• by Tanya Gazdik , March 6, 2025

Ford Motor Co. aims to reimagine direct-to-audience communications with the launch of a new website. 

“From the Road” intends to go beyond traditional company news to connect with broader audiences.

Recognizing the shift in how people consume and share information, Ford plans to take a leadership role in the global discourse at the intersection of the automotive industry and culture at large.

Designed for journalists, social media creators, industry influencers and automotive enthusiasts, the digital newsroom serves as a hub for stories that highlight the people, technology, and innovations behind Ford vehicles.

Its goal is to reflect Ford’s audiences and their interests more accurately, says Karl Henkel, communications talent director, Ford.

Consumers will find out about it in a variety of ways. 

“We’ll go to where our audiences are, both in the physical and digital worlds, to engage,” Henkel tells Marketing Daily. 

That includes events and experiences, along with internal and external advocates to get the content in front of priority audiences.

“Traffic and subscribers continue to grow -- and we haven’t even hit our heavy promotion phase yet -- and so far visitors are engaged with our content about five times longer than on our legacy channel,” Henkel says. "We’ve got plans to launch in other priority markets throughout the year. If this is a marathon, we’re just about done warming up.”

The site was created in collaboration with Siberia, a NYC design agency, and Burson, Ford’s global communications and public relations firm, which helped build the strategy and continues in the execution phase.

The state of media is in flux, says says Chris Mele, managing partner, Siberia.

“People are constantly changing how and where they consume and engage with news and information,” Mele says. “When you think about current shifts in rapid news cycles, social media echo-chambers, search paradigms, and a flood of AI-generated content, the larger media and publishing ecosystem is working through a major moment.”

Consumers are less interested in endorsements from big-name celebrities or transparently sponsored creators, and prefer the kind of open conversations you’d get from your neighbor or co-worker, Mele adds.