what he sees as “the first wave” of EV adoption: "When I joined Ford five years ago, the key catalyst was the transformation I could see ahead for the brand," Zillig explains. "It wasn't about continuing to support old nameplates like Focus and Fiesta. It was clear there was going to be a big transformation."

The brand's EV lineup tells this story. From the Mustang Mach-E to the Explorer, the electric Capri, and the upcoming Puma Gen E, each vehicle represents a strategic piece of the larger ‘Bring On Tomorrow’ puzzle.

"We've almost done things in reverse order in terms of price point," he says. "The Mach-E sits at the top as the most premium, followed by Capri, Explorer, and then the Puma Gen E, at around £30,000 – a very accessible EV with a monthly payment of around £300."

Meanwhile, on the commercial vehicle side, Ford has also launched the E-Transit – an electric version of the much-loved van that’s so ubiquitous on London’s streets.

“The future is taking longer”

But – just like driving through our beloved capital – the journey isn't without hold-ups and logjams. The automotive industry is experiencing a complex transition. "We all believe the future is electric," Zillig says, "but the future is taking longer to take hold than anticipated."

The dynamics are markedly different in Europe, he explains, where in Norway, 95 per cent of vehicles sold are now EVs. Whereas in the UK, electric cars accounted for 19.6 per cent of UK new car registrations in 2024. Petrol was the most popular fuel choice, with a 52.2 per cent of market share.

He points to significant barriers, particularly prevalent in the UK market: customer anxieties about range, charging infrastructure, and the withdrawal of government incentives, which seems at odds with the government’s ambitious target to ban new combustion car sales in 2035 and the ZEV mandate. That obliges car manufacturers to sell a certain percentage of electric cars in the UK per year, starting at 22 per cent in 2024 and rising to 80 per cent in 2030, or risk facing penalties.

“There's a level of patience involved, and there's also obviously a level of making sure that we stay compliant,” says Zillig. In real terms for Ford, this means one EV must be sold on the passenger vehicle side for every four equivalent combustion vehicles sold. On the commercial vehicle side, for every nine transits sold as combustion vehicles, Ford must sell one EV.

“We believe there should be more incentives in place for customers, in order to give them that segue into the EV market. A lot of those incentives have been withdrawn over recent times – but would really help. And then obviously, more charging infrastructure would help massively,” says Zillig.

Encouraging a limitless EV leap

The biggest obstacle remains changing perceptions, especially while customers are playing catch up. So how is Zillig applying creativity to the task?

Last year’s social-first spot "Dreamlike Drive" created by Born Social, aimed to ease anxiety about rapidly disappearing battery life, using a two-hour film to show what it’s like to drive the Ford Mustang Mach-E, as a drone followed the car driving through soaring landscapes and stunning mountain roads in Majorca.

Meanwhile, the Ford Explorer campaign, Charge Around The Globe, was a world-first electric vehicle global expedition, deliberately designed to address core customer concerns. Featuring adventure influencer Lexie Alford, also known as @lexielimitless – already a Guinness World Record holder as the youngest woman in the world to travel to every country in the world – as she set a new record of being the first person to circumnavigate the globe in an electric vehicle: the all-new Explorer.

The launch campaign, developed with AMV BBDO, not only marked the Ford Explorer launch, but also celebrated the 100th anniversary of an earlier expedition by 16-year-old Aloha Wanderwell, which saw her become the first woman to drive around the world on a journey that took her through 43 countries between 1922–1927. Partially sponsored by Ford Motor Company, she did it all in a Ford Model T – known as the car that put the world on wheels.

"The two primary consumer concerns are range and charging," Zillig explains. "By partnering with Lexi we demonstrated something powerful: if we can take an EV around the world, then you can definitely take one to Sainsbury's or on the school-run."

The campaign was more than marketing – it was pure storytelling, with a three-part documentary on Amazon Prime, created by Wieden & Kennedy London, following Lexie’s 30,000km “test-drive” and replicating a journey Ford first did 100 years ago with a Model T. “There was wonderful symmetry in taking something we'd done a century ago and making it happen again with an EV," says Zillig.

Capri is the GOAT

But Zillig’s favourite Ford work of recent times is its campaign to bring back the Capri – a.k.a ‘the GOAT’ – in all its electric glory.

"We wanted to tap into the legacy of the nameplate, draw on that history, but put it on a pedestal again as a legend," he says. "It was a mischievous vehicle – a racing car, a getaway car, a family car. It was in plenty of films. It was in plenty of TV shows. It was the car you always promised yourself. And yet it was a family car – you could still get two kids in the back, and everybody loved it.”

The new Capri platform ‘Mischief rewired’ – encapsulates the electrification of the legendary nameplate, along with three slick relaunch ads – created by Wieden & Kennedy London. The campaign was supported by a purposely bizarre social strategy “The legend is back” featuring Eric Cantona, including IRL activations that saw him walking a goat through Bermondsey. All deliberately provocative – and masterminded by Born Social.   

The work represents Zillig's creative philosophy in its purest form, relying on: “IQ, EQ and really good creative intuition – so important when you're looking at work, and to really trust your instinct and gut.”

Obviously, he acknowledges the value of research, pre-and-post-testing, for data to support the decision-making process, but, ultimately, he says: “I think a good creative marketer knows when they see something that’s genuinely a jewel, when you’ve struck gold with something that is truly different. To stand out, you have to trust yourself.”

