Ford Advertising; is it still as good?

[04redxr8]

Agree that the BA ad was pretty awesome. But wasn't it banned due to promoting irresponsible driving?

Not really an ad, but a great way to tell an audience about your new product.
http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-new...005-165rc.html

[dannyhilton]

Originally Posted by csv8

SO why aren't they selling !!!!!! dealers letting the side down??????

My guess? Ford Dealers letting the team down, knowledge of recent Falcon/Territory issues plus the general publics perception that Ford is trash. I'm thinking a major campaign targeting durability, quality, sustainability and efficiently is needed. An XP Falcon style assault on the media showing Ford cars can sustain what you throw at them, all Ford cars, not just the Falcon.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by perko73

You have hit the nail on the head with this. When the BA was released I think that Ford had it right on many fronts. The ads were targeted at the right audiences. The BA ad was slick and the tune did stick in your head. The XR8 and subsequent RTV ute ads are still a favourite of mine and was targetted well. Ford also then utilised their presence in V8 supercars very well with some good buys, good team support and linking them back to advertising.

With the FG we have not seen the same sort of advertising. It is weak, safe and I agree emotion should come into it. Also you do not see it in enough media. Support for motorsport has been wound back and this does have an impact. The classic case is the new motor for the FPV's. Ford should have been going overtime on this, but there has been minimal marketing.

Here's a great insight into how Polites saw and summed up problems at Ford Australia:

Obituary: Geoff Polites, ex-Ford boss

He arrived not long after the forgettable AU Falcon went on sale and Ford sales overall were in decline. Of the troubled Falcon of the time, Polites said Ford did 32 research groups on the car "but not one on the customer".

Polites was a man of the people: politicians kiss babies, he hugged factory workers. He made impromptu visits to the production line and instigated a monthly meeting with a dozen staff randomly selected from all levels of the company to find out what problems there were.

Against the advice of his peers, Polites was more open with motoring journalists than his PR advisers would have preferred. But he always blasted back to his minders: "These journos know about cars, but they don't understand the car business."

His thinking was simple: if something's not right, it should be fixed. At the time, the most common question Polites was asked by randomly selected Ford workers at the monthly staff meetings was: "Why isn't the Falcon selling?" His answer was blunt and honest: "Basically, we developed a car the market didn't want. We were happy with it but the public (wasn't)."

I think the last paragraph is compelling and should be
compulsory reading for chiefs at FoA planning Dept.

[nipper575]

This is the falcon ad that I enjoy most.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kd2mMa0KqE

[dannyhilton]

Here is my favourite Ford Falcon advert. It sells more 'lifestyle' than the actual car, but I just love the integration from the car to the lifestyle Ford were selling with the car. Very emotive, and even though it's missing some key points about the car, it's my guilty little pleasure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBg9_iUFRHw

[Iggypoppin']

Can someone link the xr8 ads and the rtv ads for me please? I want to see them!

[dannyhilton]

Originally Posted by irlewy86

WRONG!!!!!

Remember the Territory ad with the kid covering up his Kluger in Territory drawings. Ford had people ringing up requesting to adopt the child. There cant have been a more emotive ad in history than one that makes reasonable adults do something as nonsense as that.

There is evidence that Ford uses emotive adverts, I didn't doubt that, I even pointed to one of their best emotive commercials, but compare these to the amount Holden produce, Ford ads are somewhat stale in comparison. Apart from a few here and there (Mondeo and the dog, Territory and the kid) their advertising isn't all that emotive and rarely involves anything to excite, they seem to prefer clear cut, informative type advertising.

I never said they should just have cars doing burn outs, that would miss a fair chunk of the market, but like it or not, Holden are onto a winning formula. They do everything Ford ads do and more. All without doing burn outs and donuts.

[Perko]

Originally Posted by Iggypoppin'

Can someone link the xr8 ads and the rtv ads for me please? I want to see them!

RTV ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlAEb...eature=related

BA XR8 ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfVTV...eature=related

Enjoy...

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by dannyhilton

There is evidence that Ford uses emotive adverts, I didn't doubt that, I even pointed to one of their best emotive commercials, but compare these to the amount Holden produce, Ford ads are somewhat stale in comparison. Apart from a few here and there (Mondeo and the dog, Territory and the kid) their advertising isn't all that emotive and rarely involves anything to excite, they seem to prefer clear cut, informative type advertising.

I never said they should just have cars doing burn outs, that would miss a fair chunk of the market, but like it or not, Holden are onto a winning formula. They do everything Ford ads do and more. All without doing burn outs and donuts.

I remember the yank before Burela saying Ford had to reconnect with buyers,
plenty of people liked Ford products but wouldn't commit buy new ones,

Ford canada had an advertising campaign that made buyers feel like Ford
was building new special products with them in mind, the personal connection.
This is what Ford needs to do here.

[cool65]

Perception is dangerous in the wrong hands. Joe Average believes holdens are safer because all commodore ads use the "kid safety theme" in them. Mitsubishi was stuffed years before they closed because of the perception that if they were to close, the warranty/spares would be unavailable, so sales went down far enough that it became fact. Ford have a marketing department full of women uni graduates (no offense meant), because where else were they supposed to put them, and these women did great with the new festiva & have stretched themselves for the focus, but they don't relate to the falcon (and its perceived market). They need to take all the purchasing dudes from the large corporates and the rental companies on a junket and re-introduce them to the best large car out there.

[irlewy86]

Originally Posted by cool65

Perception is dangerous in the wrong hands. Joe Average believes holdens are safer because all commodore ads use the "kid safety theme" in them. Mitsubishi was stuffed years before they closed because of the perception that if they were to close, the warranty/spares would be unavailable, so sales went down far enough that it became fact. Ford have a marketing department full of women uni graduates (no offense meant), because where else were they supposed to put them, and these women did great with the new festiva & have stretched themselves for the focus, but they don't relate to the falcon (and its perceived market). They need to take all the purchasing dudes from the large corporates and the rental companies on a junket and re-introduce them to the best large car out there.

VW out and out do the best junkets.

Nothing like putting a crafter up on 2 wheels on a skid pan.

[Molloy]

Best ad's ever Lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXfd3pI62Uw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUbgf...eature=related