New York: Ford Motor Co's adverts for the revamped Focus compact play up its touchscreen stereo controls and sonar-assisted parking in a technology-centred global campaign that replaces the car maker's traditional, and costlier, regional strategies.
The 15-second adverts debuted in North America on March 1 during Fox's American Idol. Using a single campaign saved about 70 per cent in production costs, said Jim Farley, group vice-president of global marketing, sales and service, said at a New York event announcing the campaign's launch.
The new Focus, which went on sale this month, and the Fiesta subcompact that debuted in June, are the foundation of CEO Alan Mulally's bet that US buyers will pay more for small cars equipped with amenities typically found in larger models. The Focus starts at about $17,000 (Dh62,431), with more expensive versions as much as $29,000.
"The one area we see as an opportunity to differentiate ourselves, it's democratising technology," Farley said. "[The marketing teams] all agree if technology is what we want to get across, why do we need all this diversity?"
Global footprint
The campaign's 50 adverts were filmed in one South African shoot with studio elements added in Belgium and England. The spots will also air in Europe, and in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa later this year.
Features shown in the commercials include sonar-assisted parking, which can steer the Focus into a parallel-parking slot without the driver turning the steering wheel. Others show shutters that seal the car's grille, improving aerodynamics at high speeds, and "start-stop" technology that turns off the engine when at rest. "Our vision was for this car to feel premium if you turn off the sound on TV," Farley said.
The 15- and 20-second spots last about half as long as typical adverts. Ford ploughed the savings from filming the adverts at one location at one time into increasing the frequency with which they will be aired. The company ran a six-month pre-launch digital and social media campaign that included inviting bloggers to Madrid for a test-driving event. The goal was for prospective customers to learn about the Focus from a friend, not necessarily from the company, Farley said.
By 2012, the Michigan-based company is targeting worldwide sales of two million for the Focus and its variants, which will cut costs by having 80 per cent of parts in common.
Ford, the only major US car maker to avoid bankruptcy in 2009, earned $6.56 billion in 2010, the most since 1999. New models such as the Fiesta subcompact and redesigned Taurus sedan helped the company's 2010 US sales rise 17 per cent.
