Is the Ford brand really that bad?- MSN Money

WTF?? I was shocked when I read this, is the perception really that bad on the coasts? I live in fly-over country and can assure you that Ford is still alive and well and the iconic blue oval is well received on cars or trucks. Is it really any worse than Chevy and Chrysler or is more about American brands in general and they chose to focus on Ford b/c they're marketing around it?

Surprised Ford would go the extremes of intentionally not showing the logo in ads. I understand it, but it still bothers me.

 

I live in florida, Fords sell like hot cakes here... the new super duties are just another normal sight to see here, i see like 30 a day. I do live in rural farm area which could be why

 

all over the place where I live. several usually at the stop lights all the time.

 

In my opinion it's off target marketing. When I first saw the commercial mentioned in the article, I wondered which car company that was. The commercial almost forces you to log onto the website to learn more about the cars. If the purpose is to get folks onto their website, then that commercial might have hit it's mark. I doubt very seriously the blue oval is going anywhere. Folks all over the world know that logo and it's generally considered among the best.

In my region, the only negative comments that I hear about the Ford brand has to do with their diesel trucks and/or warranty policies (across the board with all their models).

 

Don't have to tell you that up here in Alaska the SD is the only way to go.

 

They're talking about cars. People who drive little dinky Honda Civics and Toyota Camrys see the oval and immediately jump to the F150/Excursion/environmentally destroying deathmobile conclusion, probably because the last time they shopped a Ford car was 20 years ago when they bought their last import (the little Japanese *******s DO last about half of forever). Ford went heavy into the SUV and truck markets, their cars were never anything special. The early 2000s Taurus and Focus weren't anything to write home about, and the last major full sized fleet car was the Crown Vic, which people will always associate with cabs and cops. Mopar made just as many uninspired cars in the last decade, that's why Fiat is pushing their micro-mini junk in the US now. The GM juggernaut could put the bowtie on a pile of dog turds and still sell 100,000 units, but they could put Hummer on a Camero and not sell a single one.

In the light truck fleet world there is the big three, and Toyota for half tons. Nobody thinks commercial and goes "hmm, maybe I'll look into the Ridgeline for my landscaping fleet".

 

I figured that Tech, but the question still stands - are the car's reputations still that bad on the coasts? They're not ALL environuts are they? I was in CA last summer and while I did see a fair number of Prius's (Prii?), I'll bet I saw just as many superdutys. In DC and Boston a couple years ago and while small cars were the rule, I still saw several Fords, and enough Chevys and Dodges to belive the American makers were still holding their own against the imports.

The article reminds me of something I heard from a statistics professor: "Statistics are like bikinis, what they reveal is important but what they conceal is vital." Guess my point is should the article have read American makers and not singled out Ford? They all jumped on the gas hog bandwagon.

 

Here is an article from the Detroit News. It gives a better perspective into why they did the ad that way. I don't trust MSN with its ties to NBC. I think the main stream media is not Ford friendly

Ford ad campaign bucks traditional principles to build 'intrigue' | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com

 

Makes no sense. Ford is and has been doing well, including not taking bailout money when GM and others were. Doing well means sales so who are all these people that "cringe" when seeing the blue oval. I see tons of Ford trucks and SUVs on the road..... Bizarre article.

 

i think you guys are reading that wrong..

theres nothing wrong with Ford today.. that ad is simply aimed at trying to convince people with old out of date ideas about what Ford sells to rethink the brand..

i knew what each vehicle was the second it came on..sorry Ford you didnt fool me..

but then im a total Ford-homer.. hahaah

 

I work and live on an avocado ranch on the coast of CA. Almost everyone involved in Agriculture drives a Ford. However, once you get into any huge urban centers like LA, all the hipsters suddenly have an extreme prejudice against any American automobile. When I ask them why, its usually because they heard that theyre unreliable and break down. Or that they have bad MPG's and theyre somehow inferior.

I just laugh and explain that my '97 Explorer rang up 275k mi before I sold it, my '02 F150 has over 200k and still running, and I expect nothing less from my F250.

 

I must live in the heart of Ford country because all I see day in and day out are Fords. Super Dutys, F150's, Mustangs and newer Focuses are everywhere. To top it off, my wife and I bought a Fusion a while back, and I started noticing how those too are everywhere, especially dark blue ones like ours. Sure we have our share of Priuses as well, but I'll bet here in my end of the state Super Duty Fords outnumber Priuses 2 to 1. Drive to the SF bay area and things are a whole lot different, Priuses are everywhere, right along with metro-sexuals, skinny jeans and anti-gun advocates. But here where real people live and work, Fords rule.

 

Good article, still not sure I agree w/ the theory behind it but it certainly does look like Ford is trying to change perceptions.

Thanks for the views from the left coast. Your experiences supports my theory that the media likes to only listen to the vocal minority and ignore the other 3/4 of the country. Too bad that 3/4 is what runs the country. Glad to see there's still some sane people out there!

 

Moved to the General Automotive Discussion forum.

 

Sorry John, I guess it really wasn't truck related.