Ford ads spotlight cars, not lifestyle

[Blue Oval Staff]

"It's denying the obvious," said Michael Bernacchi, professor of marketing at the University of Detroit Mercy. "The American marketplace has been about product, product and more product. They need to let the American public know that they're committed to products."

 

That is precisely what the automaker intends to do with its new advertising, said Ford spokesman Jim Cain.

 

ARTICLE LINK.

[DCK]

ARTICLE LINK.

 

 

Well I hope they are good.

 

This is a very big problem at Ford, about everysingle ad they have put out in the last 5 years were nothing but complete and utter garbage.

 

If the new ads are good then its another thing we can take off the list of things Ford needs to do to survive.

[ZanatWork]

What???

 

No more depressing Freestyle commercials with divorcees and ZERO vehicle information?

 

Next you'll be tellnig me that they'll actually advertise the Fusion, the Five Hundred, and the refreshed Focus!

 

Given that most of the Ford branded ad campaigns lately have, well, sucked, this would be shocking!

Edited November 14, 2006 by ZanatWork

[1999 White C5 Coupe]

I saw the new Edge at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. I fell in love with the vehicle and signed up on-line for information about it.

 

In August I received a large "THE EDGE" eight-page brochure in the mail from Ford. The brochure was terrible! It had very little product information and only a few pictures of the vehicle. The brochure had numerous pictures and information about people and places - just very little on the Edge.

 

As a potential customer (who might order or buy a new Edge), I could not believe this was the best Ford could provide on a new vehicle.

 

After reviewing the brochure, it was clear Ford had lost focus on the product. It was clear Ford sent a new vehicle brochure to potential customers that contained virtualy no product information - but a lot of "lifestyle" pictures.

 

I hope the change is quick.

[AlRozzi]

It's about damned time...

 

...finally figured out they are selling cars and trucks, not lifestyles. Those commercials remind me of when Nasser was trying to sell services rather than vehicles. Decide which business you wish to be in!!

 

Show me the car!

 

Tell me about the car!

[BEPSF]

Geez...

I wonder how much they paid the focus groups for that little jewel of wisdom...

[RichardJensen]

Stupid.

 

If you want to sell on price, advertise product. If you want to sell on brand, advertise lifestyle.

 

Now if a customer requests information about a vehicle, you provide information (to address "C5 Coupe"'s remarks, you provide detailed information about vehicles when it matters.

 

HOWEVER, THIS WILL NOT HELP FORD LONG TERM.

 

All this does is placate dealers who want to offload responsibility for educating customers when they come in the door.

 

People will tune out commercials that are product product product. People DO tune out commercials that are product product product. You want to make your BRAND viable, you advertise your BRAND, you don't advertise the product under the brand.

 

How did VW get back its 'cool' in the late 90s? Commercials that did not focus on product, they focused on presentation.

 

This is not to say that you go the "Infiniti" route where you NEVER show product, but you most certainly don't cram your commercial end to end with product shots and pointless statistics "The new Belchfire 8 was recently rated the JD Power most appealing vehicle in its segment". People DON'T care if they're not in the market, and do you know how many people watching TV are CURRENTLY in the market for a new car?

 

I'd be surprised if it even exceeded 3%.

 

So the other 97% you, what, don't give a crap about? You don't care what THEIR impression of Ford is because they're not buying a product RIGHT NOW?

 

THIS IS SHORT SIGHTED, AND WILL ACCOMPLISH LITTLE, LONG TERM.

[controller]

What???

 

No more depressing Freestyle commercials with divorcees and ZERO vehicle information?

 

Next you'll be tellnig me that they'll actually advertise the Fusion, the Five Hundred, and the refreshed Focus!

 

Given that most of the Ford branded ad campaigns lately have, well, sucked, this would be shocking!

 

 

That Freestyle commercial is almost an exact duplicate of a Volvo commercial aired I think about 5 years ago; just the vehicle changed. Does anybody at Ford pay attention to or consider things like that ? I thought it was just too lame of Ford to be doing that.

[swenson88]

Stupid.

 

If you want to sell on price, advertise product. If you want to sell on brand, advertise lifestyle.

 

Now if a customer requests information about a vehicle, you provide information (to address "C5 Coupe"'s remarks, you provide detailed information about vehicles when it matters.

 

HOWEVER, THIS WILL NOT HELP FORD LONG TERM.

 

All this does is placate dealers who want to offload responsibility for educating customers when they come in the door.

