Ford's Farley: Judge Drive One Campaign in 2013

by Robert Farago

April 16th, 2008 10:54 AM

fords farley judge drive one campaign in 2013

Ford's Toyota-poached (not in the culinary sense) marketing maven Jim Farley reckons we'll know whether FoMoCo's newly launched Drive One campaign is a success in five year's time. Farley told Advertising Age "We're really trying to remake the image of the company." And no wonder. "Jim Farley's moment of truth came when he told his Santa Monica, Calif., neighbors he was leaving Toyota for Ford. They told him his move was 'heartwarming,' but added that they wouldn't buy a Ford." Heartwarming? And what reason did Farley give for his neighbors decision to avoid The Blue Oval like the proverbial plague? "I realized they had gone past skepticism to apathy." Anyway, Jim'll fix it! "Mr. Farley said that according to a CNBC web survey of 609 respondents conducted after that first 'Drive One' commercial ran, 45% said they already liked Ford. Another 20% said the commercial didn't change their minds about Ford, but another 20% said it did and 15% said it might… Mr. Farley said it's 'pretty cool' that 45% of those polled said they liked Ford already. But there's clearly still a disconnect, he said, because the Ford brand has only a 13% market share. 'What's going on out there?' he asked." Anyone care to steer Mr. Farley in the right direction?

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4 of 36 comments

NetGenHoon on Apr 17, 2008
Steve-O : April 16th, 2008 at 11:11 am Give me a Fusion with this vaunted EcoBoost engine, 6-sp manual, 32MPG, and at least 200Hp. I'll do you one more realistic. Skip the 32 MPG /200HP and just give me a 6-sp stick with AWD, poor man's A4. The Fusion is already track-able in I4 guise. Give me the function I want for less than a Subie or Audi. I'm in the target market for SYNC, I've dropped > $300 on iPod compatible stereos in my last two cars, and I'll do it again for the next one. The Drivetrain is a deal breaker. It's all about product. I really hope Ford gets its small cars together in the US, right now they don't offer anything I would buy. They have the manual is for the stripper mentality. I'll drive one once they put together one I'd want to buy.

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Ricky Spanish on Apr 17, 2008

Ford makes 0 products that appeal to me. /end article.

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Steve-O on Apr 17, 2008
Theodore, I should have specified 32MPG HWY, not combined cycle.

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Theodore on Apr 17, 2008
Steve-O : April 17th, 2008 at 9:57 am Theodore, I should have specified 32MPG HWY, not combined cycle. Okay, that gets you one - the Mercedes E320 Bluetec. 210 hp, 32 mpg highway. Of course, it's a diesel. And it's $53,000. Fuel economy has many enemies. One of them is horsepower. At the moment, you can have either a powerful car or a fuel-efficient car. You can't have both.

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