Ford Falcon enthusiasts upset at marketing snub

[Hawkeye84]

Lets look at it this way.
If it was YOUR millions of dollars, would you advertise the falcon? Would you put your house, mortgage, car etc, on the line to advertise the falcon, against all research that says the segment is dying (even the medium car market is slowing down).....

Or, lets look at this another way.......
would you invest YOUR money in a company you loved, even though you know that its going down? Even if research was telling you the company wouldnt survive? Even if the companies competitors were having the same issues - would you invest with your money in that company?

Its a question all marketers should be asking themselves when planning their budgets......its bad marketers who dont ask themselves this question..........this is the real world folks,....not some bs-opinion based-fantasy-plan I have because I did business studies in high school. It involves million of dollars and there are consequences.

And if you are willing to put YOUR money in the falcon........sorry, but dont quit your day job

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by prydey

they are selling everything they build. whats the problem?

See your point about not having stock laying about buuuuut....

Just because you slash your advertising, reduce your staff, reduce work for your suppliers and everyone else involved in the chain doesn't mean you can be happy about selling a token amount....

The flip slide is they close it tomorrow and be done with it. There are just a lot of people out there who haven't built a bridge yet. I was angry, furious, at how this has all played out..but we have known for a while now. But I and many others have known the decline has been from 2005 if not earlier....

We will see how soon Ford pulls out a GRWD platform or something falcon-like for the Chinese market and say one ford is working and that there is no space for a full sized sedan anymore.

And then Chrysler turn around and basically keep the 300 going for us and what other RHD country? AMG sell record numbers of C classes.....seems to me Fords model portfolio and the way it integrates....or not...is actually the issue.

[kazawaki]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye84

Lets look at it this way.
If it was YOUR millions of dollars, would you advertise the falcon? Would you put your house, mortgage, car etc, on the line to advertise the falcon, against all research that says the segment is dying (even the medium car market is slowing down).....

Or, lets look at this another way.......
would you invest YOUR money in a company you loved, even though you know that its going down? Even if research was telling you the company wouldnt survive? Even if the companies competitors were having the same issues - would you invest with your money in that company?

Its a question all marketers should be asking themselves when planning their budgets......its bad marketers who dont ask themselves this question..........this is the real world folks,....not some bs-opinion based-fantasy-plan I have because I did business studies in high school. It involves million of dollars and there are consequences.

And if you are willing to put YOUR money in the falcon........sorry, but dont quit your day job

Problem is if your complacent and dont keep moving forward while investing in your business weather its cars,fashion or bicycles you are doomed. This is a major factor with most australian businesses.Seems the common mind set is short term thinking and thats fatal combined with lack of forethought spells good night and see ya later.

[Hawkeye84]

Originally Posted by kazawaki

Problem is if your complacent and dont keep moving forward while investing in your business weather its cars,fashion or bicycles you are doomed. This is a major factor with most australian businesses.Seems the common mind set is short term thinking and thats fatal combined with lack of forethought spells good night and see ya later.

Thats the thing, ford isnt being complacent....they are spending heaps on segments other than the large car segment...they are investing in booming segments within the industry. Ive personally seen an uplift in ford marketing (especially in the retail space).......just because they dont advetise the falcon doesnt mean they are being complacment - its no longer the cash cow it was and they are shifting it to other cars thats making the business money...whrther in the car, fashion, bicycle industry youd be silly not to market whats trending. Even at the detriment of products that dont sell within the company......because it could be the product or the entire company (now thats forethought) - if it was your money which one would you choose?

[prydey]

You're wasting your breath. This is AFF, where the A=anti

[Ford Falcon XR6]

Originally Posted by prydey

You're wasting your breath. This is AFF, where the A=anti

The Definition of a forum:
"a meeting or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged"

Just because those views differ to yours doesn't mean that they are wrong or right if you don't like hearing the views of others don't be on a forum nothing personal mate.

[Harrison]

I prefer old cars anyway.

[Kayos]

One day ford may lose it's loyal customers and fans, don't wonder why ford.