 

People will tune out commercials that are product product product. People DO tune out commercials that are product product product. You want to make your BRAND viable, you advertise your BRAND, you don't advertise the product under the brand.

 

How did VW get back its 'cool' in the late 90s? Commercials that did not focus on product, they focused on presentation.

 

This is not to say that you go the "Infiniti" route where you NEVER show product, but you most certainly don't cram your commercial end to end with product shots and pointless statistics "The new Belchfire 8 was recently rated the JD Power most appealing vehicle in its segment". People DON'T care if they're not in the market, and do you know how many people watching TV are CURRENTLY in the market for a new car?

 

I'd be surprised if it even exceeded 3%.

 

So the other 97% you, what, don't give a crap about? You don't care what THEIR impression of Ford is because they're not buying a product RIGHT NOW?

 

THIS IS SHORT SIGHTED, AND WILL ACCOMPLISH LITTLE, LONG TERM.

 

 

While I think both types of advertising have their merits, right now Ford is bringing out several new nameplates (500, Freestyle, Fusion, now Edge) and quite simply the ads need to tell the public about the cars because there is no past data to go on. No one knows what a Fusion is, a 500, an Edge. What's wrong with extolling the virtues of these cars? Ford has a crap reputation, and some attempt to use advertising to turn it around isn't going to work. The only way Ford's reputation is going to be turned around is with quality, reliable, consistently good product. Use the ads to tout the product for now. Once the reputation has been somewhat improved, then go for "lifestyle" or brand-focused marketing.

[silvrsvt]

I saw a new Focus commercial while House or Nip/Tuck was on, and it was touting its larger interior room and better MPG and warranty over the the Civic and Corolla.

[kyle]

I saw the new Edge at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. I fell in love with the vehicle and signed up on-line for information about it.

 

In August I received a large "THE EDGE" eight-page brochure in the mail from Ford. The brochure was terrible! It had very little product information and only a few pictures of the vehicle. The brochure had numerous pictures and information about people and places - just very little on the Edge.

 

As a potential customer (who might order or buy a new Edge), I could not believe this was the best Ford could provide on a new vehicle.

 

After reviewing the brochure, it was clear Ford had lost focus on the product. It was clear Ford sent a new vehicle brochure to potential customers that contained virtualy no product information - but a lot of "lifestyle" pictures.

 

I hope the change is quick.

 

 

I could not agree more. It is kind of a hobby of mine to compare brochures from not only the auto show but the one's available at the dealerships. And it has been my experience that their literature is absolutely terrible....they will show one version...one picture...usually do not even show a pic of the engine comartment, etc.

 

Then I will pick up a honda brochure and they will explain and educate the buyer about how good this vehicle is-engineeering, manufacturing, safety, etc. all in a readable format...and you wonder why the honda buyer is so loyal-they are educated from the very first time they look at the vehicle or read something about it.

 

For some products (f250-mustang ) I think a engineer or someone from the plant explaining how and why they did certain things would be much more effective then someone driving off into the sunset.

[waymondospiff]

The article doesn't say much except they're going to focus more on product. I see it as a mix - lifestyle/product ratio. I'd say the current Bold Moves ads are a 75/25 mix...a lot more lifestyle than anything about product. That's all well and good if you've got an unlimited ad budget. Ford doesn't. I see no problem with ads that move closer to a 50/50 mix - show the product, talk about the product, but in the context of a lifestyle "situation."

 

The proof is in the pudding - I'll be interested in seeing the ads when they hit the airwaves.

 

Scott

[ANTAUS]

I agree, Ford's brochures certainly don't educate anyone or anything. Just basic things such as "highest capacity in it's segment"...or "Only SUV with IRS". Hmm ok, but explain what that is to normal folks?

 

Even Volvo's seem to educate people a bit. BMW has great information, step by step as to all their safety systems, what they are good for, even how they work. Simple black words, on a white 2 inch edge on each page... no glitz or glamour...keep the pictures to the rest of the page...

[ZanatWork]

Richie, the current ads largely blow. The "divorcees in the Freestyle" tanks, I haven't seen a Five Hundred ad forever, and the Lincoln ads are fair...at best.

 

The current approach is pure fecal matter, period.

[silvrsvt]

Richie, the current ads largely blow. The "divorcees in the Freestyle" tanks, I haven't seen a Five Hundred ad forever, and the Lincoln ads are fair...at best.

 

The current approach is pure fecal matter, period.

