Getting Calm: Lincoln Builds a Sense of Sanctuary, with Partners

I attended a Lincoln marketing event at South Street Seaport in New York in the summer of 2019 and journalists there received a trial subscription to Calm Alsoamp8212and remember this is before COVIDamp8212the company was already talking about the car as a sanctuary from the world quotThe Power of Sanctuaryquot was a Lincoln phrase last fall when it appeared in quotWarm Escapequot a Lincoln ad featuring spokesman Matthew McConaugheyAnd here39s another preCOVID spot with full focus on sanctuaryCalm fits into all of this Lincoln surveyed 1500 consumers and 97 percent said they found the Lincoln and Calm mindfulness experience to be positive Here39s one scenario Sit in your Lincoln with the Calm app for three minutes and get focused before starting your dayLincoln owners model year 2000 and up can now get a free oneyear subscription to Calm through the Lincoln Way app quotWe had other interactions with Calm some pilot programs in multiple cities and trial subscriptions for dealers but this is our first true partnershipquot said Eric Peterson Lincoln marketing communications manager quotOur relationship has been organically buildingquotOther actions taken by Lincoln left the brand well positioned for COVID including free pickup and delivery for servicing That was dictated by the desire of luxury customers to avoid the crowded waiting room but it had benefits when people have other reasons for staying out of the dealership quotWe were able to pivot quickly when the pandemic grabbed holdquot Peterson said quotWe quickly did a spot focusing on pickup and deliveryquotIt39s not surprising that American motorists want an oasis from a dangerous world quotIt39s about how you feel when you get into your carquot Peterson said quotA perfectly positioned seat just the right tactile feel to the buttonsquotAlso August 12 Lincoln and Calm rolled out a long video conversation moderated by Elise Loehnen of the likeminded Goop and including McConaughey pictured below right Lincoln North America Director Michael Sprague pictured below left Calm39s quotHead of Mindfulnessquot Tamara Levitt pictured above and meditation guide and neuroscientist Nkechi Deanna Njaka It began with a long meditation guided by LevittCalm39s presentation is notably lacking in new age lingo It39s quite business oriented pointing out that more than a million people call in sick daily because of workrelated stress Obviously those numbers have skyrocketed during COVID The fact that they39re calling in about remote work doesn39t matter that much it39s still a productivity issue Calm claims it can help people sleep better reduce stress build resilience and relax body and mindBusiness partners include in addition to Lincoln American Airlines GE Uber Samsung American Express Apple 3M Kiehl39s XpressSpa and more In recent days Calm has seen daily downloads doubling and a steady increase in usage across its platform with users gravitating toward Daily Calm and Sleep Stories Calm39s app includes the option of falling asleep to McConaughey reading a bedtime story something Calmers have done more than two million times Other readers include Harry Styles and Laura DernOn the August 12 conversation Lincoln North America Director Michael Sprague said the partnership with Calm as well as recent design initiatives in the new models grew out of quotdeep research with our luxury customers We have horizontal design cues because they promote calm We have 30way perfect position seats that conform to your body We have a unique lighting sequence and instead of an annoying beep we have special chimesamp8212created by the Detroit Symphonyamp8212when you start the car leave the fuel door open or drive without your seatbelt We have air purifiers and aromatherapyquotSprague said in a press release announcing the LincolnCalm partnership quotThe sense of sanctuary and wellbeing are core to the Lincoln brand and everything that we do for our clientsquotLast year the company also announced a partnership with furniture designer Herman Miller seeking fresh eyes on the question of seat comfort At the Seaport event last year before COVID Kemal Curic Lincoln39s chief designer told me quotI like an airy open cabinamp8230And we emphasize quiet wanting the car to be open to the outside world but also a sanctuary from it We want you to emerge feeling rejuvenated and decompressedquotAll of these features are attractive to buyers in the absence of COVID but the pandemic enhances their appeal And who doesn39t want to be more Zen Sprague asked about his personal meditation said he works with an east coast team and so gets up early to see quotthe sun coming up over the mountains It39s about appreciating the little things that passed us by beforequotMcConaughey by the way makes a strong case for gaining wisdom from the pandemic He thinks that some of our present behavior which we might think of as temporary think working at home Zoom meetings will turn out to be permanent quotWhen we come out of it we need to integrate what we learned from this timequot he saidPhoto CaptionsThe Lincoln Way app is the gateway to downloading Calm Lincoln photoCalm Head of Mindfulness Tamara Levitt Calm photoLincolnamp8217s Michael Sprague and Matthew McConaughey during their video talkClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Getting Calm: Lincoln Builds a Sense of Sanctuary, with Partners

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Jim Motavalli

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Getting Calm: Lincoln Builds a Sense of Sanctuary, with Partners

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