AskPatty.com had the remarkable opportunity Thursday to attend a roundtable to discuss Ford's newest and most impressive vehicle: the Ford Fusion Hybrid capable of nearly 700 miles of in-town driving on a tank of gas. The highlight of the event, however, was not the car as much as it was the opportunity to meet and talk about cars with none other than the great-great granddaughter of Henry Ford and the granddaughter of Henry Ford II, Elena A. Ford.
Currently, as director, Global Marketing, Sales and Service Operations, Ms. Ford is responsible for implementing the company's "One Ford" marketing vision globally. She is specifically tasked with commonizing the Ford marketing plan among a variety of worldwide societies to make the most efficient use of corporate assets, while still ensuring that the company message speaks to a variety of global cultures. Her plan brings together all the company's worldwide marketing teams to ensure that, regardless of where the message is broadcast, all corporate communications have a similar look and feel, but with a unique message that is tailored to each specific marketplace in America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific regions.
It is a task she is well suited for, after having spent more than four years in product development, commonizing vehicle platforms around the globe to ensure efficient use of corporate assets and technology so that Ford vehicles can maximize parts and equipment. Ultimately, the result is vehicles that share the same basic structure but still manage to appeal to a variety of audiences. Her efforts in commonizing Ford's vehicle platforms means that she has had a hand in the developing every single car currently in the company's lineup - from Ford's Flex, Fusion, and Fiesta, to Mercury's MKS, MKT, MKZ, Mariner and Milan -- and even a few that are yet to be released.
Commonizing the Ford brand goes beyond the vehicles themselves: it extends to how the vehicles are demonstrated around the world at auto shows, so that all lighting, theming, and products in the experiential displays - even the carpeting - present the same message as the displays travel from Los Angeles, to Detroit to New York, and around the world to Frankfurt, Paris, Beijing, and Shanghai. The exact same displays we experienced at our domestic shows have traveled around the world, consistently sharing Ford's products and "One Ford, One Team, One Goal" corporate identity across a variety of cultures and lifestyles. These award-winning displays have proven to retain auto show attendees longer and have collected more leads than previous exhibits.
Ms. Ford had similar influence in her previous role as executive vice president of Ford Motor Credit Global Brand and Marketing, where she was responsible for marketing, product management, and sales support activities for Ford Motor Credit Company around the world. And at a time when so many shoppers are concerned about the current economy, Ms. Ford was pleased to share that they do write loans to buyers whose credit ratings fall below 620. Are you not shopping for a new car because you think you won't qualify? Perhaps you should be shopping at Ford.
Her involvement in the company may be a part of her family legacy, though each of the many positions she has held since she joined the company in 1995 were earned through hard work and a demonstration that the car gene does indeed run deep in her Ford-blue blood. She has held a variety of positions in Ford Division, including marketing communications specialist, car and motorsports communications coordinator, finance specialist in Product Development, and brand strategy leader in Global Marketing, so it's clear she didn't achieve her executive title through nepotism. During our media roundtable, she demonstrated that she is quite a remarkable woman: Ms. Ford began her presentation quietly, but by the time the hour was over, she had most certainly earned the respect of every man in the room. In fact, when one journalist asked for what might have been perceived as sensitive insider information, she quickly rebutted his question by asking him why he was wearing a cap displaying another manufacturer's logo.
Ms. Ford firmly explained that the company's core competency was in fuel economy and quality, reminding the room of journalists that Ford has surpassed Honda in initial quality and remains in a statistical tie at the top with Toyota. Many people might not realize that most Ford vehicles are priced competitively against their Japanese competitors, while also meeting or exceeding their similar fuel economy goals. Quality is improving, Ms. Ford explained, because the company is adopting worldwide global standards, and utilizing flexible operations, reprogrammable tooling, and virtual manufacturing technology to ensure the highest quality possible.
During the course of our discussion, she also revealed a sensitive side, expressing concern for her many automotive friends and colleagues who work at other more troubled brands. While she explained that she was pleased to see May sales up over 15% from April sales, even with fewer incentives, she also quickly affirmed that the company wasn't predatory, and that it was their goal to honor dealer relationships with those cross-manufacturer dealers in their stable which may have lost an aspect of their business after Chrysler and General Motors cancelled some contracts in recent weeks.
After our roundtable was over, Ms. Ford went on to participate in Santa Monica's Heal the Bay "Bring Back the Beach" Gala on Thursday evening. In a bid to encourage more sustainable lifestyle choices, Ford Motor Co. generously donated a fully accessorized 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid vehicle for the event's live auction; Ms Ford was there to auction off the innovative low-emission vehicle.
Oh, and speaking of the car: in our own test of the Fusion Hybrid, we drove the comfortable sedan across a challenging route that included nearly 20 miles of hilly terrain and another 20 through a variety of fun twisty curvy roads to average nearly 36 mpg.
All in all, we were as dazzled by this impressive woman as we were by the impressive vehicle she came out to promote!
Jody DeVere
President and CEO
http://www.askpatty.com
http://www.carblabber.com
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