Ford Makes ‘Bold Moves’ in Marketing

Ford Motor Co. has announced that it will shift gears from its “Built for the Road” tag line to “Bold Moves,” a new marketing initiative aimed at providing a consistent message about the automaker and its products.

The announcement was made Tuesday and though figures weren’t disclosed, marketing expenditure “will be the largest increase…Ford business has seen” for the 2006 to 2007 timeframe, said Jim Cain, spokesperson, Ford marketing, sales and services.

The Dearborn, MI-based automaker kicked off the initiative with a “Bold Moves” TV ad that debuted during Fox’s American Idol reality show on Tuesday. The ad featured a song from the show’s first-season winner, Kelly Clarkson.

Ford plans to build on the ads by showcasing its products, customers and employees making bold moves in their lives through online documentaries and a Ford-produced TV program due out later this year.

“We know consumers make bold moves in their lives, as simple as getting drivers licenses or running a 10-K race,” Cain said. “We want to capture that in our marketing tagline.”

Beginning in June and running until the end of the year, the online documentary series will chronicle the inside-workings of the company as it brings to market new designs. Consumers can watch new two to three minute videos weekly on a soon to be announced Web site.

A reality-driven TV series is in the works and could feature behind-the-scenes looks at designs of concept cars and Mustangs with consumer involvement.

The company also plans to sponsor Clarkson’s 24-city summer concert tour, which begins in West Palm Beach, FL, on June 30. At each stop on the tour, a fan will win a new Ford.

The marketing initiative covers both the Ford brand and its individual nameplates such as its Lincoln and Mercury brands. The “Bold Moves” tagline will be integrated across the company’s Internet, broadcast and print advertising platforms.

Ford and JWT, Inc.’s Detroit and New York City offices developed the initiative.

The company’s “The Way Forward” plan, unveiled earlier this year, promised to transform the automaker’s business in North America and restore profitability no later than 2008. Nonetheless, Ford’s April sales slid 6.6% over the same period last year, hindered by a slowdown in SUV sales. However, sales of its Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid brands climbed 68% over last year.

In a separate development, Land Rover, a Ford subsidiary, has its LR3 vehicle appearing in Paramount Pictures’ action movie Mission: Impossible: III, due out May 5. As the movie’s main character Ethan Hunt escapes from his enemies in an action sequence, Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, uses the LR3 vehicle to make a quick escape.

“We see LR3 as the perfect fit for the film because it has a very strong presence on- and off-road,” said Richard Beattie, executive VP-Land Rover North America in a statement.

Ford manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. It has 300,000 employees and 108 plants worldwide.