Ford (NYSE:F) on Wednesday rolled out a new advertising campaign that the company said will mark a “fundamental shift” in its branding strategy — and comes as the auto industry deals with major uncertainty.
“Ready, Set, Ford,” goes beyond vehicle-first advertising, Ford said, and instead focuses on the people who buy its cars. It involves four fundamental promises: capability, passion, community and trust.
The auto industry is facing a crucial crossroads as companies deal with President Donald Trump’s tariffs and an overall consumer pullback in spending. Despite uncertainty with various sectoral tariffs, Trump’s auto tariffs have remained more or less unchanged, with a 25% tariff charge on imported cars and auto parts.
That timing, Ford Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Materazzo said, is intentional.
“The auto industry is in the midst of historic disruption. We are fortunate in the sense that Ford has an incredible 122-year history to leverage,” she said. “So, because of that, we felt like there’s no better time to double down on our commitment to our brand and our consumers than now.”
Ford has long championed its American roots and declared it’s the “most American automaker.” That identity is now crucial to the automaker’s brand, Materazzo said, and builds on its “America for America” campaign that offered employee pricing to all consumers shortly after tariffs were initially announced.
F shares opened trading Wednesday down 14 cents, or 1.2%, from Tuesday’s close, at $11.36.
