Another opportunity missed by Ford's poor marketing

[Fairmont Man]

Originally Posted by HSE2

Well I think some people have got a bit confused here. You don’t promote the achievement to appease people like us and that’s being forgotten by some.

We can't be promoted to effectively because we go out of our way to know about the product, the company and race results. We obviously know about all that so yes advertising to us is wasted money.

Marketing is aimed at people who don’t buy your product, don’t attend races don’t have an appreciation of brand values. If you reach those people with a positive message, change that perception in anyway, that’s not wasted money but it’s not easily measurable either.

Don’t get the two confused. Marketing to people you have is very different to marketing to people who don’t yet know about you. The benefits to changing those perceptions of your product or brand are immeasurable.
Us saying ford should gain a voice and promote is fine for our egos but the motivation has to be aligned with Fords involvement in the sport in the first place and that is purely to appeal to the younger generation. If you want more evidence of this shift then you need not look further than the stand at the AMS, its construction and content. Fords biggest issue is that the message been sent is scrambled and inconsistent

Under the circumstance yes this should be promoted. Just like the product they sell, Ford is written off and not on everyone’s shopping list and they should be. It’s not just the product faults- there is an image issue.

You have to get consumers to reconsider the brand and telling those consumers you are a winner is a pretty good start I would have thought especially in the face of nothing else working.

That is what I was talking about in the first place. Promote something good to the ones who don't already know about it.

Originally Posted by 04redxr8

Have you ever purchased a brand new Ford? If not, are you waiting for a man in the box on the wall to tell you to?

Unfortunately the answer to this is no, not because I don't want to or I'm waiting for someone to tell me to, it's just not possible. Given the chance I'd be down there to get my G6E Turbo or maybe a GT-E, but it's back to work tomorrow, so you never know.

[04redxr8]

Originally Posted by 04redxr8
For those who have bought new Fords, I think would agree, that advertising dollars saved and passed back to customers in way of better deals is always more beneficial.

Instead of making posts about Ford not marketing, how about you go down to your local dealer and buy a new Ford. Help them extend their marketing budget.

Originally Posted by HSE2

No I don’t agree on either count because it suggests one opinion is more valid than another and that’s not the case because every man and his dog has an opinion on how to fix Ford and funnily enough it’s not actually product related.

Its just a dicussion topic.

Ford for as long as I can remember have had very competent if not the best products on the market at any given time. There is no point spending money on improving the product if those improvements are not first valued buys the consumers you are trying to win over.

The next generation you have to appeal to, want it all. They need to hear and see success then they need to feel it into product. You have to align the lot in a giant balancing act to move towards a more sustainable age demographic of consumer.

What I was meaning, is that the additional budget required solely for promoting the championship win. As you have stated it is pointless trying to market to Ford guys. My last new car purchase, I went to my dealer and asked for the best deal. The treatment I recieved was appalling.

At that point, I thought, "i wont buy a car." Can't get the deal I want on a new Ford, I won't buy anything. Reluctantly I went and saw a Holden dealer.

I am no marketing specialist. I do however understand that in business, it costs less money to keep an existing customer than it costs to attract a new one.

[HSE2]

Originally Posted by fmc351

How many of those people also think speed cameras are a good thing? Cant imagine the image of 'winner' in that sense makes them want to buy a 'hoon' car. My take is Ford are trying to set themselves up as an alternative to Toyota, Mazda etc while maintaining itself as a superior product to Holden in the traditional sense. They are seeing a different future for auto-markets and trying to reposition themselves in that mix. You cant do that overnight, my guess is they see the writing on the wall and are getting in early.

Zoom Zoom says all the things Mazda want, without really saying 'hoon'. Zoom zoom is more childish, kitch, or cutesy. It sounds more like fun of being on the open road and freedom, rather than neck snapping acceleration and awesome cornering at mach 1 fun of driving.

It’s the Ford brand that is being leveraged not specifically any one product under that umbrella.

You stick Ford wins V8 supercar championship 3 years running on car sales and watch what happens to the search counters on ford related topics.

It’s the Ford motor company that you leverage not specifically Falcon although in its 50th that wouldn’t hurt either.

[04redxr8]

Originally Posted by Fairmont Man

That is what I was talking about in the first place. Promote something good to the ones who don't already know about it.

I don't think that the people who don't know about it, would even care to be honest. I haven't followed the V8SC's for years. I heard about Saturdays race, saw it being replayed on Foxtel and watched it. Then I watched Sundays race, just because I was so impressed with DJR's team effort and the state of the car that JC drove home.

If I had not of watched the races (didn't even know they were on), I would have found out who won. I would not have needed a full page ad or prime time TV ad. I would have called a mate.

