• by Karl Greenberg , December 11, 2009

 

The year is winding down, but not for Ford Motor. After a strong showing in a dreadful year, the Dearborn, Mich. automaker is keeping the marketing heat on for current products and the raft of new vehicles coming in 2010.

Ford has just launched the first of what will be 40 or so 15-second TV spots, via its agency consortium Detroit-based Team One, under the Drive One brand platform. The new ads, which are also viewable at Ford's TheFordStory.com, feature consumer testimonials and focus on specific vehicle features. The company is also about to launch phase two of its Fiesta Movement program to promote its first subcompact, or B-segment car, in the U.S. market.

Meanwhile, Ford is promoting its Sync in-vehicle telematics and entertainment system via a program it launched with Best Buy, with the latter offering up its associates to assist consumers with education, training and phone compatibility. Barry Judge, CMO of Best Buy Co., and John Felice, general marketing manager for the Ford division, will do a live chat on Dec. 14 oat TheFordStory.com.

Felice was in New York on Friday to ring the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange to spotlight Ford's involvement with the Ironman triathlon. Marketing Daily caught up with him at Ford's offices in Rockefeller Center.

Q: Ford has several vehicles coming next year, but Fiesta is new territory for the company. How effective was Fiesta Movement in bringing attention to the fact that Ford is now competing in the subcompact arena, and how will you follow it?

A: We had to make sure we built interest long before launch. People don't get up in the morning saying: "Wow, we really need to look at Ford [for B-segment cars]." The program exceeded our expectations. Nameplate awareness is 58%, and it's six months prior to launch. We have over 80,000 hand raisers. Chapter two, we will put Fiesta in the hands of 20 teams of two people each, allow them to experience the vehicle and talk to communities about their impressions.

Q: Who will they be?

A: The lens we are looking at for this are creative people, perhaps with an advertising background. As before, there will be a monthly challenge, but we are also working through the details and may assign them to do things like creating an ad on a billboard.

We have also launched a web and mobile reservation system where a customer can reserve a Fiesta. We designed a concierge approach to customer handling between now and launch with many touchpoints along the way. And if you put a reservation in, you get free Sync and premium sound with the vehicle. We already have a thousand reservations.

Q: If Fiesta competes in a segment Ford hasn't been in, what are you doing at the retail level to support the car for a different kind of buyer?

A: We have begun what we call the Retail Movement, a very robust training effort for dealers focused on elements of the delivery process and how they communicate with customers. We are, for instance, training them on who these customers are likely to be, on reaching them through social media -- getting them used to using platforms like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.

Q: But isn't this going to be hard going, launching Fiesta into a market where several other automakers are introducing similar cars, and gas prices aren't as high as they were?

A: We anticipate the segment will grow. Yes, there are new entries, but it's a chicken-and-egg story. Even if you look at the anomaly of Cash-for-Clunkers, and in spite of [lower] fuel prices, there has been a steady growth in small cars; we see that continuing.

Q: So what does Fiesta offer that others haven't in this segment?

A: It's about competitive price, packaging and content. About a world-class vehicle with no compromise. It just has quite a few features you can't get in the segment.

Q: Is next year going to be as busy as 2009 for Ford in terms of launches?

A: Yes, it will be a very busy year. Besides Fiesta, we have a new super-duty pickup coming next year with a Ford-made diesel or gas engine that will lead in fuel economy. There will be the new 305 horsepower Mustang that will get 30 miles per gallon, and four electric vehicles, the first two coming late in 2010 as well as plug-in electric vehicles in for 2012. Late next year or early 2011 will introduce the new Explorer and next-generation Focus.

Q: With what has been happening at Ford since Alan Mulally came, particularly with products like Fusion, Taurus and F-150 getting strong third-party endorsements, where is Ford's brand equity now?

A: For the past three years, we have been very focused on our plan. And what we are seeing in brand metrics is a dramatic improvement since the end of last year; in fact, well beyond what our expectations had been. What's moving the needle is our new cars and crossovers. We are improving our business through great products.