VIDEO: Ford fools people into telling the truth
A lot of air has escaped Ford's balloon, and it's launching a new advertising campaign to spread the word about its lineup. Instead of some gimmicky pitchman like Honda's dreadful and annoyingly drawn "Mr. Opportunity," or the mustachioed Dr. Z of the company formerly known as DaimlerChrysler, Ford's using the endorsements of regular folks to shill their wares. Testimonials carry weight, and Ford wanted to get unvarnished opinions without interfering. A fake market research firm was set up to act as a go-between and collect reactions from people who traded in for a week the car they'd just bought for a new Ford vehicle. Needless to say, the commercials are enthusiastic endorsements of Dearborn's offerings.
Alan Mulally reportedly took a lead role in getting Ford's new "Swap My Ride" campaign underway, and has kept an eye on Ford's advertising since arriving. It's not enough to whip the actual product into shape, but customers have to be made aware that the automaker's been making an effort. Sure, much of the magic of thirty-second spots is made in editing, but as I sit here watching one of the spots, they're well done (not that I'd expect anything less from powerhouse agency JWT), and Ford's current lineup is strong enough to warrant a look. Hey, a ruse is no worse than that Lexus narrator guy who sounds addled on quaaludes, or Land Rover's breathy Taiko drum extravaganzas.
Hit the jump for the press release and watch the campaign's launch spot
[Source: NYTimes]
'SWAP YOUR RIDE' FOR A FORD AND EARN UP TO $1,000 BONUS CASH
- Ford debuts "Swap Your Ride" marketing campaign featuring real people sharing their candid feedback after test-driving Ford vehicles for one week.
- Ford went undercover to find out what would happen if people who own other brands of vehicles were to get behind the wheel of a Ford. Consumers' perceptions changed dramatically after their test drive: Purchase consideration for Ford doubled.
- Ford is offering up to $1,000 "Swap Bonus Cash" through Oct. 1 on most 2007 and 2008 model year Ford vehicles in addition to all existing retail and lease offers.
DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 4, 2007 – As Ford continues to earn recognition from third-party experts for design, safety, quality and innovation, the company is inviting consumers to "swap their ride" and get behind the wheel of one of its award-winning Blue Oval products.
Ford today is launching "Swap Your Ride," an integrated marketing campaign that chronicles the experiences of competitive-make vehicle owners from New York, Dallas, Miami and Los Angeles as they evaluate Ford cars, trucks, SUVs and CUVs. The ads, which take their inspiration from the reality TV phenomenon, feature candid feedback from people who thought they were test-driving vehicles for market research.
The campaign is backed by an offer of up to $1,000 "Swap Bonus Cash" through Oct. 1 on most 2007 and 2008 model year vehicles in addition to all existing retail and lease offers.
"When consumers experience a new Ford vehicle for themselves – especially when they haven't driven one of our products lately – it's almost always an eye-opening experience," said Barry Engle, general manager, Ford Marketing. "In 'Swap Your Ride,' real people tell this story in their own words."
"Swap Your Ride" participants were asked before and after their test-drive experience whether they would be open to purchasing or leasing a Ford vehicle in the future. The results: Purchase consideration following consumers' week-long product evaluation doubled to nearly 80 percent.
Capturing Candid Feedback
Since the debut of the Fusion Challenge campaign in January, Ford broadcast, print and digital ads have emphasized the strength of its products versus the competition. "Swap Your Ride" takes that same confident and competitive spirit even further with candid footage captured in what was essentially a market research exercise.
To ensure the authenticity of the responses, Ford made certain none of the consumers knew beforehand that they were participating in a Ford-sponsored event. To keep its participation under wraps, Ford created a market research company, In Home Test Drive Experience LLC, to recruit almost 90 competitive vehicle owners to evaluate one of 11 Ford vehicles, including a Ford Fusion, Focus, Mustang, Taurus, Edge, Escape, Escape Hybrid, Expedition, Expedition EL, F-150 or F-Series Super Duty during a week-long test drive.
Participants agreed to have a video crew shadow them during the course of the week. Only after the vehicles were returned was Ford's role revealed.
