Case Study: Automotive Divisions of the Ford Motor Company

The Ford Motor Company (FMC) has many different divisions and brands under its corporate umbrella. Each of these brands identifies their publics as customers or future customers of their vehicles, but tailors their site for their individual (and sometimes very different) audience. We'll take a look at three very different divisions of FMC: Ford, Volvo, and Aston-Martin, and outline how their websites handle public relations issues.

Ford: http://www.fordvehicles.com/

Identifying Ford's publics
Ford has services available for two main audiences, customers interested in buying a Ford and people who are already owners of Fords. Identifies its audience as budget-conscious consumers by listing the pricing for all their vehicles and exactly how much the payments would be for a specific vehicle with specific options. They also list a variety of financing incentives available to their publics. Ford’s high production vehicles range in price from approximately $14,000-$40,000.

Serving Ford’s publics
For the audience interested in buying a Ford, the following services are offered by the website:

• Build and price a new vehicle
• Locate a dealership near the customer
• Financing options
• Payment calculators
• Searchable dealer inventories
• Pictures of all vehicles including future vehicles
• Certified pre-owned dealers
• Rental car companies that rent Fords

For the audience who already owns a Ford, the following services are offered by the website:

• A parts and services site
• An accessories site
• Information on extended service plans
• Links to a separate site for Ford Owners
  

The sub-audience of Ford enthusiasts is hinted at by this site as it offers links to Ford Racing and merchandise such as hats and t-shirts.

Repeat visitors
Repeat visits to the site are encouraged by the changing line-up of vehicles and future vehicles, a press release link that gives the latest news, and by the constantly changing finance deals that are available for customers. The merchandise and racing information is also updated frequently.

Serving the media
Ford’s website makes an attempt to serve the media by including a news and events site that gives updates on noteworthy events and happenings at Ford. My guess is that the company uses other avenues to get press releases out to the media because the news and events site was last updated on March 10. They do include links to their environmental initiatives site and charities site but those do not include press releases either. They could include a page with press releases about new products, services, and events to improve this function of their website.

Volvo: http://www.volvocars.us/

Identifying its publics
Volvo’s audience mirrors Ford’s in that it is separated into two main categories, customers interested in buying a Volvo and people who are already owners of Volvos. Where Ford’s audience is the budget-conscious, Volvo’s seems to be a more quality-, safety-, and environmentally-conscious audience. Volvo makes this apparent by the sheer amount of information on safety testing, what they are doing to lessen the effects of manufacturing and driving on the environment, and how their vehicles are of a higher quality than their competitors. Whereas the Ford site is driven by how much their vehicles cost, the Volvo site has more comprehensive consumer information.

Serving Volvo’s publics
While Volvo’s website does offer the same or similar services as Ford, the three issues of quality, safety, and the environment are stressed with individual pages that have these services:

Quality

• Details into product testing
• Design details that serve the consumer
• Why quality is important
• A High Mileage Club for owners of Volvos with over 100,000 miles on them

Safety

• Overview and approach to safety at Volvo
• Safety features available in Volvos and why they are important
• Safety features invented by Volvo
• Information about the $80 million Safety Center at Volvo
• The Volvo Saved My Life Club for people who were in accidents where it was proved that Volvo’s safety features were a contributing factor in saving their lives
  

Environmental Issues

• Volvo’s approach to manufacturing with as little impact on the environment as possible
• Volvo’s approach to reducing green house gas emissions and fuel consumption
• The reuse and recycle program
• Environmental innovations at Volvo
• Volvo’s Environmental Product Declaration
  
  

Repeat visitors
Volvo’s website encourages repeat visitors with the same features that Ford’s does with an emphasis on changes in quality, safety, and environmental issues.

Serving the media
Where Volvo differs from Ford the most is in its service to the media. Volvo has a comprehensive news release page that is full of recent press releases and event updates (http://www.volvocars.us/_Tier3/AboutUs/NewsEvents/News/). Unlike Ford, Volvo provides a much greater service for the media and gears its releases around the three most important issues it’s brand promotes; quality, safety, and the environment.

Aston-Martin: http://www.astonmartin.com/home

Identifying Aston-Martin’s publics
Aston-Martin is different than Ford and Volvo in that it identifies its audience as people who can afford an Aston-Martin and people who admire Aston-Martins (from afar). The main audience is made up of consumers who can spend over $100,000 on a vehicle and are interested in performance and style.

Serving Aston-Martin’s publics
Aston-Martin takes a “you come to us” attitude with its publics. The website offers pictures and descriptions of their vehicles (with the focus on style and performance), and dealership locations with phone numbers and addressed only. It also provides information for parts and service maintenance. Other than that Aston-Martin’s audience is expected to come to them personally for any other services.

Repeat Visitors
Other than a updated photo presentation of Aston-Martins by prominent architectural structures and an updated line-up of vehicles, Aston-Martin does little to encourage repeat visits.

Serving the media
The “you come to us” tone that Aston-Martin takes towards its publics also applies to the media. On the Press and Public Affairs page the user is given an electronic form to fill out with specific inquires that will be forwarded to a company representative. I’m not sure how effective this method is, but it does allow the media to get written answers to specific questions, so I guess it’s better than nothing. A press site more like Volvo’s would be more beneficial, but I suppose that may take away from the company’s mystique.