Ford: The Aging Giant

2006 was a tough year for Ford. After launching its "Bold Moves" campaign seeking to reassure a skeptical public that Ford was a sustainable and reputable company, the longtime car manufacturing giant replaced CEOs, had its credit downgraded, and recently witnessed the worst financial loss of its existence. The loss shouldn't be very surprising, as it is natural that things get worse before they get better, especially when considering the enormity of the legacy capital invested in both facilities and labor that must be either restructured or eliminated in order to compete with companies that started out rejecting the production line in favor of just-in-time inventory and lean production.

Ford claims the company is "poised to come back strong," but it's difficult to tell with any certainty if this is true or if it is just typical PR damage control. Although the direction of the entire Bold Moves videos seems to have been preordained from episode 1 to episode 30, Ford should be commended for using this space to disseminate its message and the attempt to shed some light (though through rose-colored glasses) on the inner workings of the company.

Coincidentally, on my way to work yesterday, I happened to find myself behind a Ford Mustang GT. The license plate was, "1 BAD GT." THAT is the sort of brand advocacy we all covet.

Whatever happens to Ford in the future, I would hate to see it lose the qualities that made it deserving of such advocacy. We'll see in the coming year if its efforts to reorganize were worth the effort or if it was just another smokescreen meant to fool investors to keep pouring money into the pit in order to keep Ford afloat for as long as it takes for management to seek more lucrative employment elsewhere. - Cam Beck

Comments

[Lewis Green]

Cam,

I'm with you. I drive a Ford, my wife drives a Honda. The differences in qualityare significant, despite the fact my Ford is 10 years newer than the Honda. In one year the Ford cost me more than the Honda over the past 10 years.

Ford must get back to "Quality is Job 1."