And in today’s digital age, the power of an idea is more important than ever, Zillig believes. Although he is optimistic about the role of tech and AI in creativity, which has provided Ford with “huge agility to tweak or steer work to deliver maximum performance,” he's clear that it won't replace core creative principles.

"In the same way social made everybody a publisher, I think AI is going to make a significant change," he predicts. "It's going to open up whole new channels and participants in the creative conversation. But there has been a lot of hysteria. Now I think we are going to see more rapid adoption in the next 18 to 24 months.”

“Poacher turned gamekeeper”

With decades of agency experience, Zillig brings a unique perspective to client-side work, which he believes has made him a better listener.

“I listen for meaning, in a way that perhaps I didn’t so much in agency roles – where you’re often in ‘sell mode’ while pitching for business or selling a strategy – there’s a lot of ‘outbound’,” he says.

Conversely, he finds that client side there's more ‘inbound’ in terms of understanding a business in order to be able to support its marketing requirements.

Zillig has “huge respect” for Ford’s agency partners – WPP, Wieden & Kennedy, Born Social, Imagination and others he works with – pointing out that he understands first-hand how tough the agency business is.

“Although I might be poacher turned gamekeeper to a degree, I'm certainly not a turncoat in that respect,” he says. “I understand how difficult it is for agencies to pitch, to get to great work, for them to have a sense of security and confidence around client relationships so they can do their best work. When you have a relationship that feels stable, that feels like both sides are invested, that's when you get your best work. The stick is never the answer.”

Over the last 20 years of advertising, asks Zillig, “how many campaigns can we recall that have truly made a difference in the world, and that everybody still remembers? It's so rare, so few and far between,” he says. The best way to achieve groundbreaking work, he believes, is to nurture the best agency people, because they make all the difference.

“Even in a huge agency entity of thousands of people, there might be a team of 10 or 15 that truly make a difference to your brand and the work you do. And it's those people that really count. You want the best people on your business – you want to be a magnet for talent within the agency, and then you attract those people that really care about your business,” says Zillig.

Understanding the dynamic of how agencies work and what is seen as “good business” within an agency, has helped Zillig achieve the best work for Ford – with lots more yet to come – he believes.

And as Ford accelerates further into its electric future, Zillig feels like more than a marketing leader, rather an ultra-runner with a marathon of stories ahead. It may never be an easy journey, but he's got the grit to reimagine the century-old brand – one electric vehicle at a time. "We're not just selling cars," he says with a smile. "We're securing Ford's next 120 years in Europe."

The world according to Pete Zillig

Who is your creative hero or your favourite piece of creativity?

“I love Guinness. I drink the stuff. And I love the creativity of Guinness as a brand. But whether it's Guinness Surfer, or some of their more recent work, whether it's the simple iconography, the black, the white, the spirit of the brand. And what they’ve done with Guinness 0.0 is also incredible.”

What's been feeding your imagination lately?

“My kids. They're 25, 23 and 21 now. What they listen to, what they read, what they watch, what they wear, how they talk, their friends, their views on the world… They’re such a source of inspiration, in a way that I’d never have imagined. I'll often take recommendations from them in terms of what I should watch or listen to or pay attention to. They are my inspiration in terms of staying in touch with reality.”

What car do you drive?

“The Ford Mustang Mach-E.”

What has been your boldest creative play?

“Most recently Capri, and what I loved about that was not just the main campaign that we delivered, but all the social tease work that we did with Born Social. One of my favourite moments was the work with Eric Cantona for ‘the legend is back’.

“Clearly, Eric was a legend in his time, and still is. But we had him walking a goat around Bermondsey, in and out of pubs, just to begin to attract some attention and some conversation around, ‘Why the hell is Eric Cantona walking a goat around Bermondsey?’

“We were bold from the very start in terms of how we wanted to begin that conversation around Capri and then the viral campaign it became. It's had boldness throughout, and I'm really proud of that.”

What did it teach you?

“If you're going to be bold, and you're going to be brave, you have to do it across all touchpoints at every moment. You can't dip in and out of boldness. It's a commitment, and I think we embraced that at every stage, from seeding the idea in social, to earned, to paid – all the way through to the campaign launch.

And we've been very unapologetic for the car, for the name, for the campaign, for the claim, ‘the legend is back’. We've really been confident and brave throughout, and there's been no chink in the armour, which I think is really important.”

What do you enjoy most about being a marketer?

“The variety of things I get to work on, and the challenges that I get to take on most days, most weeks. The people – whether it's my team, whether it's agency folk – I work with so many interesting people, and beyond the jobs we do every day, the conversations we have about life and about whatever's going on in the world.

“No day is the same – whatever the plan might be, there's always going to be some curveball, either big or small. And I really enjoy that challenge of the unexpected.”

What makes a good creative marketer?

“Conviction. You have to have the courage of your conviction. You can't waver. And always have an eye for your North Star, for your brand, for your marketing: What is your what is your ultimate goal? And make sure that everything you do is building a picture in that puzzle.”

What makes a good creative agency partner?

“Obviously, one that does brilliant work. But also good listeners, agencies that listen for meaning in terms of what you're telling them and asking them, and then coming back with thoughtful approaches.”

What frustrates you?

“Bureaucracy, process over-laboured processes.”

What excites you most about future?

“AI is going to make a significant change in terms of so many people being able to contribute to the creative conversation. It’s definitely the next frontier, right?”