Ford Marketing Presentation - Melbourne 16th August‏

[prydey]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

Not the forums.... If i wasn't an enthusiast I would not go looking on some forum I had to join.... Perhaps Carsguide or Carsales....

you don't have to join the forums to view 'the pub'. you don't have to even intend to visit a forum. if you type in ford falcon into a search engine, there's a good chance this forum will be featured in the results.

Originally Posted by csv8

prydey..people post comments here , which are mostly frustration at Ford Australia's commitment to Falcon. Yes, it is the Ford Motor Company, not the Falcon Motor Company. Most of us love the Falcon and hate the lack of commitment from Ford Aus. The Ford Dealer near me, the front row is all Euro Ford's..the Falcon at the back. Hardly see one from the road. Where as local Chrysler dealer has the new 300C, on an elevated stand and others at ground level. This attracts attention..You wouldn't know the Falcon existed driving past my Ford dealer. Just my opinion..flame me..

ford have committed to falcon until the end of 2016!! seriously some are just never happy. why would you make any further comment in such a volatile environment!

as dash mentioned, the large car segment isn't selling, so its only natural for ford to advertise the cars that are in segments that are selling.

as for 300c, go and buy one already.

[Whoosha]

Thats the point Dash that people on here seem to miss,Joe average dosn't buy bulk NEW Falcons or Comodores as such they tend to be second hand or demo for the larger car buyers or new 4 pot banger for the Mrs. daily. Even on AFF if we did a "Flappist Poll' on who acutally had purchased a new Falcon for there own Daily driver and payed for by there own cash ,then removed the people on here that have them lease through bussineses / or as a salary package, and the handfull that actually spent there hard erned on a GT / FPV or the like., I would be surprise to see more than 100 of the 40 odd thousand members list . Dont get me wrong I have allways loved the Falcon but the time is near (would love to be wrong) IMO dont put one on your wish list after 2016

[superfly]

I joined this forum when the FG came out as I was interested but I only bought my Falcon late last year. Totally private and daily driver.

[dimka100]

So what was the point then? 11 more people in the Country know whats going on and the rest of the 22 million don't ... right so how is this supposed to help them sell more cars?

If all they wanted was such a tiny audience then why not just do it at their factory or something ... or why even bother in the first place ...

Originally Posted by madmelon

11 guests, plus Ford people. FalconXV, If you were the late guy then you were sitting next to me...

As for 'faring better', I believe it was only supposed to be an intimate kinda thing- they said they were expecting 20 to the Melbourne meet.



The outcome was exactly as I described it above...I and everyone else there have a better appreciation of how and why Ford markets its products. I wouldn't expect any more detail out of anyone else either, NDA and all.

[madmelon]

Well the Melbourne one is at head office...bit hard to do that in Sydney.
To be honest, I'm still not sure of the intended purpose but I'm glad they did it and I'm glad I was there.

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

Of all my friends who have bought cars in the last 12 months not one of them has gone searching through internet forums......

The biggest buyers of Falcons have always been fleets anyways... Not private buyers, so why would you waste the money marketing on tv when you only sell 10% of your cars to private.... Fleets are more interested on the paper proposals (fuel costs, resales values and meeting carbon guidelines)... Do you think fleet operators sit at home picking cars to buy based on tv commercials? The 10% of personal buyers who buy them have been typically buying them for life....

Ford should have registered 100 Ecolpi / ecoboost cars and given them to the likes of Fleet Care & Lease Plan for 6 months and told them to send them around the country to all their fleet operators for appraisal, with what they would get back for them through Ford Auctions at the end of the 6 months it would cost them stuff all to do, and would potentially boost sales by 500 - 600 cars a month!

The ecoboost Falcon is potentially one of the best fleet hacks on the market, sadly no one knows about it!

Now private buyers is down to 10%????? Come on, it has NEVER been that low

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by jpd80

I stand by what I said earlier,
Basically, the non-advertising of Falcon is a commercial decision where Ford feels that TV advertising
would not increase sales enough to justify a return on investment in that advertising strategy.
I can understand that in a market where buyers clearly want products other than large cars.
One can only imagine what the budge must look like these days.....

Then tell me, what advertising are they doing to attract fleet sales??? No-one on this forum as ever been able to answer this question for me & I've asked it a few times now..

Part of me can get "no TV adds, because fleets are the largest customer base" (although I think some Falcon brand building is needed in general), but you can't do nothing & except fleets to come running to you & buy your product.. A push on socail media is not going to get fleet buyers!!

