• The Wall Street Journal, Tuesday, March 18, 2008 11:15 AM

Ford is gearing up a marketing push that will take a new approach to attacking an age-old problem for Detroit--the steady defection of once-loyal customers to foreign automakers. A television campaign that will begin next month features a new tagline--"Ford. Drive One"--developed in meetings with dealers. Ford is counting on aligning dealers to echo the same message in advertising efforts aimed at local audiences, says a person briefed on the campaign.

The campaign will be closely watched because it is devised to fix what is known as "consideration"--the industry term for how often car buyers shop for, or consider, particular brands or models. The Big Three remain strong in trucks. But large numbers of consumers refuse to even look at American vehicles, no matter the price, warranty or features. Traditional advertising campaigns have had little impact on consumer perceptions of the Big Three.

The new direction is the brainchild of Jim Farley, the former Toyota marketing wiz who CEO Alan Mulally handpicked to torque up Ford's image. It could make or break Mulally's tenure at Ford.

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