DEARBORN, Mich. -

Ford wants potential buyers to remember a childhood milestone: pedaling a bicycle for the first time without the training wheels.

The automaker’s new urban advertising campaign tied to the new Ford Focus is looking to rekindle that memory and many other childhood experiences as part of the launch of the campaign called “Inner Child.” The spots are set to debut on BET and TV One.

“After engaging with some of our target customers for Focus we found that a great deal of them had a childlike reaction to the driving experience of the Focus. They were extremely excited about the thrill of the drive,” explained Shawn Lollie, Ford’s manager of multicultural marketing.

“We wanted to find a way to combine this excitement with some of the key technologies and features of the Focus in a way that emotionally connected the consumer to the car,” Lollie continued.

Ford highlighted the TV spot shot in Los Angeles starts off with a young girl learning how to ride a bicycle years before she is shown as an adult driving her new Focus. The automaker pointed out the young woman shows off her MyFord Touch Driver Connect Technology and tells her friend that her new Focus gets 40 mpg.

The OEM said the spot also finds the woman reverting back to her younger self through the use of her voice as she highlights the features of the Focus.

Officials indicated the fully integrated campaign includes TV, radio and print ads as well as a digital execution on www.fordurban.com. They believe the campaign touches on both the Smart and Green Ford brand pillars, which are particularly important to the target customer of the Focus.

Ford said the radio spots will air on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Steve Harvey Morning Show and on Radio One stations throughout the country. The TV ads will appear on BET and TV One, while the print ads will be featured in Essence, Upscale, Vibe, Sister 2 Sister magazine, Juicy and Rolling Out.

“The Focus has a dynamic design, cutting-edge technology and the ability to not only keep you connected to your world, but also provide you with a driving experience that brings out your inner child,” Lollie insisted.

“At the end of the day, our goal was to show the driving experience in a way that sparked an emotional connection to the vehicle,” he added.

Ford noted the entire advertising campaign was created by The UniWorld Group, the automaker’s African-American advertising agency of record.

To learn more about the new Ford Focus and to check out the “Inner Child” TV spot and digital campaign, visit www.fordurban.com.