Dearborn unhappy with Ford OZ marketing

[ltd]

Originally Posted by Archilino

She later says the falcon wouldn't work in the U.S because the design is not progressive enough and that its too similar to mondeo.

Hopefully she has some great ideas in her field of expertise.

That was the idea sweetheart. It's all part of Ford AU's Kinetic design.
Problem is people like her never adjust to the time zone with international travel. She's 3 time zones behind her own ***. The FG was designed to look like the fiesta, focus, mondeo then Falcon.

As for the progressive bit, this coming from a country which thinks leaf springs are sporty, thinks cheese is a food group and gave us such plonkers as "reality TV" where everything is but reality. No offence, but the seppo's really are an insecure lot with very little intelligence.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by ltd

That was the idea sweetheart. It's all part of Ford AU's Kinetic design.
Problem is people like her never adjust to the time zone with international travel. She's 3 time zones behind her own ***. The FG was designed to look like the fiesta, focus, mondeo then Falcon.

As for the progressive bit, this coming from a country which thinks leaf springs are sporty, thinks cheese is a food group and gave us such plonkers as "reality TV" where everything is but reality. No offence, but the seppo's really are an insecure lot with very little intelligence.

I take the opinion of Ford's head of marketing and the great grand-daughter of Henry Ford himself very seriously... oh and the small fact that she is American and is commenting on American tastes... but hey what would she know? Of course FG is not progressive, its so predictable its not funny. Look at XF to EA, then EL to AU then BFII to BF..sorry FG... Ford went way too mainstream on this 'all new' model. The FG should of been the Ford version of the Jaguar XF. Modern, contemporary, attractive, and distinctive. Instead we got some BF/Kia/Toyota from the 90s hybrid.

Ford AU is very risk averse, and is getting slaughtered in the marketplace. For goodness sake, the biggest buyers of Falcons are churn-and-burn rental fleets and they will buy anything.

[tranquilized]

Originally Posted by Brazen

I take the opinion of Ford's head of marketing and the great grand-daughter of Henry Ford himself very seriously... oh and the small fact that she is American and is commenting on American tastes... but hey what would she know? Of course FG is not progressive, its so predictable its not funny. Look at XF to EA, then EL to AU then BFII to BF..sorry FG... Ford went way too mainstream on this 'all new' model. The FG should of been the Ford version of the Jaguar XF. Modern, contemporary, attractive, and distinctive. Instead we got some BF/Kia/Toyota from the 90s hybrid.

Ford AU is very risk averse, and is getting slaughtered in the marketplace. For goodness sake, the biggest buyers of Falcons are churn-and-burn rental fleets and they will buy anything.

Great post, unfortunately completely true.

Ford Australia - once bitten twice shy. We're still paying for the AU Falcon experiment I reckon. Ford put their neck out with a progressive design which was almost universally hated by its conservative market, so its not surprising they've taken the safe road with subsequent models.

[flappist]

Actually I suspect part of the problem IS that we have the Falcon here.

There are a large number of people who have no interest in Falcon (or Commodore) whatsoever and see them as inferior "taxis".

The little Fords are competing directly against the Japanese, Korean, German, Italian and French vehicles and while they are quite up to the task for some if not many they are tarred with the "little falcon" brush.

It really is our own fault as we have been pushing FORD FALCON for 50 years and everything else has lived in its shadow. I suspect Holden have a somewhat similar problem with Commodore.

I cannot readily think of an example where a particular model has had such dominance over an entire marque.

Possibly this is what they are trying to resolve.

[irlewy86]

Not progressive enough?

Ben Franklin thought the Crown Vic is old hat.

Not to mention they still use the styling of the 98 Focus on the US version.

[ltd]

Originally Posted by Brazen

I take the opinion of Ford's head of marketing and the great grand-daughter of Henry Ford himself very seriously... oh and the small fact that she is American and is commenting on American tastes... but hey what would she know? Of course FG is not progressive, its so predictable its not funny. Look at XF to EA, then EL to AU then BFII to BF..sorry FG... Ford went way too mainstream on this 'all new' model. The FG should of been the Ford version of the Jaguar XF. Modern, contemporary, attractive, and distinctive. Instead we got some BF/Kia/Toyota from the 90s hybrid.

Ford AU is very risk averse, and is getting slaughtered in the marketplace. For goodness sake, the biggest buyers of Falcons are churn-and-burn rental fleets and they will buy anything.