[Rodge]

Ford have placed full page Ecoboost adverts in N.Z. Autocar, (N.Z.'s leading motoring magazine), for the last few months in a prominent position towards the front of the magazine. Impossible to miss the adds, not sure what impact they've had. Having more demo's at dealers here would help, they need to get bums behind steering wheels and they can't so that if there isn't many demo's on line.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

Then tell me, what advertising are they doing to attract fleet sales??? No-one on this forum as ever been able to answer this question for me & I've asked it a few times now..

A while back, Bob Graziano announced that Ford would not be pursuing fleet sales,
sounds to me like they are really low profit fillers anyway...

Part of me can get "no TV adds, because fleets are the largest customer base" (although I think some Falcon brand building is needed in general), but you can't do nothing & except fleets to come running to you & buy your product.. A push on socail media is not going to get fleet buyers!!

TV Advertising is not good value for money but if you look real hard you will see Falcon being advertised.
If you could make a Falcon ad extolling the main features of Falcon, what would it be...

It took me a while to click and realise that the latest FPV ad are actually doing double duty...

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by jpd80

A while back, Bob Graziano announced that Ford would not be pursuing fleet sales,
sounds to me like they are really low profit fillers anyway...


TV Advertising is not good value for money but if you look real hard you will see Falcon being advertised.
If you could make a Falcon ad extolling the main features of Falcon, what would it be...

It took me a while to click and realise that the latest FPV ad are actually doing double duty...

Fleets are obviously low profit fillers... Running a business isn't all about bottom line though, the bottom line can be a means to an end! Volume is what is affecting Ford Australia, they need volume to cover fixed overhead... The more cars the less percentage of fixed overhead and old R&D they need to cover out of each vehicle. At the end of the day every company needs some sort of volume to keep afloat... no volume = no future for more R&D and future models.

Bob Graziano is only doing what he was sent here to do... He has no interest in making the Falcon profitable or sustainable, if he did he would be out there pushing the car from dawn till dusk... Everything that was done by Marin (Ecolpi / Ecoboost) to try and grow the business he has basically stuck a needle into.

[FalconXV]

I was pretty happy overall with what they had to say, but in hindsight I wish I'd have brough up that wider public perception is that Falcon doesn't exist, is a dead duck. If they were doing a good job then they would be dismantling this perception to the masses. Granted volumes are shrinking, SUVs, small cars etc but they need to be more proactive about defending the local products and reminding people they exist, which might have alot to do with ads

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by jpd80

A while back, Bob Graziano announced that Ford would not be pursuing fleet sales,
sounds to me like they are really low profit fillers anyway...


TV Advertising is not good value for money but if you look real hard you will see Falcon being advertised.
If you could make a Falcon ad extolling the main features of Falcon, what would it be...

It took me a while to click and realise that the latest FPV ad are actually doing double duty...

Well, these comments are just contradictive to your earlier ones!! You wrote in one post “Ford aren’t TV advertising because the biggest customers are fleets” & then in the next “Ford aren’t pursing fleet sales”. If that is Fords thinking, no wonder sales are so low!! So to summaries, we aren’t chasing fleets & we won’t TV advertises to the private sector!

[Bossxr8]

Seems clear Ford think large cars are dead and there's no point trying to sell cars no one wants, hence no advertising or anything to promote it.

They will just advertise cars they make money on ie imports and Territory.

They have given up on Falcon.

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Seems clear Ford think large cars are dead and there's no point trying to sell cars no one wants, hence no advertising or anything to promote it.

They will just advertise cars they make money on ie imports and Territory.

They have given up on Falcon.

No they haven't.


The comments from people who have been there suggest that they haven't given up on the falcon at all, and why should they, it a good peice of gear and they have faith in the product (unlike alot of ford fans it seems)


It makes sense now, instead of filling Television wit adds for a small segment, they are relying on other social media, internet adds and viral campaings to bring awareness. In effect, the gist is that they can help balance profit in the sales by not having adds, rather then spending millions advertising low profit dealer run out specials etc...



Funnny note, but sorta related.


The the local for dealership has said that that XR6's are the best seller, with no one really caring about the base model...

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

Well, these comments are just contradictive to your earlier ones!! You wrote in one post “Ford aren’t TV advertising because the biggest customers are fleets”

I've done a search back through many pages of my posts and can't anything like that,
are you sure I said that's actually what i said or is that what you thought I said?

You can view a list of all my posts here.

