It really is a joke when big companies like this make stupid decisions that MOST people could see right through in 1 second! Perhaps this explains why Ford cars cost as much as they do – x% is chewed up by pathetic brand advertising overheads.

I liked the point about Cameron Johnson and how they were the best dealer because they focussed on the RIGHT things – the things that make people buy!

I remember years ago hearing about an Australian car dealer (sadly, I forget their details) who were KILLING the market place by offering awesome customer service AND things like a money back guarantee on the purchase of a new car!

Now THAT shows cahones & commitment when you’re prepared to offer a client his or her bux back if they buy & don’t like it.

Suffice it to say they were absolutely kickin butt & taking names in their market place.

It’s of no big surprise to me that no other car dealer/s had the courage to copy their ideas!

Coincidently enough, I just purchased my first Ford recently (!), but since it is not a brand new model, I don’t feel too bad :-)

Eran

Eran Malloch – No B.S. SEM Blogs last blog post..Bitch, Moan and Complain OR JUST DO IT and Succeed

Having previously worked for a major British bank for 20 years, this “inside the box” thinking is sadly no surprise.

In spite of all of the grandiose-sounding cliches, such as “our staff are our biggest asset” and “customer first”, they rarely, if ever, listened to their staff or their customers, any of whom could have told them that most of their marketing sucked.

For example, who in their right mind would continue to promote and sell equipment that they knew to be faulty and could explode in a customer’s hands? (Yes, this actually happened!)

And as for the concept of split testing, forget it!

This is just one reason why I’m glad I’m out of the corporate ratrace.

I wish Ford well, but I don’t think this slogan is going to do it for them.

Hmm…how many billions can we burn through before seeing
if this thing is working or bombing? DUH!!!!

It’s the good old “Brand Advertising BS that big ad companies
love selling because it removes their being accountable for
results and failure for years while cashing HUGE checks the
whole time.

DO NOT ever think of letting anyone fool you with “Brand Advertising
BS”. Ads have one purpose…to get an immediate response or
call to action. (whether that is an opt in, a phone call, a sale, etc)

Really enjoyed your post. :-)
Tom

In the meantime, they’re trying to beef up their brand image… not a direct response campaign, but do something that says “we’re so confident in the quality of our cars, that we know if you drive one, you’ll buy one.”

Branding initiatives rely on many impressions over a long period of time, creating a gradual perception shift. Remember, when you’re big and famous instead of a small marketer, people will come out of the woodwork to pick apart and criticize everything you do (ahhem). And while you may be going nuts over their campaign, if they were changing their approach every three months, searching for one that sticks, a lot of the public would think they were schizoid and the major media would be saying things like “sign of desperation” and “grasping at straws.”

Then watch where their stock goes.