You blame Ford Oz for being risk averse? These are the same people who brought out the AU falcon 12 years ago. They took a chance, it failed. You want them to again bet the financial viability of the company by taking a completely new direction? Sorry, but I can't agree with the great grand daughter who has presided over the same Crown Vic and Town Car for the last 14 years with absolute minimal cosmetic changes. Further, if she was so concerned about the state of play in Ford land maybe she would have advocated someone look into the rear track width of the exploder (Americas most popular car) a few years ago before they started rolling over and killing people. Maybe then the multi billion dollar class action against Ford and Firestone wouldn't have hurt their stock values as much.

Coincidentally around this time what was the profitability of Ford USA compared to Ford Australia? Sure, she's entitled to her opinion on American tastes which is fine, but conversely American tastes don't work here as proved by the Taurus. My objection is with her rubbishing our designs for being similar to the mondeo etc. What works in our country won't work in hers. Then again, it's easy to talk about how to improve from a position of strength; her brother William Clay Ford Jnr as President of Ford USA certainly floundered and punched out crap cars - it wasn't until Ford got Alan Mulally that they turned the tide of loss making. Without him, Ford would be another GM whereby the government would own it, and it too would be turning out cars that nobody wants. Wonder why she was so silent then?

We are an outpost in the globe here in Australia. Frankly, I'd be mortified if Ford Aus continued to make designs that polarised opinion which translates to a threat to the livelihoods of all their employees.

[ST]

Originally Posted by Brazen

I take the opinion of Ford's head of marketing and the great grand-daughter of Henry Ford himself very seriously... oh and the small fact that she is American and is commenting on American tastes... but hey what would she know? Of course FG is not progressive, its so predictable its not funny. Look at XF to EA, then EL to AU then BFII to BF..sorry FG... Ford went way too mainstream on this 'all new' model. The FG should of been the Ford version of the Jaguar XF. Modern, contemporary, attractive, and distinctive. Instead we got some BF/Kia/Toyota from the 90s hybrid.

Ford AU is very risk averse, and is getting slaughtered in the marketplace. For goodness sake, the biggest buyers of Falcons are churn-and-burn rental fleets and they will buy anything.

You take her opinion seriously because she is the great-granddaughter of a pioneer of the car industry? Really?

How can you go "way too mainstream" on an Australian family sedan? You expect massive sales numbers in Australia with a design resembling the Jaguar XF?

The point of the FG's design is to be as mainstream as possible, they can't afford to polarise people on their designs right now. Tell me, if somebody handed you 500 million dollars and you had to pick between a horse with running odds at 5-1 or another at 50-1 which would you go for? Ford already picked the latter once (with a larger sum of money) with the AU and we all know how well that worked.

Exactly how does the FG look like a "BF/Kia/Toyota from the 90s hybrid"? If you think the FG looks like a car from the 90s (let alone a Kia?!) you definitely need to see an optometrist.

[XWGT]

I dont think its any coincidence that the new head of Ford Oz was an ex head of marketing within Ford US (from memory)

I think they may feel they finally have to get every aspect of the business model firing on all cylinders

[Sprint XR8]

Selling Ford Around the World, From Detroit
By STUART ELLIOTT
Published: November 11, 2010

THE senior creative executive at Team Detroit, the consortium of WPP units that works on the Ford Motor account in North America, is getting a new role with a worldwide focus.

Toby Barlow, executive vice president and chief creative officer at Team Detroit, is assuming the new responsibilities of chief creative officer at Global Team Ford. He will continue to work alongside George S. Rogers, who is president and chief executive at Team Detroit, as well as the Ford Motor global client leader for WPP.

Mr. Barlow “will be in charge of the Ford work globally,” Mr. Rogers said in an interview during a recent visit to New York, “and be the guy to work with the creative teams and sign off on all the global launches” of new Ford Motor products.

The new role for Mr. Barlow, who is 44, comes as WPP makes plans to form regional hubs next year modeled after Team Detroit, which will handle Ford campaigns in other major markets. The change also comes as Ford Motor — one of the world’s biggest advertisers, with a budget estimated at $4 billion a year — seeks to build on its recent momentum, achieved despite the global economic slump, and keep selling more cars and trucks.

Team Detroit — based in Dearborn, Mich., near the Ford worldwide headquarters — was opened in 2006 by bringing together five WPP agencies that worked for Ford in Canada, Mexico and the United States: JWT, Mindshare, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, Wunderman and Y&R.

