Ford's "Swap My Ride"

Anthony Fontanelle
September 4, 2007

Ford is facing the toughest battle in its lengthy history. With market shares slipping along with sales, the automaker has resorted to auctioning off its prestigious brands which includes the ultra luxury brand Aston Martin. And more recently, it was Jaguar and Land Rover which are put in the trading block by the Dearborn automaker. The company has also shut down plants and reduced the number of workers that it employs. And in order to attract the attention of the car buying public, the automaker has resorted to aggressive marketing actions.

Challenging competitors head-to-head is what the automaker is doing at present. Earlier this year, it can be remembered that Ford started the Fusion Challenge. Consumers were asked to drive the Fusion and then the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry. The consumers are then asked to rate the three vehicles and Ford highlighted the areas where the Fusion beat the popular Accord and Camry. After the launch of that advertising campaign, Ford announced that they will also use the strategy in promoting other Ford nameplates.

The newest name given to Ford's marketing campaign is "Swap My Ride" - a play on the popular MTV show. The automaker offered real-life consumers to swap their newly purchased car for a Ford vehicle. The reactions of the consumers who have agreed to the one week test drive has been positive and Ford is looking to show to the general public that their cars have what it takes to compete with other vehicles. In the marketing campaign, the automaker concealed their identity by telling consumers that the "Swap My Ride" is being done by a research firm.

Toby Barlow, the co-president and executive creative director with JWT Team Detroit, Ford's creative arm, explained why they led consumers to believe that the "Swap My Ride" scheme is done by a firm not affiliated in any way with Ford. "We wanted raw, unbiased opinions," said Barlow in an interview with the New York Times. "We didn’t want them to think they were in a TV commercial. We needed a trick to get real objectivity and honest responses," he added.

According to Barlow, Ford is looking to have their vehicles advertised by real-life consumers who will give unbiased reviews instead of letting company executives extolling the virtues of a certain Ford nameplate. This move by Ford has been emulated by other companies. When Ford created the Fusion Challenge, General Motors' Saturn was quick to follow. The General Motors marque marketed its North American Car of the Year title holder Saturn Aura with reliable auto parts such as Saturn wheels in a head-to-head-to-head comparison with the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord. Saturn dealerships across the country have Accord and Camry units which they offer for consumers to test drive.

These aggressive marketing campaigns though are yet to show that it can help turnaround the fate of Ford and General Motors. For the month of July, the Big Three's market share has dropped below the 50 percent mark. Ford was also overtaken by Toyota as the second largest automaker in the United States.

Source:  Amazines.com