Has Ford's Marketing Department finally taken the gloves off? - Page 3

Dave_au · 06-05-2009, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uranium_death

I thought ONLY the Omega reached it?
Hence why I used the word, "range"

Omega was the varient that was first to achieve the 5 stars yes, but it's the base model. Using my simple logic wouldn't that suggest the higher trim level models would also have the same safety equipment on the Omega?

Likewise BF Mk3 Falcon Wagons won't be a 5 star car either. Whether you can solely advertise Falcon range whilst excluding the wagon is a point.

vztrt · 06-05-2009, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave_au

Omega was the varient that was first to achieve the 5 stars yes, but it's the base model. Using my simple logic wouldn't that suggest the higher trim level models would also have the same safety equipment on the Omega?

Likewise BF Mk3 Falcon Wagons won't be a 5 star car either. Whether you can solely advertise Falcon range whilst excluding the wagon is a point.

Having a look at how safe is your car. It seems only the Omega has the 5 star safety rating and the lack of a passenger seat belt reminder will keep them at four stars until this is rectified.

So I would take it as the upgrades are through the car but one little thing is stopping it.

http://www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au/a...ty_ratings.php

uranium_death · 06-05-2009, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave_au

Omega was the varient that was first to achieve the 5 stars yes, but it's the base model. Using my simple logic wouldn't that suggest the higher trim level models would also have the same safety equipment on the Omega?

Likewise BF Mk3 Falcon Wagons won't be a 5 star car either. Whether you can solely advertise Falcon range whilst excluding the wagon is a point.

It was discussed on here a while ago that ONLY the Omega had the five-star rating, it it was just an extra piece of metal or something put towards the front of the car that facilitated it in some way...

But as I said, the FG Range is the ONLY Australian built and designed car to have an ANCAP five-star safety rating.

phillyc · 06-05-2009, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uranium_death

It was discussed on here a while ago that ONLY the Omega had the five-star rating, it it was just an extra piece of metal or something put towards the front of the car that facilitated it in some way...

But as I said, the FG Range is the ONLY Australian built and designed car to have an ANCAP five-star safety rating.

There were two things what gave them the 5 stars in the one model of VE.

The first is more widely known. The second kept more hush-hush as you'd expect a -ve against Holden to be...
1. Passenger / seat belt warning system. Apparently it was too hard to play with the electrics/body computer of other models in the range. So it was delayed.
2. The door kicked ever so slightly ajar in the offset test. This then precluded them from the doing the pole test which is what was required to make the 5stars.

phillyc · 06-05-2009, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave_au

Likewise BF Mk3 Falcon Wagons won't be a 5 star car either. Whether you can solely advertise Falcon range whilst excluding the wagon is a point.

The BF Mk3 Wagon is exactly that. A BF Mk3 not an FG.

Ford have been advertising the FG Falcon as 5 stars.

vztrt · 06-05-2009, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phillyc

There were two things what gave them the 5 stars in the one model of VE.

The first is more widely known. The second kept more hush-hush as you'd expect a -ve against Holden to be...
1. Passenger / seat belt warning system. Apparently it was too hard to play with the electrics/body computer of other models in the range. So it was delayed.
2. The door kicked ever so slightly ajar in the offset test. This then precluded them from the doing the pole test which is what was required to make the 5stars.

http://www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au/_...ail.php?IID=51

**TUF_302** · 06-05-2009, 07:25 PM

Bout time Ford!, thats all i can say!!

Joe5619 · 18-05-2009, 08:16 AM

I know this topic is more about Falcon advertising than Ford advertising.... but.. With new Focus & Territory in dealers I haven't seen not one bit of advertising for either new cars.. What the F are they waiting for? People need to know when you have a new model in the show room!!

mitch · 18-05-2009, 06:01 PM

any of you blokes seen the ad in the perth sunday times carsguide,i assume other capital city papers might have the same ad. from memory it shows new xr6 selling at $35,800 or thereabouts. BUT what caught my eye was the angle of the car in the picture. to me the car looks much more capable and natural looking maybe even more aggressive. why the hell couldnt that angle have been used from day dot instead of the original laying on the ground looking up angle ford has been using to promote fg

R-Design · 19-05-2009, 08:57 PM

_____

R-Design · 19-05-2009, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe5619

I know this topic is more about Falcon advertising than Ford advertising.... but.. With new Focus & Territory in dealers I haven't seen not one bit of advertising for either new cars.. What the F are they waiting for? People need to know when you have a new model in the show room!!