The intent was to have a single management structure with a single profit and loss, increasing the effectiveness of WPP’s efforts for Ford Motor — not to mention being more efficient from a cost perspective for both WPP and its client.

Last spring, the three WPP agencies that handled Ford in Europe — Mindshare, Ogilvy and Wunderman — formed an agency named Blue Hive that is styled after Team Detroit.

The plans for 2011 call for a hub for the Asia-Pacific region, to be based in Shanghai, and a hub for Latin America, which may be in São Paulo, Brazil.

Team Detroit was born because WPP decided that “we had to start doing things in a transformative way,” Mr. Rogers said, to help Ford Motor after a spate of difficulties in competing against other large automakers.

“We’d been steeped in this world of bad karma for four or five years,” Mr. Rogers recalled. “We had to change the narrative.”

Under Mr. Barlow’s purview, Team Detroit has created successful campaigns for the Ford division in the United States that carry the theme “Drive one,” introduced models like the Fiesta and Fusion, reintroduced a revamped Explorer and promoted local Ford dealers with Mike Rowe, the star of the reality series “Dirty Jobs,” appearing in ads as a low-key pitchman.

Team Detroit has also created popular campaigns for Ford trucks that feature the actor Denis Leary declaiming in his trademark “rant” style; the ads for the 2011 models were introduced last week. And for the Lincoln division of Ford Motor, Team Detroit recently created a well-received campaign with the actor John Slattery, who plays the adman Roger Sterling on the series “Mad Men.”

Last month, the trade publication Advertising Age named Ford Motor as marketer of the year for 2010, citing the company’s sales comeback under James D. Farley, group vice president for global marketing, sales and service.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/12/bu...ia/12adco.html

[gtfpv]

I DIDNT REALISE THIS THREAD WAS ABOUT THE FALCON !!!!! i thought it was more about lack of Focus and Fiesta sales .
and those of you who agree blindly with what a female yankee says about australian cars , good for you . i'll buy and love my FG and park it in my aussie garage , without even thinking about some place called Detroyt ( rhymes with coit ) .

[flappist]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

I DIDNT REALISE THIS THREAD WAS ABOUT THE FALCON !!!!! i thought it was more about lack of Focus and Fiesta sales .
and those of you who agree blindly with what a female yankee says about australian cars , good for you . i'll buy and love my FG and park it in my aussie garage , without even thinking about some place called Detroyt ( rhymes with coit ) .

Hey Detroit is also spelled like coit.....whoda thunk.

[ltd]

Originally Posted by flappist

Hey Detroit is also spelled like coit.....whoda thunk.

[FNQracing]

Guy's, she's talking about styling when mentioning progressive, not engineering. I agree. FG is dead pan boring in the looks department. Whilst not ugly, its just too bland.

Ford Oz need to get over their experience with AU. Seems they are too scared to make a statement with styling. Look at the cars penned since AU - they have all sported cardigan looks. Even todays Camry is more contemporary.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by ltd

You blame Ford Oz for being risk averse? These are the same people who brought out the AU falcon 12 years ago. They took a chance, it failed. You want them to again bet the financial viability of the company by taking a completely new direction?

Yes I do because Falcon sales are slowly ebbing away, unless Ford changes direction and starts building cars the market wants they will be finished as a manufacturer in this country...

Sorry, but I can't agree with the great grand daughter who has presided over the same Crown Vic and Town Car for the last 14 years with absolute minimal cosmetic changes.

In the last 4 years, more than 50,000 employees and 14 plants have been cut in the USA. BOF vehicles like Ranger, Crown Victoria and BOF Explorer/Sport Track are all going away inside the next 12 months with even more plant closings.

Further, if she was so concerned about the state of play in Ford land maybe she would have advocated someone look into the rear track width of the exploder (Americas most popular car) a few years ago before they started rolling over and killing people. Maybe then the multi billion dollar class action against Ford and Firestone wouldn't have hurt their stock values as much.

The problem was clearly defective tyres from Firestone, they concealed evidence from Ford, they knew about it and let Ford take the fall....

Coincidentally around this time what was the profitability of Ford USA compared to Ford Australia?

Ford was making huge profits from F Truck and Explorer in 2000 but then Aussie Jac Nasser started buying up companies like Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo and Aston Martin. Maybe Jac Nasser wouldn't have been fired for making so many mistakes if had handled the Firestone problem better..........

