The Ford Mustang gets the theme park treatment in L.A. Can experiences get Gen Z to buy cars?
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The Ford Mustang was built in Detroit, introduced to the world in New York and, according to a new exhibit on the border of downtown and Boyle Heights, romanticized by Los Angeles.Part advertisement, part history lesson and part playground, “American Icon: A Mustang Immersive Experience” uses theme park-inspired trappings to celebrate a work of mechanical artistry.
The car — first introduced in 1964 at the New York World’s Fair as a sporty, compact coup with just a little bit of an edge — is given a hero’s treatment.Inside the warehouse-like Ace Mission Studios, “American Icon” tracks the Mustang’s evolution from the suburban garage to the race track, and uses projections and a 4D theater experience to transform what could have been a showroom experience into something built more for a video game.
With installations focused on the fabled, traffic-free, open road “freedom” that car manufacturers like to so often tout, there’s something quaintly old fashioned here.The Mustang is presented as a car for young couples on the go, optimistically envisioning an America when home and car ownership were a given.
In that sense, it’s a car enthusiast’s fantasy.But can it inspire a new generation of car dreamers, especially at a time when some data indicates younger audiences may be holding off on a car purchase?While no cars are for sale at “American Icon” — there is an assortment of specially branded Mustang merch, however, much of it nostalgically focused on 1964 — such an immersive endeavor makes sense, says researcher Jason Jordhamo, a marketing director for Polk Automotive Solutions from S&P Global Mobility.
Enticing audiences today, he says, involves a more personal touch than a big TV ad spend or a sponsorship deal.“It’s less time in the dealership,” Jordhamo says of reaching younger consumers, especially Gen Z.
“Those traditional th...