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Ready, Set, Rethink.

Horrible new ad campaign for Ford. This whole rebranding as a “lifestyle” brand is so damned misguided. I’ve been watching some YouTube videos about the collapse of Harley-Davidson, and while I think a lot of it is a new generation that doesn’t want their “dad’s” motorcycles, the CEO that came from Puma tried to make Harley into a lifestyle brand, and it has failed spectacularly.

Also, (I suspect you’ll agree) “Ready, Set, Ford” doesn’t exactly inspire a direction for advertising, does it? Not like “We Build Excitement”, “The Ultimate Driving Machine” (remember BMW’s misguided attempt to make it a country club car?) “The Best or Nothing” “Engineered like no other car in the world” “We make it Simple”, "Like A Rock", or “Built Ford Tough”.

You’ve been hammering about product, product, product and design, design, design; and instead we get trash like this. It’s sad, really.

At least the Goodwood Festival of Speed is on YouTube now.

Mr. Arthur
Ann Arbor, Michigan



Valuable resource.

Of course, there are many reasons for Ford’s inability to get their quality issues under control. But in my opinion, one of the key issues has been the reduction in force, through early retirements and layoffs, of thousands of experienced engineers. By losing all of these people, Ford has fallen into the trap of being penny wise and dollar foolish. Ford is not the first company to suffer the consequences of such a short-term strategy, and sadly they still seem to be in denial. When will big companies ever learn that experienced employees are a valuable resource and not a liability.

Jeff W.
Albany, New York



Marquez and Senna.

I just finished watching Marquez win another MotoGP race, adding to his candidacy for best bike racer of them all. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of - you guessed it - Senna. They both have - had - the need (as opposed to simply the desire) to win, to be the best, and when you give them the best equipment the result is almost a foregone conclusion. I have watched both over the years and have seen how they approached racing very much the same way, even to the point of meticulously scheduling their time during race weekends. There have been so many racers, cars and bikes over the years, but I submit these two will go down in history as two of the absolute best..

Ted R
Raleigh, North Carolina



DOA.

I wasn’t around in the late 70s when Ford was close to going belly up. Too many workers, too many plants, piss-poor quality and no reason to buy the product other than “being American”. So, I can’t speak to those times. However, I can say this company as it’s currently constructed is the absolute worst I’ve seen it in my lifetime. The solution to the recall problem is to just stop making that vehicle. Have a press conference on a future platform and hope nobody is really paying attention. Jack up prices to cover those lost sales and act like everything is fine. Last I heard, Ford was a mobility company. Now, it’s a customer first company? Don’t both go without saying??? Ford actually has people cashing checks to come up with such bullshit. Nobody seems to care at all at the direction of the company. That scares me more than anything. Ready Set Ford is proof of that. It’s Dead On Arrival.

JRR
Plymouth, Michigan



Dead vehicles.

The absolute word bullshit that companies spout today, which began as blowing smoke up our arses, is now believed by the spouters. We are customers, not consumers. You manufacture vehicles, not technology. These vehicles are not life style accessories, they are necessary transportation for the majority of your customers. These need to be RELIABLE for the first 150k miles, no exceptions, since they are so expensive. A recall or warranty covering 100% of repair costs is worthless if the vehicle sits in a dealer lot for weeks, let alone months, waiting for back-ordered replacement parts. A dead vehicle waiting for parts while the customer continues making monthly payments is not the lifestyle that anyone has chosen.

DG
Berwick, Maine



What?

Against my better judgement, I watched the Ford ad you referenced. It's yet another in an unending stream of advertising to which my response is, "What is it that they want me to buy?" In the case of this Ford travesty the Ford logo in the corner is a hint. Save for that, I'd have to say I can't tell if I should buy a race car, a ranch, new running shoes, a new athletic supporter, or a steer (or bull, I can't tell) or... maybe nothing and put up a personal ad for a sweet young thing.

I mentioned to my wife that the VW Beetle ads of 50 or 60 years ago would be much, much too subtle for the audience of today.

DJV
Wilmington, North Carolina