The US marque is concerned that aggressive pricing strategies being pursued by rivals in conjunction with the government’s scrappage scheme, have undermined the value of cars in the mind of consumers.
To highlight the brand’s quality and heritage, Ford of Britain is rolling out a campaign that will centre on its ‘Ford Standard’ quality promise. The ads, which use the endline ‘More. As standard’, aim to convince consumers that Ford offers cutting-edge motoring at an affordable price.
The push, which features a range of models, will use the ampersand symbol as a creative device to put the marque’s dual proposition to the fore.
‘We are trying to get people back to understanding Ford’s roots, which are about making the exclusive more inclusive,’ said Ford of Britain marketing director Mark Simpson. ‘There are lots of price ads at the moment, but this campaign tries to tell consumers they can get both high-quality features and a competitive price from Ford.’
The activity, which launches this week, will span TV, radio, print, outdoor, digital and direct marketing. It was created by Ford of Britain’s incumbent creative agencies, Ogilvy and Wunderman, with media handled by Mindshare.
The campaign will run until the end of September, which is traditionally the second-highest-selling month of the year for UK car dealers, due to the number-plate change. However, Simpson indicated it was likely that the ‘Ford Standard’ concept would be reused.
Ford accounted for 45,000 of the 400,000 new-car sales made under the government scrappage scheme before it
expired in March; only Hyundai sold more, according to the SMMT.
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