You and all your managers that are, lets basically say it "twit's", will go backwards like saab or mitsi, from the top to the bottom and where is the drive and passion to bring forward a recovery, something with flash and bang, so far all we can see is a global plan which has that continent at the bottom of the globe which gets the scraps...

We as Ford people need a little more than a xr8 o xr6t using scraps or a mustang which will have no shelby or roush or a ranger that takes 6 months to get from signiture to door..

Have you driven a ford! or should ford drive dreams of purchase instead of an alternative for people.

[JIm260]

I am seeing heaps of Ranger ads on TV here.

Cheers
Jim

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Ford Falcon XR6

The Definition of a forum:
"a meeting or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged"

Just because those views differ to yours doesn't mean that they are wrong or right if you don't like hearing the views of others don't be on a forum nothing personal mate.

have a look through any thread on this forum discussing Ford or its products, and the overwhelming vibe is negative toward Ford. you would think a Ford Forum would be full of 'fans' of the brand, but not this one.

i think the majority are 'falcon' fans, rather than 'ford' fans, and since the company started shifting its focus elsewhere about a decade ago, most couldn't care less about ford anymore, and just use every opportunity to have their little say...again and again.

many failed to accept that the company is the 'ford' motor company, not the 'falcon' motor company.

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by Kayos

One day ford may lose it's loyal customers and fans, don't wonder why ford.

I think they would like to loose a lot of the falcon 'fans'. They are not good for public image according to many opinions. More a detractor than a sale improver for the brand heading to European stye cars.

JP

[Windsor220]

The few Falcon enthusiasts they have left probably aren't going to help them grow again so they wouldn't be bothered losing them.

[Ford Falcon XR6]

Originally Posted by prydey

have a look through any thread on this forum discussing Ford or its products, and the overwhelming vibe is negative toward Ford. you would think a Ford Forum would be full of 'fans' of the brand, but not this one.

i think the majority are 'falcon' fans, rather than 'ford' fans, and since the company started shifting its focus elsewhere about a decade ago, most couldn't care less about ford anymore, and just use every opportunity to have their little say...again and again.

many failed to accept that the company is the 'ford' motor company, not the 'falcon' motor company.

I agree that some people are just "falcon" fans i'm one of them and the reason most people "couldn't care less" about ford is because they have shown no respect to their once flagship model which so many of us have grown up with and have a great passion for. Of course there is going to be a negative vibe toward ford whether its right or not. It's showing in their sales figures. Ford are on a slide in a big way and in my opinion the pull out of local production and the killing off of the falcon and territory are a contributing factor.

Like it or not Holden have played the game better than ford they've stuck with the commodore although it's sales have taken a hit out of 7072 holdens sold last month 2043 were commodores it's a huge chunk. If they gave up marketing the commodore like ford have the falcon it's possible they would be selling less than 6000 units a month like ford are. Facts are facts negative or not sales figures don't lie.

The bitterness to ford because of the falcon issue isn't just on this forum read most comments on any online news stories about the falcon and you'll find similar things being said.

Again this is just my opinion having different views is what makes us human good debate but.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Ford Falcon XR6

they have shown no respect to their once flagship model

seriously??

so those blokes down at the factory, that have just delivered arguably the most powerful australian made production car ever (GT-F) and since then a GT Rspec for falcon money (FGX-XR8), have shown no respect for the nameplate??

have a look at the last falcons available and then convince me they don't care about falcon.

this is a company that builds and sells cars for a living, so they can't afford to have an emotional attachment to any nameplate, and yet they still bothered to release one final iteration (mainly due to financial and contractual commitments i admit) that is also arguably the best falcon ever.

yeah, you are right, Ford just don't care.

here's a concept that not many on here tend to grasp. forums are part of the advertising and marketing. people searching for info on cars will come across these sites. now tell me, would you buy a ford after reading a few of the threads on here? ford fans should be ambassadors for the brand.

as for commodore doing better.... please.

[chevypower]

Spend a lot more money to sell a few more cars? Yeah that makes sense cos market share is way more important than profitability.

