Post by Jerry Baker on Dec 7, 2006 13:36:57 GMT -5
FORD TUNES IN TO CUSTOMERS' DESIRES
In today's competitive market, it's not enough for people to like a car. They have to love it.
"You can come up with vanilla, or you can come up with chocolate. We're going to come up with Rocky Road because our goal is to create cars and trucks that 'wow' our specific target customer," said Mary Lou Quesnell, Ford Motor Company's Brand DNA director. "In the past, we were trying to be all things to all people. Now we're listening closely to the voice of our target customer."
Strengthening the company's focus on consumers is an integral part of the Way Forward plan. Quesnell says Ford has been working diligently to ensure employees in all areas of the company know what the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands stand for and who their target customers are so that they can use that information in their day-to-day jobs.
"People aren't going to make it up any longer. The recipe has been developed," she said. "Every new Ford brand product, for example, will embody completely the bold, innovative spirit of the Ford customer. Now, every door lock engineer knows exactly what target he needs to design to and all of the brake engineers know exactly what they need to deliver."
Quesnell went on to say, "All of the various functions within the company are aligned to deliver a showroom of products that stand out in the marketplace and meet the needs of our target customers."
Doyle Letson, chief designer for the all-new Ford Edge, says having everyone on the same page is very helpful to designers as they craft new vehicles.
"It gives us as lot more focus on where we're going and what we're trying to accomplish with the vehicle," he said. "We know who the customer is. We know what the DNA is that we want in the vehicle, and it's a matter of working as team to develop that."
Letson is currently working on a future Ford vehicle. Though he can't reveal specifics, he said there were some questions as to whether one of the themes was "too bold." So he and his team went straight to their target customer for answers.
"The people who do market research actually go out and identify particular individuals that meet our needs from a target customer standpoint. So we were able to take our designs to some of these people and get their feedback," he said. "We were able to find out that our design wasn't too bold. It was considered futuristic. That gave us an opportunity to confirm the fact that we were pushing the envelope to where it should be."
Identifying who the customer is goes beyond demographics, according to Quesnell.
"We're zeroing in on customers' values and attitudes. Before, we might have said we're going to target a female, 35, college-educated with two kids," she explained. "Today, it's 'Jane loves to rock climb. She spends a lot of time with her friends, and she is very family-based and has a strong spirit.' "
The notion of tailoring products to meet the needs and desires of a specific group of consumers is not unique to the automotive industry. Michael Bernacchi, professor of Marketing at the University of Detroit Mercy College of Business, says it is the only way for any company to succeed in today's crowded marketplace.
"The mass market is dead. Today's mass audience is merely a composite of various smaller segments or niche markets. You need to get into the customer's bloodstream and become part of their DNA if you're going to get them to choose your product," he said. "There is no longer a brand called 'maybe.' You have to be in tune to the marketplace with your products in order to survive."
Sincerely,
Dave Marchand
Mustang/Thunderbird Club Center
In today's competitive market, it's not enough for people to like a car. They have to love it.
"You can come up with vanilla, or you can come up with chocolate. We're going to come up with Rocky Road because our goal is to create cars and trucks that 'wow' our specific target customer," said Mary Lou Quesnell, Ford Motor Company's Brand DNA director. "In the past, we were trying to be all things to all people. Now we're listening closely to the voice of our target customer."
Strengthening the company's focus on consumers is an integral part of the Way Forward plan. Quesnell says Ford has been working diligently to ensure employees in all areas of the company know what the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands stand for and who their target customers are so that they can use that information in their day-to-day jobs.
"People aren't going to make it up any longer. The recipe has been developed," she said. "Every new Ford brand product, for example, will embody completely the bold, innovative spirit of the Ford customer. Now, every door lock engineer knows exactly what target he needs to design to and all of the brake engineers know exactly what they need to deliver."
Quesnell went on to say, "All of the various functions within the company are aligned to deliver a showroom of products that stand out in the marketplace and meet the needs of our target customers."
Doyle Letson, chief designer for the all-new Ford Edge, says having everyone on the same page is very helpful to designers as they craft new vehicles.
"It gives us as lot more focus on where we're going and what we're trying to accomplish with the vehicle," he said. "We know who the customer is. We know what the DNA is that we want in the vehicle, and it's a matter of working as team to develop that."
Letson is currently working on a future Ford vehicle. Though he can't reveal specifics, he said there were some questions as to whether one of the themes was "too bold." So he and his team went straight to their target customer for answers.
"The people who do market research actually go out and identify particular individuals that meet our needs from a target customer standpoint. So we were able to take our designs to some of these people and get their feedback," he said. "We were able to find out that our design wasn't too bold. It was considered futuristic. That gave us an opportunity to confirm the fact that we were pushing the envelope to where it should be."
Identifying who the customer is goes beyond demographics, according to Quesnell.
"We're zeroing in on customers' values and attitudes. Before, we might have said we're going to target a female, 35, college-educated with two kids," she explained. "Today, it's 'Jane loves to rock climb. She spends a lot of time with her friends, and she is very family-based and has a strong spirit.' "
The notion of tailoring products to meet the needs and desires of a specific group of consumers is not unique to the automotive industry. Michael Bernacchi, professor of Marketing at the University of Detroit Mercy College of Business, says it is the only way for any company to succeed in today's crowded marketplace.
"The mass market is dead. Today's mass audience is merely a composite of various smaller segments or niche markets. You need to get into the customer's bloodstream and become part of their DNA if you're going to get them to choose your product," he said. "There is no longer a brand called 'maybe.' You have to be in tune to the marketplace with your products in order to survive."
Sincerely,
Dave Marchand
Mustang/Thunderbird Club Center