Ford to shift marketing focus from new models to the brand

Ford is pursuing a change of marketing strategy by launching a series of ads that focus on the Ford branding and logo, replacing current campaigns that promote new models.

The new ads will break during the UEFA Champions League final on May 27 and will replace its current campaigns promoting the new Fiesta and Ka models. Ogilvy & Mather has created the ads.

Ford UK marketing director Mark Simpson says: “Over the past few months, we have been launching a series of new models and focusing our marketing efforts on these. We are now looking to shift our ad approach to focus more on the brand name, in an effort to make the brand interesting.”

Ford UK has had to cut its advertising spend, as its ailing US parent company seeks to make $9bn (£6bn) worth of  cost savings this year (MW November 19, 2008).

However, Simpson says the brand-focused campaign had been planned before the car industry slipped into crisis. The ads will be rolled out across Europe shortly after its UK debut.

Ford aims to create “a more consistent and compelling connection with customers worldwide, while better leveraging the company’s global assets and capabilities”, following the appointment of Elena Ford as director of global marketing, sales and service operations. She is the great-great-granddaughter of company founder Henry Ford.

She will be responsible for integrating the company’s marketing team members, global agencies and other supplier partners with a common and integrated plan to bring new vehicles to market.

Separately, Ford announced yesterday that it would increase the price of all its models within the UK from the start of April 2009, by an average of 3.75%.