Ford Wastes Millions on a Beaten Brand

"Ford Motor Co. ( NYSE: F) has launched its Ready Set Ford marketing campaign, which will cost it tens of millions of dollars. It came less than a day after Ford made its 104th recall this year. That number is unfathomable. The first wave of the campaign's effort is confusing. Someone driving a pickup saves a running bull. A man is running without a car. A race car is driving. Someone jumps into the water."

"The fact is that Ford has little to say about its recent past and its likely future. It is still a gasoline-powered vehicle company, particularly because of the spectacular sales of its pickups and SUVs. In the United States, its F-150 comprises 38% of company sales. The full-size pickup has been the bestselling vehicle in America for over four decades. Ford is the fossil fuel champion. A real champion."

"In the first eight months of the year, 4% of Ford's total U.S. vehicle sales were electric vehicles (EVs). Getting there cost tens of billions of dollars, and will cost another $5 billion this year. It does not appear there are any EVs in the new advertising. Ford has run into the buzz saws of the end of the $7,500 EV tax credit, a remarkably crowded U.S. EV market, a possible invasion of Chinese EVs,"

Ford launched the Ready Set Ford marketing campaign at a cost of tens of millions of dollars immediately after issuing its 104th recall this year. The initial ads present confusing vignettes rather than showcasing core products. Ford remains primarily a gasoline-powered company with pickups and SUVs driving results; the F-150 represents 38% of U.S. sales and has been the bestselling vehicle in America for decades. EVs accounted for 4% of U.S. sales in the first eight months despite tens of billions invested and another $5 billion planned. EV efforts face loss of the $7,500 tax credit, a crowded market, and potential Chinese competition. The company has notable products and features such as the F-150, Mustang, Lincoln Navigator, and BlueCruise, but the campaign does not emphasize them.

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