Marketing in the News~ Ford's New Patent
For my blog post, I chose to write about Fords new marketing idea, the first of its kind in the automotive industry. As I was scrolling through Instagram, the article popped up and caught my eye, due to the cutting edge, yet strangeness of their proposition. I drive a Ford and if this new technique makes it to my rig, I won't be very happy. Back in May of 2021, Ford Motor company filed a patent for in-vehicle advertising. This new system would use vehicle cameras to read billboards, then, display related advertisements on the vehicles screen. Then, in May of 2023, Ford filed a for another similar patent that would display advertisements on the vehicle's windows. Both of these patents use personal preference to cater ads to the driver, through tracking speed, location, past GPS locations, and even by listening to personal conversations. Ford's idea is to track the vehicle's location and then present ads relevant to where you may be going. This
Now, if you ask me, I think that's insanity! If you are spending tens of thousands of dollars on a car, you shouldn't be forced to watch ads while you drive. I really cannot imagine driving down the road and suddenly my car is telling me about McDonald's latest burger or a sale on toothpaste. I believe that I can speak on behalf of the American market when I say this idea sucks, and Ford needs a new head of marketing.
Ford has been an industry leading automaker company for the last decade; however, their marketing technique really hasn't changed much. Ford is still stuck following the old rules of advertising, specifically interrupting marketing. Their technique is simple; make more ads than we can possibly watch and drown the consumer in them, hoping that one or two will stick. They've done this in magazines, newspapers, tv commercials, computers, and smartphones, yet they are still searching for new ways to incorporate interruption marketing into our daily lives, going as far as to interrupt us while behind the wheel. Now, while I'd like to believe that Ford is just outdated, this technique is commonplace for the auto industry. Every time you turn on the tv during December, you'll hear about the Lexus December to remember, which is usually just the same car as last year wrapped in a larger bow. Or you'll see Santa driving a shiny new Mercedes Benz Convertible with Mrs. Claus in a G wagon: Iconic, yet overplayed and ineffective. While this technique is fairly affective, it is outdated to today's standards. Consumers of today want to learn about the brand, the car, and the dealership they will be working with. Today's marketing reflects the need for personal connection and knowledge of the product.
Ford's value proposition is to provide safe, reliable, and innovative cars to the people of the world. While this all sounds great, Ford really isn't all that special, and that comes from a guy who drives a Ford. In today's age, there are countless great options for a new car, each of which has its own individual benefits. This puts extra pressure on the marketing team, which is why Ford is testing out new innovative ideas.
Over the last few months, my mom has been shopping for a new car. We went to countless dealerships and looked at just about every three row SUV on the market, and, just like industry standard, every dealership had outdated marketing techniques. The dealerships were always full of brightly colored posters and pushy salesmen who just want their commission split. After months of shopping, we still hadn't fallen in love with a car, but we kept hearing great things about the Audi Q7. Everyone we met who owned an Audi said how nice the salesmen were, how quietly the car drove, and how they can't imagine driving any other brand of car. So, we went to the Audi dealership, she fell in love with the car, and now owns a Q7.
Audi has adjusted their marketing plan towards the "new rules", and it has been effective. We didn't buy the car because of the hundreds of ads, but because the car was remarkable, because the word of mouth from our friends, and because the people at the dealership were willing to make a connection with us. If Ford would take the money they are about to spend on in-vehicle ads and use it do something remarkable, the cars would sell themselves and the consumer would be much happier.
After all this, my largest take away from the assignment was that sometimes less is more. Ford is so hyper focused on doing more, when they need to focus on doing better with what they already have. On screen advertising isn't the way of the future, creating a product that's worthy of brand loyalty is.
Links ~ Ford Patents In-Car Advertising System That Listens to Passenger Conversations | PCMag
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