 

 

I agree, with the only exception being the GT500 getting unloaded in Germany Commercial

 

But then again, Ford's adversiting has sucked forever, with only a couple bright spots here and there.

[kyle]

and the other element of this is the dealer's want a different direction with the advertising. Forget about us...they have millions of $$'s invested in the business....I think they have a lot more creditbility than us (well maybe me excluded!!)

[RichardJensen]

I don't want the dealers having a say over Ford's national advertising programs. They know about as much about putting together a spot to air during House, or whatever, as we do.

 

If they want better/different regional and co-op stuff, let them work with Ford on it.

[Guest Sixcav]

Let me throw my two cents in here as someone who doesn't believe that marketing has as much influence as we like to believe. This will probably send Richie into orbit but oh well, he's funny when he's mad. lol Anyway, TV commericals? tuneem out. Radio spots? tuneem out. Billboards? invisible Magazine ads? I turn the page.

We are so saturated with commercial advertisements in our culture that I think, like me, most people pay them no attention. Now proponents of the effectiveness of marketing like Richie will tell us that even though we block those ads out it doesn't matter because that fraction of a second that the image registered in our eyes it got burned into your subconscious and like it or not that's why you bought brand X instead of brand Y. Sounds like a bunch of hokey shit to me, I don't believe in it. But, I'm going to tell you one brand of marketing Richie that is effective to me when it comes to cars. Brochures. A well put together brochure for me is the best form of advertising they could come up with. Why? Well, first of all because I'll look at it when I get good and ready. I'm on my schedule, not the TV's schedule or the radio spot where they try to cram as much as they can in 30 seconds right? A brochure is going to provide all the detail information I want if it's laid out properly and that information is complimented by various photos of the vehicle in question. For my money, a well laid out brochure is worth far more in advertising dollars than all the TV and radio and billboard spots combined.

 

Now once I get through reading that brochure then I'm going to do research on the car to find out the pros and cons of it. For this I turn to Edmunds, Automobile Magazine, C&D, R&T and yes the much hated Motortrend. lol Then I may even test drive one and then I'll form my own opinion. It's true though, there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to TV ads. If you make it too cheesy, half the population will hate the ad. If you make too serious, the other half will. There is no solution really.

[fllcobra]

Ford did have a couple of cool ads. The Mustang ad with a young guy and his dad burning up the rear wheels in the parking lot and the GT500 on the autobahn is another memorable one.

 

For the most part, however, the ad campaign sucks for the simple reason that I cannot relate to the people in the ads. They aren't cool, or interesting, nor do I want to be anything like them. Yet Ford ad people think that the stories of these people are supposed to be interesting enough to make me wonder about the car their sitting in? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

 

"Bold moves" had potential. But the characters in the stories annoyed more than they inspired.

[RichardJensen]

TV commericals? tuneem out. Radio spots? tuneem out. Billboards? invisible Magazine ads? I turn the page.

We are so saturated with commercial advertisements in our culture that I think, like me, most people pay them no attention.

Hence the move towards 'story-telling' ads, not ads full of snore-inducing voiceover. People will still tune them out, but fewer people will tune them out, and more people will buy into the message because they'll actually pay attention to it.

 

Maybe you don't like the characters in the stories, that may indicate a need to retool the way the stories are told. However, it does not indicate that this method of reaching into people's wallets through their eye-balls is flawed.

 

As to the brochures---often this aspect of the marketing program is done by hacks and newbies following a formula dictated by the client. This is filler material, profit generating stuff. Very little effort goes into brochures which is a shame.

 

Brochures are expensive on a per impression basis. For example, let's say a company spends a buck per brochure (a not unreasonable amount). If that much was invested, per impression, on a Super Bowl commercial, the commercial would cost almost a quarter billion dollars.

 

Because they're expensive, companies sometimes cheap out on the contents, but this doesn't do much to lower the cost of the brochure, and it sharply reduces its effectiveness.

 

Another thing about brochures that makes them valuable is that they are elective advertising. People 'opt in', they choose to be advertised to in a brochure, and they generally assign a greater value to well designed brochures than ordinary advertising.

 

Yet another thing about brochures is that they are generally, but not always, selected by individuals that are serious about purchasing.

 

Finally, brochures represent an opportunity to market to the Sixcavs of the world, who thoroughly discount all 'advertising', but who see brochures not so much as advertising, but as 'product information'.

 

---in short an easy way for Ford to differentiate itself would be to tear up the brochure formula, and have the best minds at JWT work on a new one.