The point is, people who want to know will find out, people who don't will just tune out when the ad comes out.

Wasted money on an audience who doesn't care. If I had the money to buy a new, I would just go and buy a new GT. Not because they won, but because I like them. Don't care if they lost every race, wouldn't care if they didn't even show up to compete. I would still buy one.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by csv8

What happened to win on sunday..sell on monday????????

It is off on holidays with cigarette advertising, semi auto rifles, open speed limits, self protection and civil rights......

[Iggypoppin']

Originally Posted by 04redxr8

What I was meaning, is that the additional budget required solely for promoting the championship win. As you have stated it is pointless trying to market to Ford guys. My last new car purchase, I went to my dealer and asked for the best deal. The treatment I recieved was appalling.

At that point, I thought, "i wont buy a car." Can't get the deal I want on a new Ford, I won't buy anything. Reluctantly I went and saw a Holden dealer.

I am no marketing specialist. I do however understand that in business, it costs less money to keep an existing customer than it costs to attract a new one.

Just curious why you didn't just go to a different ford dealer? One bad salesman doesn't make the car any less desirable nor make a Holden more desirable than the equivalent ford.

[HSE2]

Originally Posted by Fairmont Man

That is what I was talking about in the first place. Promote something good to the ones who don't already know about it.



Unfortunately the answer to this is no, not because I don't want to or I'm waiting for someone to tell me to, it's just not possible. Given the chance I'd be down there to get my G6E Turbo or maybe a GT-E, but it's back to work tomorrow, so you never know.

Yes I suspected you did.

In this business you can’t afford to limit your appeal to just the people that attend the sport. To truly gain a potential benefit from that investment you also have to tell the rest of the country what you have achieved. Thats the only way to effectively justify motorsport investment, exposure to the highest number of potential customers. V8 promotion by itself doesn't work and you can't rely on people making their own effort to find out.

If that were the case FPV would not be promoting the 5.0 engines and products. If you pay close attention to where those ads are it pretty much tells you what they see and feel from the market.

It’s not what you say it’s where you say it that derives the biggest benefit. You pick the most efficient media to get that measure across and today that’s probably not a news paper taking into consideration the age of the people Ford need to attract.

[Fairmont Man]

Originally Posted by 04redxr8

The point is, people who want to know will find out, people who don't will just tune out when the ad comes out.

Wasted money on an audience who doesn't care. If I had the money to buy a new, I would just go and buy a new GT. Not because they won, but because I like them. Don't care if they lost every race, wouldn't care if they didn't even show up to compete. I would still buy one.

I'd buy one too just because I like them, not because they won. But it's more about brand awareness and positive messages, if someone was even slightly in the market for a new car, and wasn't brand loyal to anyone in particular, surely this V8SC news would paint the brand in a positive light.

Pretty much every single member here is here because they like and enjoy Fords in one way, shape, or another. We want them to be successful and here for the long haul. I only started this because I thought a chance to promote the brand went begging. Let’s call it constructive criticism of the marketing rather than bagging. The fact that so many feel so passionate to add to the debate is a good thing, whether we agree or not about how to go about it, we all want a strong and successful Ford Motor Company of Australia.

[bingoTE50]

Originally Posted by DJR-351

There are quite a few around (myself included) that believe if given the opportunity Ford would like nothing more than to pull out completely from V8SC, I think the only thing that is stopping them doing is the fear of a backlash in sales from the "Die Hard Blue Tribe".....they would like nothing better than to see the old Ford v Holden thing dead and buried, it's a fight that just doesn’t seem profitable to them anymore.....

Just my 2c worth.....

I would have to agree. It is heading down the NASCAR track .It will be more about colour schemes ,drivers,and sponsorship branding. Ugly 40 plus year old drivers need not apply ....!

Unless the production series ? ,gets more notice ,the days of promoting sports models in organised racing series are coming to an end.

[XRtowcar]

Can i state something obvious, that Ford dosen't even sell a V8 powered model sedan in Australia.
What are they going to advertise?
We just won a championship in a car we dont sell.

[DanielXR8]

Originally Posted by HSE2

No doubt it is but the problem isn't the product either. There is an image issue that needs to be addressed at Ford.

Ford can’t continue to do the same thing and expect a different result. If you are spending money in motor sport you have to capitalise where you can. If the budget is not there to promote the success, then the budgets not there for motorsport at all. Motorsport is all about company promotion and you have to do that affectively to explain your participation in it to see any sort of return. There is no tangible product benefit involved in the first place so rationalising it on that front doesn’t really work.

You may as well concede withdraw completely and spend on product development that doesn’t seem to be embraced in the first place. If you have a problem you first have to understand the issue with it and form mine it can’t be about the products Ford offer now.

