Ford has been quietly investing resources in the Lincoln brand, hoping to rescue the struggling brand and make it competitive. In a recent interview with Autoline, Jim Farley, Group VP, Global Marketing at Ford, revealed that 2012 will be an important milestone in Lincoln’s recovery. According to Farley, Lincoln will re-launch in the latter half of 2012.
While no dollar figures were disclosed, Ford has reportedly been heavily investing in Lincoln for two years, which includes 180 designers dedicated to the brand. The company recently hired a new ad agency that will aid in the re-launch.
Perhaps most revealing were Farley’s comments regarding Ford’s vision of the Lincoln brand. In a desired future state, Lincoln buyers will be “independently minded” and look for a “boutique experience” where dealership staff knows their names.
Two items are noteworthy here. First, is the type of buyer Lincoln would like to attract. “Independently minded” and presumably luxury oriented buyers was a segment that Saab pursued for many years. This is a sub-group of the larger luxury segment, but is it large enough to sustain a brand?
The second statement of note refers to the buying experience Lincoln imagines for its customers. It is difficult to envision such a buying experience in today’s mega Ford-Lincoln dealerships that operate largely on volume. Farley specifically pointed to the large dealerships of German manufacturers as something Lincoln wants to avoid. It will likely prove difficult to convince the company’s existing dealer network to heavily invest in additional separate showrooms and upgrades based on the aspirations of the manufacturer, regardless of how enticing the product road map is.
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