Ch. 17 - Advertising and Public Relations

If a person were asked to name the first five car companies that come to their mind, you can imagine that Ford would most likely be one of the five. You may ask why I would open this blog with that question. The reason why is because Ford Motor Company has been around since 1903. With that said it has managed for over 100 years to be a name stay in the ever changing world of car manufacturing. The next question that may be asked is why would Ford spend millions of dollars per year on a name that is already a recognized by probably ever household in the U.S. and most of the world.

In the past several years, Ford has become most proud of one thing that they say is an accomplishment on its own aside from conventional marketing and advertising. In 2008 as the markets were collapsing and the Government started offering bailouts the troubled automakers such as General Motors, Ford declined a one billion dollar handout. It is this says Ford’s Chief of Marketing Jim Farley that gave Ford a huge one up on marketing the brand. "I think it was worth more than $1 billion of coverage and customer interest," he said. "If I had to go out and advertise, it would be that kind of bill in paid media. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing." Essentially it was free marketing to say that the Ford brand would be better than ever! 

Ford Motor Company Marketing Team

 

As for how Ford has chosen to spend their dollars on marketing and advertising, you can just turn on your TV or open up a popular magazine to see. Ford over the past eight years has spent huge amounts of money to be the main advertiser for American Idol. Ford chose this as a way to market their compact car lines to a younger audience. In addition to commercial dominance during Idol, they also have the AI hopefuls perform in music videos highlighting a particular model of car. More likely then not, it is either the Focus or the Fiesta to market to a younger demographic. Ford also has several slogans that they have utilized over the years “Built Ford tough” being among the most popular for the truck line that Ford offers. 

American Idol Commercial Shoot

It is important in the ever changing popularity of car brands that Ford spend as much money as possible on marketing and advertising their brand. With so many options for U.S. and Foreign competitors, it is imperative that the potential buyer understands what Ford has to offer.