Sure, she's entitled to her opinion on American tastes which is fine, but conversely American tastes don't work here as proved by the Taurus. My objection is with her rubbishing our designs for being similar to the mondeo etc.

A design that was reviewed and approved by the Large Vehicle Centre in Dearborn, all Falcon developments have to be submitted and approved, FoA is not a separate company...

And for the record, she wan't rubbishing Falcon's design, mererly pointing out that it overlaps the same product space occupied by the Fusion/Mondeo in the USA, that's why a current Falcon would not work there.

What works in our country won't work in hers. Then again, it's easy to talk about how to improve from a position of strength; her brother William Clay Ford Jnr as President of Ford USA certainly floundered and punched out crap cars - it wasn't until Ford got Alan Mulally that they turned the tide of loss making.

No, Bill Ford stepped in to sort out the mess created by Jac nasser, he saw a company full of fiefdoms that refused to change, he and his executives already had plans in place but needed a strong leader to make them happen and bring corporate governance

Without him, Ford would be another GM whereby the government would own it, and it too would be turning out cars that nobody wants. Wonder why she was so silent then?

NMulally is only one of many at the Ford team who is responsible for the turnaround, Mulally's greatest gift to Ford is "One Ford" his constant mantra of removing duplication and waste has saved the company upwards of $5 billion annually world wide.
It is also the reason why the Falcon will stay under the microscope and be constantly evaluated against existing and new Ford FWD/AWD products

We are an outpost in the globe here in Australia. Frankly, I'd be mortified if Ford Aus continued to make designs that polarised opinion which translates to a threat to the livelihoods of all their employees.

You would be even more mortified if Ford continued making car that don't sell....

Falcon sedan sales are now down around 2000-2500 sales per month so looking to 2015,
what car should Ford be developing now to replace this one?

And what do they do in the meantime if sales continue to fall?

Evereyone is saying just wait until LILPG and Ecoboost comes but what if they don't sell so well?

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by flappist

Actually I suspect part of the problem IS that we have the Falcon here.

There are a large number of people who have no interest in Falcon (or Commodore) whatsoever and see them as inferior "taxis".

The little Fords are competing directly against the Japanese, Korean, German, Italian and French vehicles and while they are quite up to the task for some if not many they are tarred with the "little falcon" brush.

It really is our own fault as we have been pushing FORD FALCON for 50 years and everything else has lived in its shadow. I suspect Holden have a somewhat similar problem with Commodore.

I cannot readily think of an example where a particular model has had such dominance over an entire marque.

Possibly this is what they are trying to resolve.

That saying, "Killing the Falcon would Kill Ford Australia," hangs like a big ball and chain around FoA's neck..
A very vocal minority of fanatics that may ot may not buy new Falcons continue insisting that the Falcon
must never change from standard norms, Ford listens to these people does as they ask and yet sales don't follow...

It actually says a lot about Australian culture that Ford is held hostage by the long standing Falcon heritage,
the only way Ford is ever going to change its image and diversify its sales is to kill the Falcon's current image.

Sacrilege on this board I know but without a change of image, I fear Ford will ebb away...

.

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by jpd80

That saying, "Killing the Falcon would Kill Ford Australia," hangs like a big ball and chain around FoA's neck..
A very vocal minority of fanatics that may ot may not buy new Falcons continue insisting that the Falcon
must never change from standard norms, Ford listens to these people does as they ask and yet sales don't follow...

It actually says a lot about Australian culture that Ford is held hostage by the long standing Falcon heritage,
the only way Ford is ever going to change its image and diversify its sales is to kill the Falcon's current image.

Sacrilege on this board I know but without a change of image, I fear Ford will ebb away...

Unfortunately I agree, and have done so for a number of years now....

[My poor XF]

Originally Posted by jpd80

That saying, "Killing the Falcon would Kill Ford Australia," hangs like a big ball and chain around FoA's neck..
A very vocal minority of fanatics that may ot may not buy new Falcons continue insisting that the Falcon
must never change from standard norms, Ford listens to these people does as they ask and yet sales don't follow...

It actually says a lot about Australian culture that Ford is held hostage by the long standing Falcon heritage,
the only way Ford is ever going to change its image and diversify its sales is to kill the Falcon's current image.

Sacrilege on this board I know but without a change of image, I fear Ford will ebb away...

.

