Marketing

Ford Mustang repolished for 2015 with global ambitions

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 5, 2013
Despite Ford's newfound global aspirations for its iconic pony car, the 2015 Mustang revealed today in six cities on four continents remains a quintessentially American car. The new car is lower, wider and sleeker than its predecessor, but still has the same broad shoulders and big, bold front end. Those who feared Ford might shrink the Mustang for narrow European roads can rest easy. This horse still has plenty of brawn.... Read More »

 

From Shanghai to Times Square, Mustang stampedes in 6-part spectacle

4:10 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 5, 2013
A live, national-television reveal on a popular American morning show watched by an average of nearly 6 million people was only one piece of the lavish global spectacle that Ford engineered Thursday to introduce the sixth-generation Mustang.... Read More »

 

Soft, evocative, fused and masterful: What people are saying about '15 Mustang

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 5, 2013
A roundup of what dealers, journalists and others are saying about the redesigned 2015 Ford Mustang... Read More »

 

Ford plans to launch new Ka in Europe in 2015

Dec. 5, 2013 12:42 CET
Ford of Europe plans to launch a new Ka in the region in 2015 based on the Ka Concept unveiled in Brazil last month. The five-door model will replace the three-door Ka.... Read More »

 

Honda offers dealers cash if December sales top 2012 levels

4:18 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 5, 2013
American Honda wants its dealers' sales this month to top December 2012 levels, and is offering cash to make sure that happens. The automaker is running an aggressive incentive program that will pay its United States dealers $3,000 for every vehicle they sell above their December 2012 sales total. The program runs until January 2, a company spokeswoman said, confirming a bulletin sent to dealers earlier this week.... Read More »

 

Ford redesigns Camaro-chasing Mustang to woo global buyers

7:20 am U.S. ET | Dec. 4, 2013
Almost 50 years after Ford's first Mustang introduced Americans to the fast and affordable pony car, the automaker is counting on a new design it unveils on four continents tomorrow to spur global sales.... Read More »

 

Images of new Mustang circulate on Web

6:17 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2013
Ahead of Thursday's global introduction of the redesigned 2015 Ford Mustang, a magazine story with details on the new car circulated on the Internet.... Read More »

 

Mitsubishi plans to cut i-MiEV price by 20%

9:44 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2013
Following big price cuts by other automakers to stoke demand for electric cars, Mitsubishi said it will reduce the sticker price of its slow-selling i-MiEV electric car by 20 percent for its upcoming model year.... Read More »

 

GABE NELSON

Why automakers should pay attention to Amazon's drones

12:41 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2013
Even if Amazon never manages to launch its experimental drone delivery concept, the auto industry should see it as a wake-up call.... Read More »

 

Mercedes to test-drive online car sales at German dealership

Dec. 3, 2013 06:01 CET
Mercedes will start selling cars online for the first time through its dealership in Hamburg, following BMW in experimenting with Web sales.... Read More »

 

A Corvette Christmas (the penny-pinching version)

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 2, 2013
For their year-end holiday sales, many brands favor commercials in which people present loved ones with with a special gift to show their love: a car, of course.... Read More »

 

Volvo hires WPP's Grey London for global creative ad account

1:10 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 2, 2013
Volvo Car has chosen Grey, London, as its new global creative agency effective January 1, a top company executive said. The account shift will include Volvo's $50 million creative business held by Havas-owned Arnold in the United States.... Read More »

 

Volvo hires WPP's Grey London for global creative ad account

Dec. 2, 2013 19:10 CET
Volvo Car has chosen Grey, London, as its new global creative agency effective January 1, a top company executive said. The account shift will include Volvo's $50 million creative business held by Havas-owned Arnold in the United States.... Read More »

 

THE DEALER SPEAKS: DOUG MORELAND

Message to Chrysler: Let dealers handle local marketing

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 2, 2013
The very first car Doug Moreland sold was a Chevrolet Corvair in Reno, Nev., in 1969. It had belonged to the woman who would one day be his wife.... Read More »

 

Chrysler's butts-in-seats marketing gets a boost

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 2, 2013
Chrysler Group is expanding its "butts-in-seats" marketing, in which the automaker offers test drives to consumers at dealerships and elsewhere.... Read More »

 

Lexus shifts ad methods to help dealers compete

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 2, 2013
Lexus' boss says it will be tough to regain the U.S. luxury sales crown from German rivals, but the brand is changing advertising methods to help dealers better compete.... Read More »

 

VINCE BOND JR.

How car marketers harness the viral power of BuzzFeed to reach millennials

12:00 am U.S. ET | Dec. 1, 2013
Volkswagen, Ford, Toyota, Mini and others are diversifying their ad strategies by deploying quirky posts on BuzzFeed, a millennial-dominated social news site known for its “Top (insert number)” lists in every topic imaginable.... Read More »

 

Chevy, VW venture onto Subaru terrain

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 29, 2013
Automakers are catching on to Subaru's strategy of targeting the active-lifestyle, outdoorsy psychographic.... Read More »

 

New Mustang will premiere in 5 time zones

11:47 am U.S. ET | Nov. 27, 2013
The next Ford Mustang will have its world premiere on "Good Morning America" Thursday, Dec. 5 -- while saying "Good afternoon, Spain" and "Good evening, China" at the same time.... Read More »

 

2013 L.A. Auto Show

When the Mustang goes global, marketing boss Farley will be in ...

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 25, 2013
To make the point that it has global aspirations for the Mustang, Ford announced last week that the redesigned version marking the car's 50th anniversary will be introduced Dec. 5 in six cities around the globe: New York, Dearborn, Los Angeles, Barcelona, Shanghai and Sydney.... Read More »

 

Dataium settles with New Jersey over sharing consumer data

3:52 pm U.S. ET | Nov. 25, 2013
An automotive market research company has settled with the state of New Jersey after being accused of using software code to monitor online consumer behavior without consent. Dataium, which tracks the online shopping activity of 20 million vehicle shoppers each month, says it agreed to a $400,000 settlement to avoid the cost of litigation.... Read More »

 

BEST PRACTICES

No-pressure center: Dealer lures shoppers put off by showrooms

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 25, 2013
Inside the futuristic-looking building next to Patsy Lou Chevrolet, the walls are a vibrant teal, industrial-style lights dangle from the high ceiling and offices have no desks, only flat-panel TVs and high-top tables. Outside, 22 vehicles wait with high-definition GoPro video cameras attached to their dashboards. It's an experiment that Patsy Lou Automotive Group hopes will attract younger consumers.... Read More »

 

Munoz, LaNeve to join marketing panel at congress

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 25, 2013
Jose Munoz, Nissan's new head of North American operations, and Mark LaNeve, COO of the advertising agency Global Team Ford, will take part in a roundtable discussion on marketing at the Automotive News World Congress in January in Detroit.... Read More »

 

Hyundai gets swift reviews

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 25, 2013
Hyundai Motor America says online consumer reviews of dealership service operations are becoming more useful than traditional customer satisfaction surveys. The reason: Faster feedback enables dealerships to troubleshoot problems quickly and possibly retain dissatisfied customers tempted to switch dealerships, said Barry Ratzlaff, Hyundai executive director of Customer Connect, Blue Link and service business development.... Read More »

 

GABE NELSON

Has Elon Musk's PR machine met its match?

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 23, 2013
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stridently insisted that the recent spate of battery fires in Model S sedans is being blown out of proportion. He may be right, but a good public relations strategy requires more than that.... Read More »

 


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