New Bold Move ads take a tip from Pepsi
The Bold Moves marketing campaign from Ford has taken on many facets, but the one we're most familiar is with of the boob tube variety, a.k.a. commercials. Like most automotive marketing campaigns, the ad agency got involved early and produced some airy, feel-good spots that show your average Joes doing "bold" things. They no doubt scored highly with focus groups, but no one would credit an ounce of the Fusion's success so far with these spots that are designed to elecit emotions, but instead draw yawns. Again, like most automotive marketing campaigns, Ford dealers have likely complained loud enough now about these ads that the Blue Oval had to make a substantive change, so this morning Ford debuted a new set of ads that showcase some hard numbers and objective (we hope) information.
The commercials show a three-way showdown between the AWD Fusion V6, Honda Accord EX-L V6 and Toyota Camry XLE V6. Called the Fusion Challenge, this event was organized by Car and Driver, which got 600 of its subscribers to come out and drive these vehicles. They were then subjected to the classic Pepsi Challenge schtick, and the Fusion wound up beating its Japanese competitors in the hearts and minds of these subscribers. Bam! Instant commercial content that will no doubt strike a more resonant chord with buyers than the previous spots.
The Jalopnik folk have questioned the validity of the challenge itself considering that it was organized by Car & Driver, which accepts many hundreds of thousands of dollars from Ford each year in the form of ad dollars. Who knows how valid the challenge actually is, but could you imagine the awkwardness if Car and Driver's subscribers had chosen Coke instead of Pepsi in this case?
[Source: Ford, Jalopnik]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
aaron 9:21PM (1/04/2007)
Glad to know Car and Driver doesn't accept dick all from toyota or honda for ads.
Didn't the fusion beat them in the aids riddled consumers
report quality ganutlet as well?lmao.. lemmings.
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spencer 8:18PM (1/04/2007)
So Car and Driver doesn't accept hundreds of thousands of dollars from Toyota or Honda?
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Brian W 8:24PM (1/04/2007)
Like Car and Driver pick Ford over Toyota and Honda all the time.LOL
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American Cars suck 8:37PM (1/04/2007)
Let me get this straight.....Car and Driver does a test of the Ford Fusion, Accord, and Camry and people like the Fusion best. Being that Car and Driver is astute and only tests similar spec'd cars, WHY WOULD THEY PUT AN AWD VEHICLE AGAINST TWO CARS THAT ARE FWD ONLY?
Of course an AWD car will handle better than a fwd. What a deceptive comparison!!! And why DIDN'T JOHN PICK UP ON THIS?
Since Honda and Toyota do not produce AWD versions of the Accord and Camry, why didn't Car and Dribble do a test of the FWD Fusion to make the test fair and balanced? Maybe because they wouldn't have gotten the results that they were able to manufacture with the AWD Fusion.
Don't get me wrong. I think the Fusion is one bright spot for Ford, but this test is a hoax!!!
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Ford videos 8:43PM (1/04/2007)
That is defiantly a great deal from Ford on this car, maybe they can grab a few Toyota/Honda customers now.
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Dave 8:53PM (1/04/2007)
As far as the Ford having AWD and the others not, I'm sure the AWD is priced at or below the price of FWD Accords and Camry's. Therefore a fair comparison.
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American Cars suck 8:53PM (1/04/2007)
This if Ford's lease special on a FWD FUSION: $249.00 + tax and ZERO DRIVE OFF (not bad).
Act soon and lease your Fusion SE I4 FWD for 39 months with $0 down, $0 first month's payment, $0 due at signing (after cash back) for only $249/month. Just sign and drive off… it's that simple.
*Not all buyers qualify for low-mileage Ford Credit Red Carpet Lease. Payments may vary; dealers determine prices. Residency restrictions apply. First month's payment up to $500 made by Ford; not available on AZD Plan leases. For special lease terms, take new retail delivery from dealer stock by 02/28/07. See dealer for qualifications and complete details.
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stg 8:53PM (1/04/2007)
maybe they were testing the cars with the most options. its not ford's fault toyota and honda dont add awd. i guess that other article saying that the 4cyl man fusion is the best handling car in its class is also something that ford came up with?
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Brandon Michael 2:52PM (1/07/2007)
Which of these cars was a Car and Driver 10Best winner?
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Hamud 9:01PM (1/04/2007)
#3 Is all about the price. A loaded V6 AWD Fusion is cheaper than a loaded Camry XLE V6 FWD and a loaded Accord EX-L V6 FWD.
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dave 9:04PM (1/04/2007)
#3, once again, your bias is interfering with your ignorance. read your post's before and you strike me as not only too young to drive, but spend too much time on x-box. the fact is ford has awd, camry and accord do not. that's the bottom line. i too have compared the accord and the fusion. my son-in-law drives an accord and i have driven it several times. nice, but boring. i rented a fusion in vegas over the holidays and i can't believe how nice the fusion is. quiet, comfortable, responsive, solid, and for a four door, just plain fun to drive. took it up into the mountains and though it's no porsche, it did great for a car of it's size and price range. won't consider trying a camry, looks too much like a 50' studebaker hawk. if the rest of ford's lineup is half this good, i may leave caddy for a lincoln. so get over it, ford and gm are back, and this time i hope they take no prisoners.
