Have you branded a Ford lately?
There's nothing wrong with creative that sells – that's the whole point, actually – but there's a pretty big difference between a salesman who charms you with his wit and a guy who sticks out his hand and demands your money. Reading the new Ford tagline is like being mugged by a crackhead.
"Ford. Drive One." Jesus, all that's missing is "We Beg You."
That's not to say I don't understand. Let's say you're Jim Farley, group VP of Marketing and Communications. Hi, Jim! Great haircut!
You're hanging on to your 16% market share like grim death and 59% of consumers won't even consider buying a Ford. Most significantly, 75% of your $1.5 billion ad budget is controlled by dealers whose only concern is moving product NOW and who couldn't give a shit about good advertising:
You think that was bad? That was the 1984 of dealer spots. Here are a few more from the same dealer (with an all-too-brief eighteen seconds of dead air at the beginning):
It's not Ford, but no collection of horrible dealer ads would be complete without:
Good Lord.
-Graham
