Ford’s Euro-pendulum swings, but is there time to Explore?
A number of years ago, Ford’s European marketing department initiated an advertising execution they called ‘Unlearn’, an attempt to nudge customer perception of the blue oval; essentially a variation of the somewhat clichéd ‘Think you understand brand X? Think again’ marketing trope. With Unlearn, Ford wanted us to Continue reading “Tick Tock”
It’s now only a matter of time before Ford’s largest European car offering loses its uneven struggle against customer apathy.
It’s all change at the blue oval, as our dear, departed Archie Vicar might have put it. The Ford Motor Company, it seems, has been rather busy of late, not simply rearranging the deckchairs by putting an end to car production in the United States, or announcing the breathlessly anticipated body-on-frame Bronco offroader, but shuffling the deck on the bridge to boot. Iceberg? What iceberg?
The dance of the two Jim’s has kept blue-oval watchers amused for months now; the word at ground level being that (former CEO) Jim (Hackett) hasn’t really lived up to expectations, but that (new CEO) Jim (Farley) is either (a) absolutely and without doubt the chap to steady the ship, or (b) the diametric opposite of the above. It really depends on who you Continue reading “Death to the Mondeo”
As reports emerge that Ford is preparing to study KA no more, we try to sound upset.
As your correspondent is perhaps over-fond of observing, the Henry Ford Motor Company does quite a line in unlearning nowadays. So much so in fact that it’s been getting rather difficult to keep up. Unlearn : Saloons. Unlearn : Minivans. Unlearn : Up to 5000 jobs in Europe this year.
Reaping the rewards of its failure to Continue reading “Tea Leaf Prophecy”
We encounter a visitor a long way from the prairie.
There’s a commonly employed saying which goes along the lines of, ‘if you’re going to be a bear, be a grizzly’. The notion being, I suppose, that the apogee of ursine ambition is to be as large, hairy and fearsome as possible. It’s also another way of suggesting that one ought not settle for second-best in life. All in all, as a statement by which to Continue reading “Wild West Hero”
Launched fifty years ago, we examine the fifth best selling car of all time.
It’s a curious choice when you think about it, connotating little by way of glamour or allure, unlike for instance its Cortina sibling. The car as companion perhaps? A no-nonsense non-specific name for what began life as a practical, no-nonsense car. The Escort name in fact predated this model, first turning up on a variant of the early 1950s British Ford 100E range, but more salaciously, it was also the title of a popular 1970s UK top-shelf publication, beloved of both (secondary) school playground and travel motel dweller alike.
But the Escort in entry-level form at least, was hardly going to Continue reading “A Company Car”
With news that Ford’s upmarket Vignale line is falling below expectations, are the wheels already coming off the Blue Oval’s last chance saloon?
The key to viability in the European car market is finding ways to encourage customers to pay more. Easier said than done. According to a report last week in Automotive News, a JATO Dynamics analysis states the average UK customer pays £25, 400 for a mainstream brand D-segment car. By contrast, the average spend on a premium branded car of similar size was 36% higher. Continue reading “Up-selling Henry”
Ford’s recent ad-campaign urges us to let go of what we know about the Blue Oval. It seems to be working, but maybe not as intended.
Superficially at least, Ford’s European fortunes appear resurgent, but leaving aside corporate spin and fatuous ad campaigns, there’s little substitute for a bit of hard data. So with this (and those commercials) in mind, it might be worth looking at Ford’s first quarter European sales figures to see what, if anything can be read from the metaphorical tea leaves. And sure enough, with two model lines holding top spot in their respective sectors, three in third place, and five individual lines posting notable percentage gains, there are reasons to be cheerful in Merkenich. Continue reading “Can’t You Just Let It Go?”
Over at Autocar they are still getting to grips with unlearning Ford: forget the Focus, Fiesta, Mondeo, Granada, Capri and … the Maverick? Cougar? Fusion?
Eoin treated this topic in February. If you want to re-read it – and I suggest you do – you’ll find another angle than the one taken by Autocar. Matt Prior’s article finishes with these words which I will quote here: Continue reading “Didn’t We Cover This Quite Some Time Ago?”
Ford wants the European market to see them differently. Perhaps they could start by being different?
A number of years ago, I watched professional cyclist, Peter Sagan being interviewed during the Tour de France. Asked what would prevent him winning the green (points) jersey in that year’s race, he rather naively replied, “unluck”. Sagan is Slovakian, and while his grasp of English may have been slightly tenuous at the time, we all understood what he was getting at. But I have not gathered you here today to discuss the nuances of the English language, nor the ways in which it can be misinterpreted. We are here instead to Continue reading “What Does Ford Want Us To Unlearn?”
Driven To Write 