A Star at Toyota, a Believer at Ford

James D. Farley, Ford’s chief marketing officer, says he grasps that Ford is at a crossroads and that it has been on a tortured path over the last decade

New York Times, April 20, 2008 — AT a dinner here at the Bellagio hotel about two weeks ago, the ballroom buzzed with 1,400 car dealers fired up for a turnaround at the Ford Motor Company. With fresh products coming and a new ad campaign in place, they were ready to celebrate an attempted comeback by the struggling Detroit automaker.

But James D. Farley was hardly in a festive mood.

He had been on the job as Ford’s chief marketing officer for all of six months, lured away from a stellar career with the Japanese juggernaut Toyota to inject similar sizzle into Ford.

Ford Aims to Wow Key Group: Its Dealers†

Losses, Lack of Hits Hurt Confidence; Stick to 'One' Theme

Wall Street Journal, April 14, 2008 — Consumers aren't the only audience Ford Motor is trying to win over with its new "Drive One" marketing and advertising campaign, which kicked off last week.

The ailing auto maker is also trying to charge up its dealers.

Many of Ford's more than 4,000 U.S. dealers have become frustrated with the company after suffering through years of declining sales and having few hit models to sell besides the Mustang and F-Series trucks.

Their confidence has been further shaken by Ford's big losses in 2006 and 2007 — a combined $15.3 billion — and a series of inconsistent and often fleeting marketing efforts in the last several years that have failed to attract substantial numbers of new Ford buyers.

Ford Debuts Next Iteration Of 'American Dreams' For Lincoln

MediaPost Publications, October 15, 2007 — FORD'S LINCOLN DIVISION, WHICH HAS posted 12 months of sales gains, is launching the next iteration of its year-old "American Dreams" campaign with two new TV spots--one of which broke on Sunday evening on NFL broadcasts on NBC--and a raft of product-centered advertising later this fall.

One of the ads features singer and actor Harry Connick, Jr. and the other features triathlete Sarah Reinertsen. In the former, which debuted Sunday night, Connick drives a Lincoln MKX through his old neighborhood in New Orleans, on his way to a party of musicians celebrating Habitat for Humanity's Music Village housing project, in which he is involved.

Taurus flop turns spotlight on need for new marketing strategies

DETROIT AUTOMAKERS TARGET TOYOTA

Detroit Free Press, October 12, 2007 — When Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally decided to bring back the Taurus name on a redesigned version of the Five Hundred, experts say, it was a grand opportunity for Ford marketers to revive a well-known brand name that had been a best-seller in its heyday.

But nearly four months later, the Taurus launch clearly missed its mark, industry experts and several dealers told the Free Press. They all blamed a misdirected advertising campaign by the company's marketing department, which is being revived with new leadership.

Fine-Tuning A Brand's Signature Sound

Companies turn an ear toward improving the rings and pings in their products

BusinessWeek, August 13, 2007 — When Derrick M. Kuzak became Ford Motor Co.'s (F ) global chief for product development in 2005, he didn't like what he was hearing. It wasn't hostile car reviews that bothered Kuzak. It was the insipid gong chimes that greeted a potential buyer when the door of a Ford was opened as well as the rickety sound produced when it was shut.

Ford Seeking a Future by Going Backward

With its recent decision to entertain bids for Volvo, Ford appears to be dismantling the collection of luxury auto companies that it once assembled with such confidence

New York Times, July 17, 2007 — When Bill Ford Jr. beat out Fiat and Volkswagen eight years ago to buy Volvo, he declared the $6.5 billion acquisition a “meaningful step” to fulfilling the Ford Motor Company’s “21st-century vision” of becoming the world’s leading automaker.

There's Nothing New in Desperate Marketing†

BK, Ford Followed Different Paths -- and Show Why the Best Marketing Comes From Innovation, not Desperation

Advertising Age, April 23, 2007 — The recent tales of two iconic businesses speak volumes about the frenetic conditions that continue to drive (or impede) marketing's ability to contribute top- and bottom-line growth in both the short and long term. Burger King and Ford are diametrical in their current in-market strategies; one has holistically embraced innovation as its growth strategy, while the other seems to have embraced desperation. Lessons abound for marketers seeking the paths to their own go-to-market strategies.

There's Nothing New in Desperate Marketing

Prophet, April 23, 2007 — Two Brands: Burger King and Ford followed different paths in their quests to grow-and stand as case studies of why the best marketing comes from innovation, not desperation.

Advertisers Follow The Digital Bread Crumbs†

Adweek, February 19, 2007 — When marketing Snapple Green Teas last fall, Cadbury Schweppes crafted a media plan that emphasized how they help lower cholesterol and fight cancer. Because of the new drink's healthy bent, the company geared ads toward young, athletic consumers. Yet after tracking ad clicks during a six-week Web push, an unexpected new audience emerged: electronics shoppers.

The Innovation Backlash

A chorus of voices is calling for an end to the hype—and a focus on the fundamentals that drive real bottom-line-boosting innovation

BusinessWeek, February 12, 2007 — In one 30-second TV spot, former Ford Motor Chairman and Chief Executive Bill Ford used the word "innovation" almost once every eight seconds. "If you look at the Ford Motor Company, innovation has driven everything we've done," Ford said in the opening of the ad, which ran from late 2005 into 2006. The repetitions came to feel like a mantra as he concluded, "Innovation will be the compass that guides this company going forward." That campaign has by now been abandoned.