[Ford Falcon XR6]

Originally Posted by prydey

seriously??

so those blokes down at the factory, that have just delivered arguably the most powerful australian made production car ever (GT-F) and since then a GT Rspec for falcon money (FGX-XR8), have shown no respect for the nameplate??

have a look at the last falcons available and then convince me they don't care about falcon.

this is a company that builds and sells cars for a living, so they can't afford to have an emotional attachment to any nameplate, and yet they still bothered to release one final iteration (mainly due to financial and contractual commitments i admit) that is also arguably the best falcon ever.

yeah, you are right, Ford just don't care.

here's a concept that not many on here tend to grasp. forums are part of the advertising and marketing. people searching for info on cars will come across these sites. now tell me, would you buy a ford after reading a few of the threads on here? ford fans should be ambassadors for the brand.

as for commodore doing better.... please.

Yeah I recall them promoting the FGX and the GT-F so well
I thought if you build a great car your ment to try to sell them either way fords exit is going to be costly for the brand every falcon they sell reduces that cost. Why is it all of a sudden wrong to advertise and sell cars ?


Tell me why anyone on here should be ambassadors for the brand ? After all they are putting thousands of Aussie men and women out if a job spare a thought for them.

About 30,000 commodores were sold last year pretty sure that's more than any of ford's models.

[Franco Cozzo]

Ford advertises the Ranger 24/7 on Sky Racing, I swear at work yesterday I heard and saw the Ranger ad on Sky Racing 20 times.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Ford Falcon XR6

Yeah I recall them promoting the FGX and the GT-F so well
I thought if you build a great car your ment to try to sell them either way fords exit is going to be costly for the brand every falcon they sell reduces that cost. Why is it all of a sudden wrong to advertise and sell cars ?

Umm, every GTF was sold. why waste the money advertising a car that sold out, and is no longer available.

FGX is also selling everything they build. they are in shut down mode. there is no need to waste money advertising when there is no need to.

Originally Posted by Ford Falcon XR6

About 30,000 commodores were sold last year pretty sure that's more than any of ford's models.

and yet they too are closing up shop

[Sprint XR8]

Originally Posted by Ford Falcon XR6

About 30,000 commodores were sold last year pretty sure that's more than any of ford's models.

And they still posted a record loss of $553m.

[tranquilized]

Originally Posted by CoupeXB

And they still posted a record loss of $553m.

I wouldn't put too much stock into the losses Ford and Holden have posted for the previous few years. Now they're definitely closing up shop all kinds of accounting shenanigans would be going on to produce those losses, all of which will be carried forward to future years to claim against future profit.

[Tommie]

Understand Falcon is on the nose to bulk of Australia given SUV and corolla craze... But bit sad after Falcon Fanatic effort was started by Ford that ended with no advertising to promote the car. Feel a bit cheated myself by Ford with launch of the FGX in the end.

Was washing the BA and FG today and when was looking at the pair when done thought it's such a shame that next generation of the Falcon will end and be no more development in near future. What a waste of a great car.
JB

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye84

Lets look at it this way.
If it was YOUR millions of dollars, would you advertise the falcon? Would you put your house, mortgage, car etc, on the line to advertise the falcon, against all research that says the segment is dying (even the medium car market is slowing down).....

Or, lets look at this another way.......
would you invest YOUR money in a company you loved, even though you know that its going down? Even if research was telling you the company wouldnt survive? Even if the companies competitors were having the same issues - would you invest with your money in that company?

Its a question all marketers should be asking themselves when planning their budgets......its bad marketers who dont ask themselves this question..........this is the real world folks,....not some bs-opinion based-fantasy-plan I have because I did business studies in high school. It involves million of dollars and there are consequences.

And if you are willing to put YOUR money in the falcon........sorry, but dont quit your day job

Where I'd put my money?? Probably on what is selling. And last time I looked at the sales, Falcon Sedan/ Ute (on most months) was still outselling Focus, Kuga, Mondeo, fiesta, Escosport. So you tell me where I should out my money in the year 2015? Where I put my money in 12 months will be different because Falcon won’t be around. And I'm not saying put all the A&P into Falcon, just some as the current sales numbers demand it!!

