Case #2

Kristina Tursi

Case #2: Marketing on the Internet

Company: Ford Motor Company

 

Ford Motor Company employs a house of brands marketing strategy in regards to their online branding efforts. Their brand names include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar, and the Land Rover, but these brand names are marketed individually through separate sites and it is initially unclear that these brands are owned by the Ford Motor Company. They have an official Ford Motor Company website that gives an overview of the business practices of the company including the various vehicles they offer, purchasing options, owner services, innovation, values, and about the company itself. Their original domain name was represented by www.ford.com. When navigating through the site, clicking on these tabs would build on the original homepage domain to include new pages with the corresponding information that the customer was seeking. In addition, links to their various reputable brand name websites are accessible through their main page. These pages would take the customer to an entirely different site, with a separate URL for the accompanying brand. The availability of searching for vehicles by model type as an alternative option makes customer shopping easier in regards to needs and navigation. The ability to access information through their main page as well as sending customers to the web pages of their other brands, alleviates navigation confusion, facilitates market segmentation more efficiently, and allows for the seamless integration of new product lines for the diversified content of Ford products. The integrative marketing techniques they offer helps to enhance communication with their customers and build strong relationships and brand loyalty.

Furthermore, their main page helps transform the company into an authority within their industry. Their innovation, for example, give users information on the new up and coming technology that is offered, the design tools used in the creation of their products, a breakdown of their strategic safety and protection plans, and their efforts to create more sustainable “green” products. Also, all their individual brands, as well as their main page give links to recent news in their industry. This helps to establish the company into a helpful expert in their field, building value to their customers.

A new site was created, as of 2008, that is meant specifically for the Ford brand name products themselves, that helps to distinguish the Ford brand as its own resource for the company as well. This site allows users to shop for cars, crossovers, SUVs, and trucks that are identified as Ford vehicles. One thing I noticed was that these individual sites do not offer a clear link to Ford’s official site as mentioned above. This may be due to an effort to reinforce the individual brand personality and imageries. A link is available, however, at the bottom of each page that identifies Ford as the mother company of these individual brands. By clicking on the copy write, a link to their main page is accessible.

Overall, I believe that Ford’s approach to their internet marketing is appropriate because many people associate their individual brands as individual companies. By creating individual, interactive sites, consumers will be better able to identify and locate their demand for these products.