Disqus - Latest Comments for triph

Re: Say It Like You Mean It

triph — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:43:39 -0000

Incompetence seems to be the rule, not the exception. I just wanted to congratulate your company on a positive earning statement, and for outselling Toyota in the first half of the year.
Keep it up!

Re: A Year @Ford - Part 1

triph — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:34:47 -0000

Scott,
This is a terrific article, and I applaud all of your efforts. I too carried a lot of baggage about Ford until I went and saw them, and finally bought one, and while I believe in all that you have done for the company, it feels like a corporate perspective. For most customers, their dealer is the most important connection they will have with Ford, and the dealer network is not, from my experience, a social media savvy bunch. Stamford Ford, for example, has five fans on its site, and one photo of a picture of their building. Not even the cars! I think the dealer network is independent and you can't control how fully they embrace social media, but until they begin to adopt it also, the old perceptions of Ford will continue to influence potential buyers.

Re: What Matters in Most Word-of-Mouth Marketing?

triph — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:56:58 -0000

I completely agree. Since purchasing a Ford Flex in January, at least two dozen people have asked me what I think of it. The conversation always starts with "Cool car. Do you like it?" Not "Cool car. Is it expensive?" My answer is all about value. It is not an inexpensive car, but is has benefits that other, even more expensive cars don't have, such as sync, and customizable interior neon lighting (my three year old loves that) that make the value story very compelling. The neon lighting certainly isn't an expensive option, but the perceived value is high.

Re: Young and (Un)Impressionable

triph — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:47:56 -0000

The world can truly be a serendipitous place.
I am a marketing guy, having spent the last ten years at Renegade, a NY based, non-traditional agency. I am also a car fanatic-I have subscriptions to just about every automobile publication written and waste entirely too much time learning about minute details of cars I will never own, or never care to own. I would describe myself as an influential, as many of my friends call me when it is time to get a new vehicle and ask me to recommend something. For the past 10 years I have been a loyal VW customer, and have convinced 10 or so friends and family to purchase VW’s. I have rarely, if ever, touted the benefits of American Iron. “Don’t buy American” has been my motto-until I began learning about the Flex. I don’t need to tell you about the product benefits of the Flex, but needless to say, it is different from people’s perceptions of what Ford vehicles look like, their build quality, and how they drive. I looked at the Toyota Highlander, the Tiguan and Toureg (which I have), and the Mazda CX-9. The Flex came out on top. I began telling my friends about it, and although they were amazed that I was gushing about a Ford, the credibility I had with them drove two people into a Ford dealership to check it out. One bought one, one did not. I picked up my very own Limited a few days ago. Love it. Just how I knew I would. (The immovable headrests and non-telescoping wheel notwithstanding:)

Great for me. That is the back story. Let me get to why the world can be a serendipitous place. When I went into Stamford Motors last week to pick up my car, Ford missed a huge opportunity to find out what kind of car person I am. No one at the dealership took the time to find out how important cars are in my life. Was this my first Ford? (Yes.) How and why did I arrive at the decision to buy a Ford? Where did I gather my information? Am I an active blogger? Do I have a large Facebook following? Would I be willing to speak with a prospect about the Flex? In short, is this the type of customer that would willingly become a salesperson for us?

Understanding that dealer networks don’t always implement corporate marketing initiatives, I thought there nonetheless has to be someone at Ford who sees this chance to grab those influentials and put a microphone in front of mouths that are all already talking. And then I came across your site today by way of Valerie Maltoni’s blog, and that is the serendipitous part. You are that social media person. You were whom I was thinking of when I walked out of the dealership muttering to myself that car companies still really don’t get it. The fact that Ford has you means they do on some level.

So I ask, how hard would it be for Ford to ask their customers a few questions that help to identify influentials? Once identified, harnessing their passion for cars, and, more specifically a certain brand of car would not be hard because we not only like talking about cars, but we like showing people how much we know. We enjoy being seen as thought leaders on what is cool, what is new, etc. Creating a social network where passionate converts can share their newfound appreciation for you company could go a long way towards converting those that don’t believe.

Trip