After experiencing a Holden rental recently I have no idea how that model sells like it does. Seriously it just not close.

They have a lot of material they can use that is in line with their current promotion that doesn’t require new promotions just changes to what they have. Against the odds they came up trumps and this year above all else certainly would add to the momentum heading into a new year.

Something needs to change. Telling people they are winners is a pretty good place to start for a company that doesn't seem to be able to get the message across. What you see today is the individual sponsor spending more money to bring awareness back towards their own involvement in DJRs success.
Gaining a bit of mongrel about them wouldn’t hurt when nothing else seems to be working.

If I were consulting to Ford it would happen but cost effectively. I can not justify my expense to invest in a promotional tool then not capitalise on it.

Faced with the same situation I would either withdraw completely or promote the success when fortunate enough to do so.

A motor race win with a car that is only vaguely related to anything I can buy will have zero influence. A proper recall and fix to my Territory and fixing the rust issue five years or so ago, when it was first starting to be reported by owners, would have had far more of an impact on me. Patching it up one by one just sucks. Fix the bloody source.

Recalling my Terri and replacing the rubber seals free of charge when it became obvious they weren't up to spec, would have impressed. Replacing the front ball joints with a new design and/or warranting the car for its lifetime when it was obvious there was an engineering fault, now that would have impressed. A personal letter from Ford explaining the issues and what is being done to fix them, followed up by a courtesy call, that impresses. Thats the kind of stuff you talk about at work, with your mates, at the club.

Winning a car race. No. Glossy promo magazines with third tier sportsman, standing next to loaner Fords at the beach. Nope. Seeing a Falcon on my Zinger burger or whatever crap food this week. Nope not that either.

You either meet customer expectations or you end up going around in ever decreasing circles, which is exactly what Ford Australia are doing. Customers have far too much choice on the Australian market now, to ever need to "put up with the big three" which is where a lot of Ford and their dealers mindset is still at. Certainly their American imported bosses seem to think that way.

Ford don't fix things, well ok FG was heading in the right direction under their last Aussie boss, but basically you are right. Ford do what they have always done. Their dealers do what they have always done. While each year the people and the market that will put up with that crap, gets smaller and the money Ford has to actually fix anything gets smaller too.

The FG GS I drove recently said that at least some engineers and guys on the line get that. It was the best driving experience behind the wheel of a Ford I have ever had. I now have a Ford at the top of the list for my next car. Thats not something I would have ever bet on.

Still in the end Falcon isn't the only underselling model at Ford, because this issue of sales isn't just a Falcon problem.

Its a Ford Australia problem and how they do business - which an increasing number of Australians don't agree with and wont accept.

Dan

[HSE2]

Did I not just say promotion of the brand and it success has nothing to with the the actual race car?



Fixing the product should happen regardless but has nothing to do with capitalizing or marketable opportunities based on success.

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by HSE2

Did I not just say promotion of the brand and it success has nothing to with the the actual race car?



Fixing the product should happen regardless but has nothing to do with capitalizing or marketable opportunities based on success.

Thats right, I cant see how people can actually stick up for Ford in this case. Promoting this latest victory with the engineering advantages of the current line up is not hard.

Like someone said before, its about being on the winning team, its the aura you give a company that can sway the people that need swaying. Not us on a forum, we are easy targets.

Its as good as any fuel efficiency/gizmo ad....actually being emotional its even more powerful than tangible assets.

Your Holden analogy is quite right, on paper, in reviews everything, they are out done by Ford and the competitor yet they still sell (yes many things at play but they have the numbers)...so...its obvious that marketing and the advanced of the brand itself plays just as important part than a kilowatt badge on the car.

People have to be tempted, informed, enticed before they actually fork over the cash.

[bungarra]

If Ford and FPV were really smart, pack up a new GTP in Auto and Manual and an F6 and send them to the Top Gear Track in the UK and get a review done. World wide recognition andvertisement, I know people in the UK who are already looking at bringing a GT into the UK. Great export opportunity.

[jpd80]

I've given up being critical of Ford, I think the buying public is the only judge and jury they deserve,
anything else is emotional nonsense presented by blind fans or malevolent critics. Let's just watch
the figures and see who buys what and what Ford/Holden's 2010 profit/loss is like.

December and January are traditionally low sales months as the factory closes for breaks and maintenance.
Hope springs from new products flowing next year, Territory TDCI, Ecoboost Falcon and LiLPG I-6
should really add to local production figures and sales, giving some joy back to crest fallen fans like me....

[Fairmont Man]

Just thought I'd mention there is a full page ad in the front half of today's Herald-Sun for Falcon XR6. Coincidence? Didn't mention the V8SC championship, that's not what they are promoting, but it does demonstrate promoting good news, even with an * next to it. Good to see regardless.