The Great Trust Offensive

Companies as diverse as McDonald's, Ford, and American Express are revamping their marketing to win back that most valuable of corporate assets

BusinessWeek, September 17, 2009 — "The spark began where it always begins, at a restaurant downtown, in a shop on Main Street," intones a narrator as the camera lingers in a restaurant, bakery, and bike factory. "Entrepreneurs like these are the most powerful force in the economy. As we look to the future, they'll be there ahead of us." The music swells, and the narrator concludes: "While we're sure we don't know all the answers, we do know one thing for certain. We want to help."

The commercial, which began airing across the U.S. this summer, was developed by Ogilvy & Mather for American Express (AXP). Its mission: to cast AmEx not as a financial titan but as a humble service provider assisting mom and pops—establishments consumers typically like to support.

Customization Site Lures Mustang Fans

MediaPost Publications, August 25, 2009 — To help promote the 2010 Mustang, Ford is tapping into the model's cult status with a customization site that goes well beyond sampling the classic car in different colors. The Mustang Customizer on the car's microsite lets auto enthusiasts choose from among 239 accessories across 18 categories including wheels, decals, spoilers and grilles to create their own dream machine.

Branded for Life? A New Taurus Heads Upmarket†

Wall Street Journal, August 5, 2009 — The federal “Cash for Clunkers” program lured consumers out of their bunkers and into showrooms. Now, car makers need to get their cars on all those hastily assembled shopping lists—a challenge Ford Motor Co. is confronting right now with the launch of its new Taurus.

Ford is repackaging the Taurus—a brand considered so uninspired a few years ago that Ford retired it—as a technology-laden, European-style sports sedan with features normally found on luxury brands and a price tag that can push above $37,000—the lower reaches of BMW 3-series territory. It’s a risky, costly venture.

Big Spenders Get the Most Buzz†

BrandIndex: LG, Ford Advertising Has Consumers Talking

Advertising Age, July 27, 2009 — Spend and you will get buzz.

That seems to be one takeaway from YouGov's BrandIndex, which compiled daily feedback from thousands of consumers for the first half of the year in order to find out which brands consumers are buzzing about and which brands they're not.

Ford's Mulally Sees a Taurus in His Future†

CEO Hopes to Revive Sedan That Once Was Best-Seller; High Price, Large Size Are Obstacles

Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2009 — Ford Motor Co. is launching a revamped Taurus this summer, a big bet by Chief Executive Alan Mulally that he can revive an ailing model that once defined the American family sedan.

In late 2006, Mr. Mulally took Ford's helm in part because of his respect for the onetime success of the Taurus. But Mr. Mulally was shocked, he said, that the company had decided to pull the plug on the brand by the time he arrived, and he quickly reversed the move.

With Fusion Campaign, Ford Targets 'Upper Funnel' Car Buyers†

$60M to $80M Ad Blitz Aimed at Consumers Not Yet Ready to Buy New Vehicle

Advertising Age, March 2, 2009 — Ford Motor Co.'s campaign for its redone 2010 Ford Fusion new hybrid model is aimed at people who aren't in the market to buy a car — at least not today.

Automakers Report Worst January Sales in Almost 50 Years†

Monthly Totals in U.S. Fall Below Those in China for First Time

Advertising Age, February 4, 2009 — DETROIT (AdAge.com) — The last time the auto industry sold roughly 669,000 vehicles in the U.S. in January, as it did this year, was in 1963, when Chubby Checker ruled the music charts and Michael Jordan was born. Adding to that bad news, China surpassed the U.S. for the first time in monthly sales, said Mike DiGiovanni, executive director-global market analysis at General Motors Corp. He said about 790,000 units were sold in China last month.

Ford's Green Plan to Drive Sales

Promising a slew of new green vehicles, the troubled Detroit automaker is turning to top design firms to make those cars innovative and appealing

BusinessWeek, December 8, 2008 — Ford Motor (F) has been making a lot of promises lately. On Dec. 4, as Alan Mulally, chief executive of the beleaguered Detroit automaker, sought about $9 billion in government loans, he pledged to limit executive compensation, renegotiate employee contracts, and definitively steer Ford toward making greener cars.

Big Three May Need to Trim Number of Brands

New York Times, December 2, 2008 — For the Big Three automakers to win over Washington lawmakers in their bid for federal aid, they will have to address a critical question in the business plans they give to Congress on Tuesday. Just how serious are they about shrinking their vast lineups of different brands and models to match the current harsh reality of the market?

If GM Has a Brand, It's General Misery†

Company Has Eight Brands, but No Brand Messaging

Advertising Age, December 2, 2008 — "How Detroit drove into a ditch" is the headline of an article in the Oct. 25 issue of The Wall Street Journal.

When the most respected business publication in the world writes a 2,000-word article on the problems of the U.S. automobile industry, you have to assume it knows what it's writing about. Especially since the author of the article is the Journal's former Detroit bureau chief and a man who is writing a book about America's car culture.