The first look at the 2019 Ford Ranger drew a crowd, but who could have expected to see the Loch Ness monster in the background?

In the spirit of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", Nessie makes an appearance in the promotional photos of Ford's new mid-size pickup. Mythical and extinct – where are they? – creatures, including a Jackalope and dinosaurs, are among the "Easter eggs" that Ford has hidden in pictures of forest ranger owners fishing, cycling and enjoying other activities that bring them closer to home. nature.

All images in the Rangers Gallery do not have a shy beast hiding in the background. Some just show the truck, while others include mysterious trails and other allusions to the wonders awaiting adventurous Ranger owners.

The idea was born from a first internal presentation on the characteristics of the Ranger. A member of the team created a PowerPoint slide illustrating pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking by showing a Ranger stopping on a wooded trail to avoid hitting Sasquatch.

"Ranger is a funny nameplate. We decided to do things a little differently than big trucks, "said Chad Callander, Marketing Manager at Ranger.

Hidden inside, jokes like this call Easter eggs. The idea was born of video game designers who were hiding by creating gags that real fans would appreciate. Fiat Chrysler designers have joined the fun with Easter eggs featuring small, scattered silhouettes of the original '41 Willys' Jeep Army around new vehicles.

Ford added the first two Easter Ranger eggs to the photos he had posted online when it was launched at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last January. It's not clear when the first fan of the Sharp-eyed Rangers spotted one. The idea has made its way and Ford has added eight. Nobody says if there is more to come.

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"People have responded very favorably," Callander said. "It's a good way to engage potential owners." The Easter egg hunt also helps keep visitors on the website longer, the dream of any distributor.

Easter eggs were a well kept secret at Ford. The marketing team had the idea and carried it out.

"We wanted to emphasize the fun side of the Ranger," said Callander. "Like comedy, it would be easy to think about that too much."

The Ranger 2019 will be on sale at the beginning of January. Nessie has not been informed of the timing of her appearance for 2019. Encore.

Contact Mark Phelan: [email protected] or 313-222-6731. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan

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