Ford Motor Co. is merging its Ford and Lincoln Mercury sales and marketing teams in a move the automaker says will strengthen both brands.
Steve Lyons will continue as VP-North America Marketing, Sales and Service and support both brands; while Ford Division President Darryl Hazel has been appointed VP-Marketing and Lincoln Mercury Division President Al Giombetti will now be VP-Sales.
The company has not determined if any positions would be reduced as a result of the consolidation, Ford Motor spokesperson Sara Tatchio said.
“We’re going to reach customers in smarter, more focused ways than ever before while being extremely efficient with resources,” Lyons said in a statement. “This new organization will help us develop a single-minded concentration on reaching our customers with the strongest product lineup in our history.”
The integrated structure will include a greater emphasis on strategic marketing and brand positioning. Best practices will be shared quicker and new tools and techniques will be applied across the North America brands simultaneously, the company said.
Though the marketing and sales departments were officially merged on Monday, Ford and Lincoln Mercury had already begun sharing marketing resources. The two divisions combined marketing powers for the Ford Family Plan campaign, the company’s version on the employee-discount pricing craze, which launched July 6.
The campaign helped Ford Motor Co. sell 366,548 vehicles in July, a new monthly sales record and 29% over the same period last year. It has extended the campaign through Sept. 6.
