After 19 years as CEO of The Association of Swedish Advertisers, the world’s largest of its kind, Anders Ericson knows a lot about effective advertising. And, after more than 5,000 hours renovating a 43 years-old G-Series, 1973-89, SC (Super Carrera) Porsche to mint condition, he also knows a thing or two about cars.
Hi Anders. Wow, she’s a real beauty, isn’t she?
Let me stop you right there, it’s a “he” and his name is Ferry, named after Professor Doktor Ferry Porsche who created the Porsche brand in 1952. But yes, I have been told that Ferry-the-car is quite as handsome as when he was born more than 40 years ago.
Oops! So sorry if I offended him. By the sound of it you do have a rather personal relationship with Ferry, don’t you?
I certainly do. Since I bought him in 1997, we have spent some 5,000 hours together in the garage during late evenings, long weekends, and holidays. And it has truly been a labor of love. The best part is that my then fiancée accepted my obsession, which was one reason why I asked her to marry me, and we have stayed married ever since. Today we all see Ferry as another beloved family member.
Through all these years I have also had a string of other nice cars for everyday use, several of them Porsches. But then I realized that I needed to stay away from those, otherwise I might never be able to finalize the Ferry renovation.
Now that Ferry is in perfect condition, how much do you drive him?
I only drive him during the summer season because the Swedish winter can be cruel to full blood museum pieces. He has a 3 litres boxer under the hood, producing 204 old-fashioned horsepowers. It’s certainly fast on the highway but to be honest I rather enjoy taking it easy on some winding country roads. Maybe I’m getting old (he added with a mischievous smile).
I bought Ferry here in Sweden with some 120,500 kilometers on the clock, later I have rejuvenated him with an identical engine with less mileage. We have also replaced a lot of other stuff. And we did a whole new paint job, or rather two paint jobs. The second was needed after an unfortunate mishap during winter storage.
You spent many years in advertising. What’s your relation to car ads?
As you have surely noticed I have a very emotional bond with my Porsche, and I’m not alone. For some reason, most people around the world seem to have strong feelings about cars, not least when they are about to buy a new one.
Over the years I have spent a lot of time in the US, where car ads make up a large share of all TV commercials. Over there, car ads have always been very emotional, especially when appealing to family values. Some of it may be way over the top for our European taste buds, but …
My personal favorite is Volvo. They pioneered safety-related commercials combining strong family feelings with a touch of humor, building a strong brand over there. And that certainly worked for me, too.