Four hundred-plus
employees, thousands of hours of blood, sweat and tears as well as dealer
insights are fueling Ford's (NYSE: F) quest to win customers on the
strength of its vehicle quality, fuel economy, safety advances and smart
technology.
"The best part of Ford's story is unfolding in the studios, labs,
factories and dealerships, and we're opening the door a bit, so people can
see inside," said Jim Farley, Ford's group vice president of Marketing and
Communications. "Customers are smart. When they meet our team and see what
they're working on, people will finally understand where the excellence in
our products is coming from. That's what this campaign is all about."
This week alone, Ford hopes to reach 70 million Americans with the best
thinking and hard work of engineers, scientists, designers and technical
experts and dealers throughout the country, who have been working together
since November to start telling Ford's story.
Their collective effort is called "Drive one," which chronicles in
digital, TV and print media how Ford employees have closed the gap with
Asian competitors on quality, advanced vehicle safety, made vehicles more
fuel efficient and led the industry in developing in-car connectivity. It
also invites people to drive a Ford and see for themselves how the
company's vehicles stack up versus the competition.
"The four areas -- quality, green, safe, smart -- match customer
concerns 100 percent," said Victor Benitez, vice president and general
manager of Gus Machado Ford in Hialeah, Fla. He helped develop "Drive one"
with Ford employees, other dealers and Ford's agencies -- JWT Team Detroit
and Wunderman Team Detroit, both part of the WPP Group.
The super group test drove 60 different themes and taglines, sometimes
in unusually hands-on ways. For instance, Ford's Marketing Dealer Advisory
Board participated in a consumer-style focus group, complete with
professional facilitators and one-way mirrors.
This week, Ford brought experts and hands-on technology demonstrations
on quality, fuel economy, safety and smart technology to share with more
than 3,000 dealers gathered for a product introduction event in Las Vegas.
"I've never seen this level of partnership between any automaker and
the people who spend the most time every day face-to-face with customers,"
said Charlie Gilchrist, owner of Southwest Ford in Weatherford, Texas and
chairman of the national Ford Dealer Council. "The collaboration is great,
but the end result is even better: 'Drive one' is a confident statement --
and an invitation to help customers experience the product strengths that
really matter to people."
Finding the Story
"Drive one" is being introduced just as Ford's rollout of new products
is accelerating: 70 percent of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products will be
new or significantly freshened by the end of the year, and the company's
quality is at record levels.
This week, Ford released findings from the RDA Group research that
shows Ford is second to none in vehicle quality in the U.S. Ford has now
matched Toyota and Honda in initial quality. This news follows a strong
showing in 2007, when Ford earned more J.D. Power Initial Quality awards
than any other company.
To help tell the quality story, camera crews and agency reporters
interviewed 115 designers, engineers and technical experts and visited
facilities that most people inside the company will never see.
This includes a room called the "Bat Cave," where Ford employees
conduct virtual reality quality experiments, as well as the VIRTTEX lab. It
features a full-motion driving simulator where Ford studies driver
drowsiness, distraction and tries finding new ways to boost safety.
"What we found was inspiring," said John Felice, Ford Division general
marketing manager. "As strong as the technology is, what's even more
impressive is how proud people are of their work -- and how much they want
to help the company succeed."
Count Product Design Engineer Jason Johnson among them. He works on
SYNC, a Ford-exclusive technology that allows users to control
Bluetooth-equipped cell phones hands-free, using voice commands.
"One of my favorite things to do is talk about the work I do," said
Johnson, who will be featured in Ford commercials and webisodes. "But going
through this process, I was surprised to learn we're using recycled and
organic material in our seats, and I didn't realize all the work we're
doing on safety and hybrids. Now I have more to talk about with my friends
and neighbors."
Employees including Elizabeth Baron, a virtual reality and advanced
visualization technical expert, believe Ford might have a better idea in
its new communications plan.
"There is a lot of good work going on at Ford, and I'm actually seeing
results from the great products we're putting on the road today," she said.
"My 16-year-old daughter's friend wants to get a Focus because of SYNC, and
her parents approve because of the safety ratings. The family is not loyal
to purchasing Ford products, so I count this as a win. With 'Drive one',
now we have even more ways to win people over."
Regional Advertising to Focus on Vehicles, Consumers
Concurrent with the national launch of "Drive one," Ford dealers around
the country will begin airing a complementary series of Drive One
television, print and digital ads built around the theme, "Town to Town --
Friend to Friend."
To film these experiences, Ford approached competitive vehicle owners
in two towns -- Marietta, Ga. and Windsor, Calif. -- and asked them to
drive a Ford for a week and then share it with a friend.
Ford crews filmed 180 test drives, creating more than 20 unscripted,
30-second commercials covering nearly the entire Ford product range.
Although the vehicles varied, the results were the same: people were
pleasantly surprised by Ford products.
"To be honest, I was skeptical of Ford vehicles. But after spending
nearly a week in a Ford Escape, my perceptions completely changed about the
Ford brand," said Amy Hardigree, who appears in one of Ford's "Town to Town
-- Friend to Friend" advertisements. "I was so impressed by the design and
technology, I realized what I was missing in my Volkswagen Beetle, and it
was great that I was able to then share the experience with my friend."
SOURCE Ford Motor Company
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