I have a feeling that your right but I think FOA are making steps to reposition the falcon as far from old and taxi (and dare is say it, bogan) as they can. Dropping the futura and fairmont name plates was a big call but one that had to be made and should only be the start. The dominant perception is that the falcon is still a thirsty, ill-equipped car and that a camry or cruze can do the job just as well while using less fuel and having more standard features at a cheaper price point.

New and exciting technology should see it's way into the falcon to further differentiate it from it's image as a fleet car. Most people dont care about what wheels drive what or what engine does the work as long as it is cheap, well equipt with gadgets and looks good.

The Mondeo and fiesta need to be given a kick up the backside marketing wise because they are far to good a car to fail.

Ford does need to move away from the falcon company image but it shouldn't be at the expense of an already world class car.

[LeadFoot81]

Originally Posted by My poor XF

I have a feeling that your right but I think FOA are making steps to reposition the falcon as far from old and taxi (and dare is say it, bogan) as they can. Dropping the futura and fairmont name plates was a big call but one that had to be made and should only be the start. The dominant perception is that the falcon is still a thirsty, ill-equipped car and that a camry or cruze can do the job just as well while using less fuel and having more standard features at a cheaper price point.

New and exciting technology should see it's way into the falcon to further differentiate it from it's image as a fleet car. Most people dont care about what wheels drive what or what engine does the work as long as it is cheap, well equipt with gadgets and looks good.

The Mondeo and fiesta need to be given a kick up the backside marketing wise because they are far to good a car to fail.

Ford does need to move away from the falcon company image but it shouldn't be at the expense of an already world class car.

Well said.

I think many members have gotten their backs up at the comments re: Falcon; to me they're level headed and accurate, to them they're brutal and ridiculous.

There are too many factors that too many people will disagree on re: why the Falcon is not progressive enough to tackle the US/World markets.

However I think the Falcon's integration into the One Ford world should help it overcome the problems it currently has.

[ST]

Originally Posted by FFOracing

Look at the cars penned since AU - they have all sported cardigan looks.

You mean the BA/BF?

[Silver Ghia]

I dont think it matters what car Ford sell here, whether its a Mondeo, Fiesta or a Falcon that looks like a modern sleek Merc.

Its the general publics perception of Ford, lousy quality, aftermarket service and things continually going wrong with the car, with customers left with no or little support from the manufacturer.

Unfortunately this affects car sales, many would tend to go and see the Mazda dealer rather than the Ford dealer when they start looking for a new car.

Personally I have had no problem with my Ford dealership whatsoever when it has come to customer support, in fact I have had excellent support, even better than other manufacturer dealerships I have had dealings with, which have supposed excellent reputations. Unfortunately bad experiences tend to spread around, also through the media. Ford are trying to correct this problem, unfortunately the word is not going around as well as it should.

And my new XR50? Haven't found one problem yet after about 6 weeks since delivery, and I'm pretty fussy. Quality is excellent, just a couple of very minor design issues that could have been better. Far better car than the new VW Polo delivered a few years ago.

[gtfpv]

ford australia did kill the current image of the falcon once . and introduced a new concept called new edge design , more inline with world markets like toyota , and american appeals , similar to the ever popular american taurus , anyone older than 15 would know this . im surprised the theme of this thread seems to be going back along the lines of the late 90s . i suspect though , ford australia , will be smarter , and not listen to the crap coming out in this forum that could point to a repeat of an AU release, just as mrs geat granddaughter henry ford suggests .
alas . i am confident that ford australia with the falcon gets it right , when they dont listen to yankees , and people who call the falcon boring on AFF .

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

ford australia did kill the current image of the falcon once . and introduced a new concept called new edge design , more inline with world markets like toyota , and american appeals , similar to the ever popular american taurus , anyone older than 15 would know this . im surprised the theme of this thread seems to be going back along the lines of the late 90s . i suspect though , ford australia , will be smarter , and not listen to the crap coming out in this forum that could point to a repeat of an AU release, just as mrs geat granddaughter henry ford suggests .
alas . i am confident that ford australia with the falcon gets it right , when they dont listen to yankees , and people who call the falcon boring on AFF .

It's a perception problem, not styling.
The problem is FG sales are pretty poor in this 50th anniversary year and if Ford can't manage to
sell the socks off the Falcon in this of all years, I doubt they will do much better in coming years.