Have a read and we'll talk some more, I'm prepared to admit months ago Ford may have been
chasing fleets and not bothering to advertise EcoLPI but the rest escapes me...

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Seems clear Ford think large cars are dead and there's no point trying to sell cars no one wants, hence no advertising or anything to promote it.

They will just advertise cars they make money on ie imports and Territory.

They have given up on Falcon.

The large car segment is still a segment Ford wants to play in. This is matter-of-fact stuff, not speculation based on crap Drivel or the like put out.

The issue Ford needs to resolve is how it plays in that segment and where. The focus up until now has been sorting out Ford's volume small car platforms, i.e. Fiesta, Focus etc. These platforms take the most money and also generate the most market interest, so it makes sense to put more emphasis on your volume sellers in the more popular market segments.

We've recently learned of the new global mid size car, so I don't think we're too far from finding out about the large car strategy. Emerging economy nations seem to be attracting Ford's attention with respect to the future large car.

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by jpd80

I've done a search back through many pages of my posts and can't anything like that,
are you sure I said that's actually what i said or is that what you thought I said?

You can view a list of all my posts here.

Have a read and we'll talk some more, I'm prepared to admit months ago Ford may have been
chasing fleets and not bothering to advertise EcoLPI but the rest escapes me...

I would ask you to re-read post number 17 & 39 in this topic!!

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

Then tell me, what advertising are they doing to attract fleet sales??? No-one on this forum as ever been able to answer this question for me & I've asked it a few times now..

how many on this forum are in charge of organising the vehicle fleet for their company? why would a forum member be able to shed some light on this unless they were in a similar position??


i wonder if people are familiar with 'self fulfilling prophecy'. there are many who seemed determined to make the demise of falcon one, thats for sure. if you keep saying it for long enough...

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by prydey

how many on this forum are in charge of organising the vehicle fleet for their company? why would a forum member be able to shed some light on this unless they were in a similar position??


i wonder if people are familiar with 'self fulfilling prophecy'. there are many who seemed determined to make the demise of falcon one, thats for sure. if you keep saying it for long enough...

There seems to be so many experts on here & allot of good people "in the know", so why won't there be someone who know the answer here

Also, I've never said anything bad about the Falcon, my only grip is with the marketing department & in my opinion there is no defending them at this point in time!!

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

I would ask you to re-read post number 17 & 39 in this topic!!

originally posted by Joe5619
Well, these comments are just contradictive to your earlier ones!! You wrote in one post “Ford aren’t TV advertising because the biggest customers are fleets” & then in the next “Ford aren’t pursing fleet sales”. If that is Fords thinking, no wonder sales are so low!! So to summaries, we aren’t chasing fleets & we won’t TV advertises to the private sector!

Post 17:

I stand by what I said earlier,
Basically, the non-advertising of Falcon is a commercial decision where Ford feels that TV advertising
would not increase sales enough to justify a return on investment in that advertising strategy.
I can understand that in a market where buyers clearly want products other than large cars.
One can only imagine what the budge must look like these days.....

Where did I claim that :
"Ford aren’t TV advertising because the biggest customers are fleets"


Post 39

A while back, Bob Graziano announced that Ford would not be pursuing fleet sales,
sounds to me like they are really low profit fillers anyway...


TV Advertising is not good value for money but if you look real hard you will see Falcon being advertised.
If you could make a Falcon ad extolling the main features of Falcon, what would it be...

It took me a while to click and realise that the latest FPV ad are actually doing double duty...

Sorry, not seeing what you're seeing?

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

There seems to be so many experts on here & allot of good people "in the know", so why won't there be someone who know the answer here

Also, I've never said anything bad about the Falcon, my only grip is with the marketing department & in my opinion there is no defending them at this point in time!!

It's a shame you weren't able to attend the marketing brief with select individuals from this forum and others.
I was not able to attend in person but the gist is that a lot of Ford's efforts are very misunderstood.
I'll leave it at that for now as non-disclosure agreements are in place but I'm also sure that some
non-sensitive info will slowly feed out to the boards in the next few weeks.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by Nikked

No they haven't.


The comments from people who have been there suggest that they haven't given up on the falcon at all, and why should they, it a good peice of gear and they have faith in the product (unlike alot of ford fans it seems)

From the outside looking in it seems they have, now it doesnt bother me if it goes or not. But honestly if you were running a business and a product that had been around for a while and no one purchased it would you keep it in your range? I know i wouldnt.
I know the Falcon is a good bit of kit, it has its flaws like most mass produced products. But buying perception has changed. My case for example, ive had 5 falcons since purchasing my first car (none were new though, so i was part of the problem) and i found a car that suits my needs that wasnt one.
I dont know if marketing will help change the perception of the product but im happy to be proven wrong.

