Ford’s marketing chief Jim Farley says a new effort to regionalize marketing efforts is boosting sales. He said Tuesday at the Wall Street Automotive Awards dinner in NYC that Ford’s share of the U.S. retail market was up in January and February for the first time since 2003, according to an AP story. Retail share does not include sales of vehicles to rental and corporate fleets.
The company is giving regional managers control of the company’s ad budget and is targeting incentives by vehicle and by region. Ford is also giving dealers higher margins on vehicles if they spend the money on advertising. Farley said a new dealer-driven ad campaign will try to build on consumers’ trust in Ford, but he didn’t discuss details.