I saw an ad for the "New Look" Territory (TX RWD) on TV tonight $38,888 Drive Away Introductory Price. It wasn't anything special (the ad that is), but it was there.

R-Design · 10-07-2009, 04:21 PM

Can't wait to see this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarPoint

Ford has small-car king the Toyota Corolla in its sights with a new advertising campaign for the Focus TDCi

http://carpoint.com.au/news/2009/sma...el-focus-15800

zetec · 10-07-2009, 04:33 PM

Then check this out... http://www.youtube.com/user/fordofcourse

R-Design · 10-07-2009, 05:09 PM

Not the butchest ad I've ever seen, but I guess it hits the intended market.

GK · 10-07-2009, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boss315

Not the butchest ad I've ever seen, but I guess it hits the intended market.

It's got the typical clever girl making better decisions than the silly male.

I don't like this sort of advertising personally, but the intended audience is very clear. It's the audience they need to win over. I guess daddy's who are forking out the cash for their daughters will also be targetted by the ad, as it's the fuel economy figure they'll pay attention to. Not too many women I know really give a rats bottom about such things. Actually, I think I could probably only name one!

She was a freak of nature though, wanting to sell her great 323 in favour of a Vespa. Well she kept the car, but the Vespa gets driven to work, about 60 kays round trip each day.

GK

R-Design · 10-07-2009, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zetec

Then check this out... http://www.youtube.com/user/fordofcourse

Just noticed the "Falcon Coming Soon" video. I wonder what that's all about?

'Ford do of course', is better than 'True Blue' in my opinion.

prydey · 10-07-2009, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zetec

Then check this out... http://www.youtube.com/user/fordofcourse

i didn't like it when holden did it and now ford are doing it. they are comparing a diesel vehicle with a petrol one.

it borders on false advertising. while it may be true that the car will get extra mileage, rarely does it mention that diesel is 99% of the time dearer than petrol. not exactly comparing apples with apples. makes it seem its the only way they can get a 'win'!

zetec · 10-07-2009, 08:29 PM

Well the Focus also has a better range in Petrol than a Corolla, not just Diesel I believe.

mcnamg · 11-07-2009, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

i didn't like it when holden did it and now ford are doing it. they are comparing a diesel vehicle with a petrol one.

it borders on false advertising. while it may be true that the car will get extra mileage, rarely does it mention that diesel is 99% of the time dearer than petrol. not exactly comparing apples with apples. makes it seem its the only way they can get a 'win'!

Is diesel 25% more than petrol in cost? If not then the argument still stands. Plus the focus will kill the corolla in Torque and acceleration

Wally · 11-07-2009, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GK

It's got the typical clever girl making better decisions than the silly male.

I don't like this sort of advertising personally, but the intended audience is very clear. It's the audience they need to win over. I guess daddy's who are forking out the cash for their daughters will also be targetted by the ad, as it's the fuel economy figure they'll pay attention to. Not too many women I know really give a rats bottom about such things. Actually, I think I could probably only name one!

She was a freak of nature though, wanting to sell her great 323 in favour of a Vespa. Well she kept the car, but the Vespa gets driven to work, about 60 kays round trip each day.

GK

That ad plays on stereo types:- the dumb blond has enough sense to buy her choice, while the corolla driver made a typically gormless Gomer Pyle purchase decision and forgot to fill up with fuel. I guess by extrapolation us V8 drivers, FPV and HSV are still dna strands in the primal pool.

Bossxr8 · 12-07-2009, 06:30 PM

Falcon, Mondeo and Territory ads will follow, directly taking aim at competitors. The gloves are definitely off, this isn't the time for niceties, they need to fight for every sale they can get.

