It’s unlikely that Henry Ford, the iconic American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company, could have envisioned a time when his visionary vehicles would be promoted on small mobile devices, throughout robust social networks, and across a vast digital marketing landscape.
But Henry Ford and his team have always been innovative marketers, even in what now harkens back to relatively ancient times in the world of advertising.
Fifty years ago, Ford famously sliced and diced a new Mustang convertible and sent it in pieces up an elevator to the top of the Empire State Building before it was reassembled and displayed for the world to see.
Well, what worked one-half century ago may work again. This time around, the venerable automobile maker will adorn the Empire State Building with a 2015 Mustang in celebration of the sweet ride’s 50th anniversary.
For Ford, however, this marks just the latest in a long lineage of marketing brilliance that spans the board room to the dealership. Today, many Ford dealerships – including those that have been around for 80 years – are garnering a reputation for being the most tech-savvy and forward-thinking in the automobile industry.
Family owned and operated since 1934, West Valley City’s Henry Day Ford is one of Utah’s top Ford dealerships. But it’s also one of the most respected for reasons that extend beyond the customer service and satisfaction generations of car shoppers have enjoyed. Their digital marketing and sales prowess are second to none.
As Digital Journal reported earlier this week, customer are given an opportunity to virtually test drive a number of new model vehicles through the Henry Day Ford website, which is fast-becoming a feature that countless dealerships across the U.S. are scrambling to offer.
“Want to check out the 2015 Ford Explorer SUV?” the report asks. “Just a few clicks will take you inside the vehicle for a comprehensive look at the model that provides everything but the new car smell.”
Since the start of 2014, Ford has dazzled the automotive world with more than just its usual far-sighted marketing. It’s penchant for cutting-edge technology has been off the charts in recent months as well.
As MMW reported in January, Ford Motor Company’s AppLink SDK is resonating with developers at a high speed. By that time, more than 1,000 software devs had already signed up for the program that was officially rolled out at this year’s CES.
Despite how new the program is, the incentive for developers to get on board is clearly strong, especially in light of the fact that Sync AppLink services are supported in hundreds of thousands of Ford vehicles like the Ford Expedition, Fusion, F-150, Focus, Mustang, E-Series and more.
“The Ford Developer Program marks a dramatic shift in how we will innovate new features and add value to our vehicles throughout the ownership period,” said Hau Thai-Tang, vice president of Engineering, Ford Global Product Development. “Opening the car to developers gives consumers a direct voice and hand in the creation of apps that can help our products remain relevant, up to date and valuable to our customers.”
It seems like that’s also the goal with Ford’s marketing.
