CLIENT: Ford / Red Bull Racing
STUDIO: Imagination
ROLE: Head of Creative / Creative Director
Imagination Detroit partnered with Ford and Red Bull Racing to produce "Season Launch ‘26," a weeklong takeover centered at Michigan Central Station designed to establish Ford as "America's Race Team" and launch its partnership with Oracle Red Bull Racing. The event’s primary objectives were to build the brand by honoring 125 years of heritage, showcase innovation through the Red Bull Ford Powertrain, and debut Ford Racing's first production vehicle — engaging both motorsports enthusiasts and new audiences.
The centerpiece was a broadcast-optimized live show hosted by Dax Shepard for 1,750 in-room attendees, featuring leadership appearances by Jim Farley and Bill Ford, along with Red Bull Racing principal Laurent Mekies and driver Max Verstappen. Before the livestream, immersive on-site activations included a "Design Your Own Livery Lab," F1 racing simulators, and live stunt performances.
The program delivered record-setting results:
- 116K live views and 11.5 million total views, marking the highest-reaching Ford Racing livestream of the last three years
- 102 million views across 54 Red Bull Racing social posts
- 31 million views of Ford Racing social content, 60% above the typical Season Launch average
- 19 million earned media potential reach, 129% higher than the 2025 Season Launch
- $222K in merchandise sales, breaking every previous one-day and two-day sales record