To translate consumers' candid impressions from documentary-style raw footage into 30-second ads, Ford and JWT Team Detroit enlisted the help of noted documentary filmmaker Jessica Yu. Her Academy Award™-winning documentary short, Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien, tells the story of a writer who lived for 40 years paralyzed by polio. She also has won acclaim for the HBO film, The Living Museum, and has directed episodes of The West Wing, ER, Lyon's Den and other television programs.
Integrated Advertising Campaign
The first of 28 "Swap Your Ride" television commercials will air tonight, with spots scheduled on the major broadcast and cable networks during such highly rated shows as Desperate Housewives, CSI, Extreme Home Makeover and Bones. The campaign also includes Spanish-language ads.
Print executions will appear nationally in USA Today and in major newspapers in 25 top markets beginning on Sept. 7. Radio spots will air nationally, regionally and locally beginning this week. Digital advertising for "Swap Your Ride" also will appear on a variety of sites including Google, Yahoo!, MSN and other automotive research sites. In addition, fordchallenge.com will feature additional behind-the-scenes footage compiled during the clinics.
Program Details
Ford's "Swap Your Ride" campaign includes retail and lease offers which run nationwide through Oct. 1:
- Up to $1,000 "Swap Bonus Cash" on most 2007 and 2008 model year Ford vehicles in addition to all existing retail and lease offers
- The "Swap Bonus Cash" offer for most eligible vehicles is $1,000; the 2008 Ford Fusion and Mustang are eligible for $500 "Swap Bonus Cash"
- 2007 F-150 models will offer $1,000 "Swap Bonus Cash" plus zero percent financing for 60 months
- 2007 Explorer, SportTrac and Ranger will offer stand-alone zero percent financing for 60 months (or 1.9 percent financing plus $1,000 "Swap Bonus Cash")
- Certain 2007 and 2008 models, including Shelby and Harley-Davidson models, are not eligible for "Swap Bonus Cash"
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
rv 7:38PM (9/07/2007)
Hey now, don't make fun. Mr. Whitebread is the PERFECT McHonda spokesman. Love him! Couldn't imagine anything else other than Ronald McDonald (offering a free McCivic with any order over $5). Sadly, there isn't a Ford I would want to be stuck with for a week... Maybe to check out a Hybrid Escape. Or perhaps they'll let me borrow a GT???
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epilonious 8:35AM (9/08/2007)
That seems to be the entire point of this campaign: To get you to actually sit in one rather than just sit on your duff and talk about how you would never get one.
Drewboy 7:48PM (9/07/2007)
Well, my wife won't let me trade in her 2003 Focus for anything... I don't blame her, its never had a single problem. Its a mixed deal for Ford though, I got this car with 23k on the odometer less than a year old for half its "new" value. THAT made me very happy.
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Viv 8:16PM (9/07/2007)
That how i always buy most of GM cars. I know some people whine about resale values but i am not looking to when i sell it. I get a great deal on a relatively new car.
Tim 10:11PM (9/07/2007)
Thats how I got my Chrysler T & C too. 37,000!? new. 19000 two years later and about 50,000 miles. Buy used until the resale values stabilize.
Dino 12:05AM (9/08/2007)
Really? My mom's 2001 Focus wagon has been recalled several times and about a year ago the transmission completely went.
JoeBlack 12:15PM (9/08/2007)
Dino, the early Focuses were problematic but now its absolutely one of the most reliable vehicles on the road.
Drewboy 1:28PM (9/08/2007)
Dino, I have a friend who has an '00 Focus and he thinks his is a POS too. The Focus has had maybe one or two recalls, but nothing major that couldn't be put off until regular service time anyway. Oh, and my "superior" Japanese Honda also had a quiet recall in the same time period. I've actually had more frustrations with the Honda than the Ford, which is contrary to what I was expecting when I purchased them both. One thing - Honda's paint is like a powder you can scrape off with a finger nail, where Ford's paint is tough-as-nails in comparison.
joe 7:54PM (9/07/2007)
"recruit almost 90 competitive vehicle owners to evaluate one of 11 Ford vehicles"
"competitive" vehicle owners? What does that even mean?
