Matthew McConaughey—who’s been plugging Lincoln with quirky introspective ads for years—is adding meditation to his repertoire. The actor is part of the brand’s marketing rollout of a new partnership with Calm, a so-called mental fitness app whose services include audio programs for sleep, relaxation and meditation.
The Ford-owned brand will give away a one-year premium membership to all Lincoln owners, which normally costs $69.99. To tout the deal, Lincoln today released a video showing McConaughey participating in a 5-minute meditation as part of a 45-minute virtual panel on “The Future of Wellness” moderated by Elise Loehnen, chief content officer at Goop, the lifestyle brand founded by Gwyneth Paltrow.
In the meditation, McConaughey is seen closing his eyes and following along as Calm’s Head of Mindfulness Tamara Levitt instructs the group to inhale and exhale and “surrender the body to the downward pull of gravity,” and “soften” the tension in their minds and body. Also participating are Lincoln North America Director Michael Sprague and Nkechi Deanna Njaka, a neuroscientist. Watch the whole thing here.
McConaughey emerges from the session with a yawning stretch of his arms, before being quizzed by Loehnen about how he is coping during the pandemic. He answers by subtly plugging the Lincoln Navigator, saying he hops in the vehicle for “those drives to nowhere in particular,” while sharing other details of his life during lockdown, like how his 88-year-old mother has moved in with him and how his family is “spending much more time in the kitchen.”
Meditation and car marketing might seem like an odd match. The auto industry more typically talks about horsepower and handling. But Lincoln for years has pitched its vehicles as sanctuaries, with design touches meant to minimize clutter and technologies aimed at inducing calm at the wheel. New models include features like “active motion” seat massages. The brand is even studying ways to remove unpleasant smells from inside its vehicles and inject pleasant scents inside the cabin.