• by Tanya Gazdik , November 30, 2009

 

Ford Motor Co. is expanding its partnership with Best Buy after a pilot program in Dallas resulted in increasing consideration among participants for all Ford brands. Ford dealerships will now work with local Best Buy stores in Pennsylvania and California to kick off independent customer clinics.

About 70% of those who participated in the demos over the past 30 days say they are now more likely to consider buying a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury product. About 80% said that understanding how to use the hands-free Ford Sync system improved their overall opinion of Ford.

Ford dealerships teamed up with 30 Best Buy locations to offer free demos outside a Best Buy store in a Sync-equipped vehicle, along with providing phone upgrade checks. Meanwhile, Ford, Lincoln and Mercury owners could sign up for personal Sync tutorials and phone compatibility testing and upgrades. Nearly 3,500 demos and 400 owner clinics were completed.

"With the ever-changing technology landscape, it was a strategic decision to work with Best Buy to provide our customers another expert resource on the Ford Sync platform," said John Felice, general manager, Ford, Lincoln and Mercury marketing, in a statement. "As we expand the capabilities of Sync, we will need to educate our customers on the full benefits and expanded services of newly added applications."

The Sync system includes 911 assistance, turn-by-turn directions and information services, and vehicle health reports. Prior to the pilot owner clinics, a combined average of 28% of Ford owners said they knew the ins and outs of these features. After the 400 clinics, a combined average of nearly 69% of Ford owners reported that they would use these features.

For Best Buy, the pilot acted as a traffic generator, with more than 1,600 consumers conducting mobile phone upgrade checks over the 30-day program period. Prior to the owner clinics, 36% said they would consider a phone purchase from Best Buy Mobile. After the clinics, that number jumped to 72%.

Local Ford dealers will remain the primary touchpoint for consumers interested in purchasing Sync; however, Best Buy mobile experts will serve as another resource for consumers looking to learn more about the compatibility of their mobile devices. Under the agreement, Best Buy Mobile associates will provide Ford owners with phone pairing information, helping them get comfortable with Sync and enabling them to either connect their existing handset or choose a compatible mobile phone.

In conjunction with the Texas pilot program, Ford launched its "Sync: Say the Word" ad campaign featuring robotic "voice agents" that act as personal assistants as voice commands are activated. The print and online campaign is aimed at educating buyers about the simplicity and power of the Sync system. The ads target young, tech-savvy drivers. The campaign's online component includes 11 instructional videos that highlight each Sync feature.