Notice how Ford did not reveal the percentage of those participating actually favored Ford vehicles after one week of driving. The NY Times merely reported "purchase consideration doubled."
They should've offered their competitior's cars in addition to Ford's offerings. Give them a month to try out all the cars. And see which brand those people liked better. If those guys/gals drove 10 year old rust buckets of course they'll love a week in a new car!
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gwballin 8:12PM (9/07/2007)
"A fake market research firm was set up to act as a go-between and collect reactions from people who traded in for a week the car they'd just bought for a new Ford vehicle."
Presumably, "the car they'd just bought" was a new car and not a "10 year old rust bucket"
joe 9:44PM (9/07/2007)
Presumably.
I did notice that statement made by Dan Roth. However, in the news article, I failed to find any mention that Ford took an active effort to ensure their test subjects only owned newer vehicles. The Ford website also provided nothing of significant/substantial value.
Dan Roth 10:01PM (9/07/2007)
If you follow the read link to the source article (from the NY Times), you'll find this statement:
"And Ford Motor — which Toyota passed this year for second place in the American market — has staged an elaborate stunt in which dozens of people who had recently bought new cars from competitors traded them temporarily for Fords."
It's in the Times, so it has to be true, right?
I didn't find mention of it in Ford's press release, but I can't imagine the ruse working without some kind of premise for the fake market research company to be contacting the people. Following up on a recent new car purchase is a perfect cover.
Cookie 2:35PM (9/08/2007)
I was actually one of the participants in this campaign- i drive a 2005 Honda CR-V, which is how I came to be involved in the first place. We had to drive cars that were 2005 or newer, and we had to bring our registration in to prove it. I drove the Escape Hybrid, and loved it. I would never have thought about a Ford before this experience, but would consider now. And that is not a lie.
Craig 8:09PM (9/07/2007)
I don't like this at all. The reactions may have been "authentic" but they were edited. Plus there wasn't any transparency in Ford letting consumers know they were the ones behind this.
Turning Ford into the Pepsi challenge just isn't going to work. What WILL work is cranking out quality vehicles that top reliability ratings on a consistent basis.
Shame on JWT and leave the Word Of Mouth marketing to the experts.
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Tagg 9:56PM (9/07/2007)
They've been building great cars and trucks lately, this just get their message out there and lets people know that Ford isn't dead (much to the dismay of many on Autoblog). I don't see anything wrong with that.
Craig 1:06AM (9/08/2007)
Tagg I totally agree, their quality has been much improved and has certainly played a role in friends and family's decision to purchase Ford vehicles. I think Ford has a great story to tell and admittedly I want to see Ford succeed as a loyalist to the brand (I bought an 08 Mariner for my wife). With that said, I get angry when I see brands talk out of both sides of their mouths when it comes to honesty in the viral/word of mouth space.
Ford may think they did nothing wrong but with previous controversies surrounding large brands and their foray into word-of-mouth marketing, I feel they need to be careful how they convey their messaging. It's a sensitive space to play in and the last thing they want/need is a positive advertisement backfire based on questions of authenticity of the message they market to the public...
RicardoHead 8:01PM (9/07/2007)
If Ford offered the Kuga here stateside, they would not have to put cash on the hood to get me to "swap."
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BC 11:16PM (9/07/2007)
Mike Rowe is 100% pure hotness.
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ckm 8:16PM (9/07/2007)
I've got a 2000 Focus I bought as a beater/urban runabout. It's pretty good, so go I rarely ever drive either of our other cars (an Audi and a Jag).
Cheap to fill, gets great gas mileage (32 combined, over 40 on pure highway @ 70), carries loads of stuff, handles great and is easy to park in the city. And it's been dead reliable with 130k miles and 12 months of ownership.
The only real issue is the wind noise on the highway, but it's not really a luxury car, so no surprise. I might have bought a new one next year, if they hadn't canceled the hatchback. As it is, I'll probably just use this one until it dies, then buy an SVT.
Chris.
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Tim 10:15PM (9/07/2007)
CKM good thing. I wouldn't count on using the JAg or Audi as as a daily driver. They have some of the worst reliability records by anyones standards. JD power, consumer reports etc