[Grunter]

Originally Posted by prydey

...i think the majority are 'falcon' fans, rather than 'ford' fans, and since the company started shifting its focus elsewhere about a decade ago, most couldn't care less about ford anymore, and just use every opportunity to have their little say...again and again.

many failed to accept that the company is the 'ford' motor company, not the 'falcon' motor company.

IMO Ford's failure on this point, is they didn't use the huge supporter base on these forums and work on turning the fans across to the wider Ford world much earlier.

For all intent purposes they dropped this forum's members, the moment it made the decision to drop the Falcon (apart from a token offer to a few here and there). Everything was take, with limited give. Yes they are a corporate company, but as a comparison, look at Ford in the US and how involved they are with their fans there (as they used to be here) and it's easy to run to see why many are jaded.

It's not our job to spruik they wears, it's their job to convert those who are Falcon/Territory fans, across to see that there are other vehicles that will suit them now and in the future.

This is a FoA issue, not a AFF issue.

[Grunter]

Originally Posted by prydey

.here's a concept that not many on here tend to grasp. forums are part of the advertising and marketing. people searching for info on cars will come across these sites. now tell me, would you buy a ford after reading a few of the threads on here? ford fans should be ambassadors for the brand....

And they dropped the ball and treated AFF members as irrelevant. Again had they treated AFF as inclusive of their marketing program (as they did in the past), there may have been a completely different vibe here.

They are reaping what they sowed (sp).

[Harrison]

I think a globally released, reasonably priced, mid-size, rear wheel drive V6 sedan, coupe, wagon (and possibly ute) platform, with an optional turbo or supercharged sports pack, is the only way to satisfy the majority of automotive enthusiasts and potentially make a profit in this day and age.

Vast, multinational companies like Ford and GM could do it easily and well, if they considered it a worthwhile investment.

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

Where I'd put my money?? Probably on what is selling. And last time I looked at the sales, Falcon Sedan/ Ute (on most months) was still outselling Focus, Kuga, Mondeo, fiesta, Escosport.

Isn't that the point of marketing. Advertise so you can sell! if your not selling advertise it. If you are selling everything you make, don't waste money.
Sell all the falcons made then the marketing has worked (probably 50 years of marketing in this instance), nothing else to do. But the other cars obviously need the shizzle marketed out of it.

JP

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by Grunter

It's not our job to spruik they wears, it's their job to convert those who are Falcon/Territory fans, across to see that there are other vehicles that will suit them now and in the future.

.

Have you read much on this site. Anything that is not falcon, is pretty much a FWD crapbox death trap venereal disease. Would you waste time and effort trying to convert the pitchfork wielding 'fanboi'

JP

[Grunter]

Originally Posted by jpblue1000

Have you read much on this site. Anything that is not falcon, is pretty much a FWD crapbox death trap venereal disease. Would you waste time and effort trying to convert the pitchfork wielding 'fanboi'

JP

Well that's true.... I kid I kid!

I would try if I was the one that was involved in creating the pitchfork wielding fanboi's.

There's a lot of emotion in the Falcon and Territory going, but FoA did themselves less than zero favours the way they handled their fans.

I'm as emotional as the next guy with regards to them going, and my biggest negativity towards FoA, hasn't been the decision they made, but how they handled arguable their biggest (and again arguably handled correctly, easiest to convert) group of Ford private buyers past and future.

Marketing is about making a connection to your customers. Not just future, but also making a connection to past customers. You don't **** on them, or worse ignore those historical customers because you're going a new direction. They needed to take some of us with them. and they failed.

All IMO.

[Ford Falcon XR6]

^^^^^

Agreed also the snubbing their motor racing heritage in Australia quitting the sport not long after winning the most important race in Australian motorsport. Motor racing has played a large part in fords success over the last 50 years and quitting it was just rubbing salt into the wound. Shame we're giving up Australia's individuality when it comes to cars now all we'll have is the same cars as everyone else in the world nothing special or unique to us.

[nadojay]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LVZy1FIua2M

Maccas know how to do a good commercial us to aus ad, a ford / falcon version would work well