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Infinihertz 9:04PM (1/04/2007)
#3, I understand your reasoning, but as you say Toyota and Honda don't offer AWD models. I would expect a test like this to use the best each model has to offer within the same price range, because that's what a consumer will likely look at. If the AWD Fusion isn't a significant amount more money (and I don't think it is), then that seems reasonable. This isn't an industry standard benchmark being performed; it's a test of what people like. If there existed an AWD Accord or Camry and only a FWD one was used, then I'd agree with your complaint.
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Tim 10:57AM (1/05/2007)
I'm sold goodbye Camry and Accord take your reliability and shove it. If a group of people on TV driving through cones can't convince you to buy a car I don't know what will. Brilliant! Ford holds the line here Toyota/Honda.
The only thing that will sell the car is superior aesthetics period.
"50' studebaker hawk." The First thing that ran through my mind when I saw the new camry.
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American Cars suck 9:17PM (1/04/2007)
If pricing was the issue then not use the less expensive FWD fusion to show that you get more car for less money than the Honda or Toyota. Car and Driver ALREADY did a comparison test in 2005 with the V6 FWD Fusion, NOT THE AWD. It's a deceptive test. Compare apples to apples. I would be typing the same if it was a Honda or Toyota with AWD vs a Ford with FWD when Honda or Toyota had a similar car in AWD.
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/11108/2006-ford-fusion-sel-v-6.html
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Jim 9:16PM (1/04/2007)
This is a valid test, and it's pretty obvious that the well handling Fusion, while in its FWD trim would place below the Accord, the Fusion places above the Accord with its AWD trim.
Is there any rule in the world that says a car shopper may not comparison shop between a Nissan Xterra, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Caliber, Toyota Rav4, and a Honda Ridgeline? A shopper may compare any vehicles he/she wants. So there's no issue comparing AWD and FWD. The commercial simply also reminds us that AWD handles better than FWD in general.
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joe mama 9:20PM (1/04/2007)
Why are they testing on performance? 98% of the consumers in the market for a Camry, Accord, Fusion, etc... dont really care about performance. Whats the point of this comparison? If you want performance you dont go buy one of these cars. Why don't they do a coparison on what REALLY matters in these cars. Then Camry and Accord would come on top!
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Mike i-lik-It 9:38PM (1/04/2007)
I'm sure C&D couldn't possible find a FWD fusion priced lower than AWD model. And Ad Dollars had nothing to due with postive reviews. Yep! There always so many Honda & Toyota Ads in my last C&D issue I could hardly notice all the great reviews of the Gm, Ford & dcx products they had. Right!
Boring is always in the Eye of the Beholder and hands & Feet of the Driver.
I went to one of these consumer type test drives and One day with a vehicle is not going to determine how well that vehicle will be for ownership.
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Sam 9:28PM (1/04/2007)
If Car and Driver accepted lemming dicks, would they pop more tires when they drive off-road?
Or are they too short to cause any serious damage?
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Infinihertz 9:33PM (1/04/2007)
#13, It'd be easier to respect what you say if you didn't make up the (absurdly high) number 98%. It's pretty ridiculous to think only 2% of midsize car buyers consider performance.
Anyway, what REALLY matters? You mean like quality and reliability? Because now Camry and Accord are losing on that front too. They're probably better in fuel economy, but probably only a couple mpg, and for all we know that could change with the new EPA ratings. What DO you want them to be compared on? Whatever it takes so "Camry and Accord would come on top!"?
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David Wiles 12:35AM (1/05/2007)
Hey "American Cars Suck",
What doesn't compute for you here? If I were car shopping at the top midsize price point now, I would compare the Fusion, Camry, Accord, Mazda6 (what I drive now)and Saturn Aura, then decide. I would compare the models I WOULD WANT TO BUY and not restrict myself to the FWD Fusion if I wanted AWD just because Honda, GM and Toyota don't offer them. That's what happens in the REAL WORLD, where people cross shop different models from different brands with different features, without necessarily comparing "apples to apples."
The test is valid for me as consumer because it compares what's available from each company. I own a 4cyl Mazda6 instead of a 4cyl Accord because when I bought it, Honda didn't offer both traction control and a full package of airbags on any Accord except the 6cyl EX. Those were my choices and since I didn't want a 6cyl car in the first place and didn't want to pay a lot more more money to Honda just to get those features, I bought the Mazda. I ended up choosing between a 4cyl Mazda and a 6cyl Honda. This wasn't an apple to apple comparison either, but then I wasn't shopping for fruit.
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