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by DJM83

From the outside looking in it seems they have...

That's the problem. It's the perception Ford is creating from how they are dealing with the media. The way they word press re-leases, and will not comment on future product or manufacturing.

A positive spin isn't even attempted.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Buntz93ED

That's the problem. It's the perception Ford is creating from how they are dealing with the media. The way they word press re-leases, and will not comment on future product or manufacturing.

A positive spin isn't even attempted.

And Ford's own marketing people will tell you that the return on Investment from trying to advertise Falcon on television is very poor.
So the real question is how does Ford effectively market a large car that increasingly fewer people want these days, where do i get my best bang for bucks?

We need to step back from the idea that the drop in Falcon sales was caused by a reduction in television advertising,
there is a huge swing away from Falcon and large cars in the market place that no amount of advertising will ever bring back.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by Buntz93ED

That's the problem. It's the perception Ford is creating from how they are dealing with the media. The way they word press re-leases, and will not comment on future product or manufacturing.

A positive spin isn't even attempted.

Agreed there. As i said it wont bother me as i dont need to buy a falcon but there are plenty of people out there that it suits.

I guess it would be very silly to commit to anything long term in this day in age. But some positive stuff would be good. But spending the advertising $$$ in the right area is the big problem.

[Fiesta_Man69]

"Ford marketing" - the very definition of oxymoron.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Agreed there. As i said it wont bother me as i dont need to buy a falcon but there are plenty of people out there that it suits.

A lot of fans want Falcon to continue even though they have no intention of buying a new one,
that is the great disconnect and I'm not suggesting we all go out and buy Falcons as that
would not suit the majority of people here, what i am saying is that we must acknowledge
the swing away for Falcon and that we as part of the community are part of that change.

I guess it would be very silly to commit to anything long term in this day in age. But some positive stuff would be good. But spending the advertising $$$ in the right area is the big problem.

Bingo. Ford is taking advantage of FPV's advertising to pull Falcon along with it..

[Luke Plaizier]

I wonder how much it would cost ford to go on a marketting campaign within website forums? Once apon a time we used to have Geoff Polites post in these forums. These days we are left to ourselves.

Ford could provide enthusiast-focussed material to inform and arm us, andengage strategically in conversations to steer us in the right direction.

Then we could all go out and post ourselves on the Facebooks and Drive Blogs where anti-Ford sentiment thrives.

When hicks on random sites hook into Ford for lack of Quality, we could go in armed with stats and figures to counter that.

When they hook into Ford as 'gas guzzlers' we could similarly go into bat with stats on EcoLPI and EcoBoost.

There's a whole marketting task force sitting in here waiting to be mobilised. We're just not being motivated and led effectively.

I was hoping that this Ford Marketting session might be an attempt to do just that.


Lukeyson

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by jpd80

A lot of fans want Falcon to continue even though they have no intention of buying a new one,
that is the great disconnect and I'm not suggesting we all go out and buy Falcons as that
would not suit the majority of people here, what i am saying is that we must acknowledge
the swing away for Falcon and that we as part of the community are part of that change.


Bingo. Ford is taking advantage of FPV's advertising to pull Falcon along with it..

This is the part that does not connect with me.. FPV sells much less Falcons than Ford, has a much smaller A&P budget, it a smaller team, yet it can put together some TV addS.. What does this say about Ford? It should not be left to FPV to advertise the Falcon for Ford!! Even if I agree with "TV is not the right thing for Ford", what are they doing to push EB4?


Also, on a side note, we keep hearing that the large car market is getting smaller.. Lets be honest, the large segment is only 2 cars, Commodore & Falcon.. If these 2 models drop, the market drops. It would only take one of these 2 models to start firing again & then the whole segment would fire again with it. Is the segment really getting as small as it seems or are the players in the segment just not doing a good enough job of prompting & building the right type of car/ engine options? I wonder what the world would look like today, if both the Commodore & Falcon had diesels engines in them 5 years ago?

[Brazen]

Tv ads help with fleet sales as it helps with awareness and promotes the benefits of that particular vehicle, in the end fleet managers are people and watch tv too.

Also a lot of fleet sales are actually user chooser leases, cars bought by anyone. The Mazda 3 is one of the biggest sellers to this 'fleet' segment and is also one of the biggest advertisers on tv.