We all have short memories because it wasn't long ago that FG was getting stalled off due
to lack of funding, FoA found a way to make it happen and Falcon lived for another cycle.
It's a great car, all we need is for big brother to help support its continued production by
helping Australia make it affordable and if that means sharing with another vehicle like the
Mustang, then so be it but changes might be needed to draw in more buyers..

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Evereyone is saying just wait until LILPG and Ecoboost comes but what if they don't sell so well?

What do you mean IF? They won't sell well, the problem Ford Australia has isn't its products, its the bad reputation it has, when the average joe thinks Ford, they think "Unreliable, thirsty, dinosaur" or "taxi", not to mention their crappy dealer network who are royal bastards to deal with.

Now people think being associated with Taxi means reliability, but it doesn't to most people, it means run down heap of crap, what Taxi's have you been in that aren't making weird noises, have bald tyres and accident damage?

I remember when I told Dad about the EB I4 Ford is going to put in the Falcon, and first thing he mentioned was how crappy the 4 Cylinder Commodore was, first thing off the bat.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Now people think being associated with Taxi means reliability, but it doesn't to most people, it means run down heap of crap, what Taxi's have you been in that aren't making weird noises, have bald tyres and accident damage?

Up this way taxis are mostly Prius or mini buses, you'll see that trend become more and more
as the last of the Falcon station wagon taxis are retired....

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Up this way taxis are mostly Prius or mini buses, you'll see that trend become more and more
as the last of the Falcon station wagon taxis are retired....

Most of the ones I saw here today in Melbourne are Falcons, but there was a Civic Hybrid, a few Caprices (One even had Chevrolet badges on it, lol) and the usual Maxi Taxi Hiace.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Most of the ones I saw here today in Melbourne are Falcons, but there was a Civic Hybrid, a few Caprices (One even had Chevrolet badges on it, lol) and the usual Maxi Taxi Hiace.

Falcon taxis still dominates in capitals but in regional areas Prius and Hiace taxis are becoming the norm..
Without LPG, the Falcon taxi would have disappeared years ago, will LILPG keep that stigma alive...

[kevino]

Mazda 2 outsells Fiesta by a mile yet its kilowats and torque from the 1.5 ltr motor are puny. Fiesta is a much better car. Mazda 3 outsells Focus yet they are basically the same car. The 3 at this stage is probably a better car than Focus but not by the ratio it outsells Focus by. Neither Fiesta or Focus even make the top 20. Ford are going down to slip down the sales tables unless they find a solution. Falcon is a whole different story-if you want a large vehicle most would now buy some sort of SUV and again Mazda CX7 outsells Territory.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Not quite.
More like Ford Australia agreeing to give something like a Crown Victoria the GTHO name,

Except we at least know that America can produce some decent cars, even if they are not exactly our cup of tea.
Those Americans who don’t think we’re “somewhere south of Germany” think that we all ride Kangaroos and Hunt Crocodiles.

In reference to FOA’s marketing of the Focus and Mondeo, I have to agree. They used to have a very catching rally-based ad for the Focus, but I haven’t seen anything for years (or at least nothing I remember.) The ST (XR5) has been winning “Hot Hatch” awards since it’s inception, but I don’t recall ever seeing it advertised.
As for the Mondeo, well it has voice-control that can apparently be activated by a random noise such as a dog-barking. Great Ad!
I happen to think it is a very nice car, and should appeal to those wanting a roomy car without the power and thirst of a Falcon. Had I kept my work 4wd, I was seriously considering getting her indoors a TD wagon. But it has been appallingly marketed by FOA.
I’ve heard a lot of guff about not wanting to compete with the Falcon, but that doesn’t make sense. It competes against the Camry et al, not against the Falcon or Commode.

[spatel]

Here in NZ, Holden is advertised on TV pretty much 4-5 times every day (after 6pm) with ads showing all their models (Commodore Series II and Barina Spark at the mo, they advertised teh hell out of the Cruze when it was launched).

Ford, nothing other than the new Fiesta and even then, you'd be lucky to see a Ford ad every day. Ford need to get this type of advertising out there and this will turn into sales. You can just 'hope' people will buy their cars.

Compare Holden to Ford, the Ford stable is a lot better than the Holden and many new car buyers are missing out because they are unaware of what Ford sell...

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

I’ve heard a lot of guff about not wanting to compete with the Falcon, but that doesn’t make sense.

yeah, does it matter whether you go in the left or right door into a ford dealership? no, just as long as you buy a new car before you leave.