I guess the Captiva ad got up their goat.

GK · 12-07-2009, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Falcon, Mondeo and Territory ads will follow, directly taking aim at competitors. The gloves are definitely off, this isn't the time for niceties, they need to fight for every sale they can get.

I guess the Captiva ad got up their goat.

It got me annoyed, they must have been livid.

Then of course Gover says every opportunity he gets what a fuel pig the Territory is. That didn't seem to matter when they gave it COTY!

GK

Auslandau · 12-07-2009, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcnamg

Is diesel 25% more than petrol in cost? If not then the argument still stands. Plus the focus will kill the corolla in Torque and acceleration

Not here it hasn't been. Been the same or cheaper for a while now.

I saw the add last night and yes was stereo typical but very good at getting the message across.

| [/url] |

vztrt · 12-07-2009, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Falcon, Mondeo and Territory ads will follow, directly taking aim at competitors. The gloves are definitely off, this isn't the time for niceties, they need to fight for every sale they can get.

I guess the Captiva ad got up their goat.

FPV adds on during the V8SC's.

vztrt · 13-07-2009, 06:14 PM

Go Auto seems to have taken notice.

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...2575F100829D80

Quote:

Ford goes after Corolla with diesel ads

Second barrage targets Toyota as Ford pushes Focus fuel efficiency in TV campaign

By JAMES STANFORD 13 July 2009

FORD Australia is attacking market leader Toyota head-on with a marketing campaign that claims the fuel efficiency high ground.

The latest salvo was fired on Sunday when Ford aired a TV commercial claiming its diesel Focus is 25 per cent more efficient than the petrol-only Corolla.

The TV campaign follows a print advertisement that Ford Australia president Marin Burela called “a shot across the bow”, claiming Falcon E-Gas was ‘cheaper on fuel’ than the Corolla and that a Falcon XT used less petrol than a four-cylinder Camry.

The advertising strategy comes on the eve of a fuel economy marketing war in Australia with Toyota, Holden and Ford all preparing to make the most of greener products that are about to be introduced.

Toyota has unleashed a wave of advertising for the new Prius and is also preparing for next year’s introduction of the locally-made Camry Hybrid.

Holden has already started a push with the launch of its EcoLine sub-brand which includes its Active Fuel Management technology on V8s. It is expected to ramp up this fuel economy message with the launch campaign for the updated Commodore which will feature a range of fuel-saving technologies when it arrives in August or September.

Ford is readying another fuel economy push for the November launch of the super-efficient ECOnetic Fiesta, which it claims uses less fuel than the hybrid Prius.

The current Ford TV spot shows a young man in a Corolla and a young woman in a Focus going for a drive.

The Toyota driver runs out of fuel at the traffic lights while the Focus driver continues on as a voiceover reads: “Ford Focus diesel goes 25 per cent further than the Toyota Corolla.”

Ford Australia general marketing manager David Katic said the company was simply using a traditional marketing technique.

“We are focussing on classic marketing, a unique selling proposition, so to pick on something we have that our competitors haven’t,” he said.

“What we are doing now is getting very single-minded on what our key advantages are.”

Mr Katic said pointing out that the Ford Focus was available with an efficient diesel engine while the Corolla was not, should be effective.

“That is a very strong consumer statement ... and you all know that is very important to customers at the moment – green, fuel efficiency is very topical and has been for years.”

He said it was important to have a clear and simple message.

“When you think about it, a 30-second television commercial is only 30 seconds. It’s not 10 minutes. And if you want to cram 15 messages into 30 seconds, you’re going to pay the price of consumer ... overload.”

Mr Katic said the new emphasis on fuel economy would help overcome perceptions Ford was lagging behind other car-makers on efficiency.

“The Ford brand has not been seen as providing fuel-efficient cars and we think that is absolutely wrong,” he said.

“It is very much positioning our brand as a fuel-efficient brand and breaking down those barriers.”

Ford Australia president Marin Burela said there was nothing wrong with featuring a rival brand to emphasise the positives of its vehicles.

“It is not inappropriate to go out, be very direct and tell the facts as they are. You know the facts, it’s time to put the facts on the table,” he said.

“What you are seeing here is communicating our level of difference. As you can see fuel efficiency is one of our key advantages.”

So why did Ford target Toyota?

“Well, because they are the market leader,” he said.

Toyota declined to comment on the record when contacted by GoAuto about the new advertising campaign.

Ford is looking to the Focus advertising campaign to help lift sales of the small car, which is languishing in fifth place in the small-car segment.

VFACTS figures show that Ford has sold just 5959 Focus cars so far this year.

In the same period, Toyota has sold 17,573 Corollas, Mazda sold 18,196 Mazda3s, Hyundai moved 9904 i30s and Mitsubishi sold 8672 Lancers. Asked if Ford will be using the same kind of advertising technique for a future TV spot promoting Falcon by comparing it to the market-leading Holden Commodore, Mr Burela indicated this was unlikely.

Instead he suggested the campaigns would likely point out Falcon positives. “It’s won more awards in its category than any other car in the country,” he said. “It was the first car to deliver five-star safety, it’s got fuel economy equal to a four-cylinder vehicle that is running around here in the country, the XR heritage is now seen as a very desirable.

“Our quality is in the class-leading range so when you look at the great stories we have around Falcon, the biggest problem we will have is running out of time and press and paper to communicate all of our strengths.”

The latest advertising campaign is a world away from the feel-good advertisements that accompanied the launch of the FG Falcon featuring ‘fingers walking across the landscape’.

Ford insiders viewed this campaign, which was introduced before Mr Burela took up his current position, as a failure.

Mr Burela even ridiculed it when describing the simplicity of the Falcon advertisements that followed including a straightforward pitch for the XR and a Falcon range ad that simply spoke of the awards it had won. “When you saw that commercial that we ran about the awards, there was nothing fancy, there were no fingers running around the countryside, it was very clear, very specific, we showed people we won those awards,” he said.

“That had a huge impact in terms of raising the awareness.”

When the XT Falcon’s fuel consumption was reduced to 9.9 litres per 100km – the same as a Camry four cylinder – Mr Burela and his marketing team decided to make the most of it with the advertisement comparing the XT to the Camry and stating the E-Gas Falcon was cheaper to run that the Corolla.

“That really starts to send a powerful message,” Mr Burela said of the print advertisement.

He said the ad had a good impact and spoke of: “people writing to us saying ‘wow, how didn’t we know this before’?”

phillyc · 13-07-2009, 07:14 PM

The more this guy (Burela) does, the more I love him. I sent plenty of emails over the last 2 years to Ford, saying to directly compare our better products. Highlight our strengths and their weaknesses. Very pleased they have taken this approach (although in no way am i taking any credit!).

The problem is time, the latency of perception. Therefore strong action is needed to drive home the point of the Ford range competitiveness/class leading qualities.

imugli · 14-07-2009, 05:23 PM

Wife's reaction to Focus Ad on sunday night...

(Insert Surprise) "Can they show the Corolla in a Ford ad?"
"Of course they can, dear"
"Is it really that much more economical?"
"Yep"
"Gees!"
"Yep"

We may not buy a diesel one, but my job of convincing her to go with Focus as our next car just got a lot easier. Good work, Ford!

fordon · 14-07-2009, 05:46 PM

I know the secert of LPG and I like to keep it that way :-)

phillyc · 14-07-2009, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by imugli

Wife's reaction to Focus Ad on sunday night...

(Insert Surprise) "Can they show the Corolla in a Ford ad?"
"Of course they can, dear"
"Is it really that much more economical?"
"Yep"
"Gees!"
"Yep"

We may not buy a diesel one, but my job of convincing her to go with Focus as our next car just got a lot easier. Good work, Ford!

Sounds like it's hitting the mark then! And hitting the marque!

Joe5619 · 17-07-2009, 04:55 PM

New Falcon add

http://www.youtube.com/user/fordofco.../0/WD9bqzJVcKg

About bl00dy time!! I'm loving the new adds, 1000 times better than the old ones

"Of Course"!!