Integrated Marketing Communication Practice at Ford Motors Company - Essay Example

CURRENT INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION PRACTICE By Location Ford Motors Company Introduction Ford Motors company named after Henry Ford, the founder who is an American automotive making company located in the USA which was formed in 1903.Ford came second after General Motors in terms of industrial size in the United States of America according to the 2010 rankings. (Almonte, 2009, p. 32) The ranking also saw the company placed fifth worldwide in the sale of automobiles. Ford Motors Company deals in the sales and distribution of automobiles and commercial vehicles under two brands, Lincoln brand besides Ford brand. (Egan, 2007, p. 89) The company also claims ownership of FPV an Australian car manufacturer and Troller, which is a Brazilian SUV manufacturer. This article looks at the communication tools that the Ford Motors Company deploy in ensuring effective communication and transfer of the message from the sender to the receiver as intended. The receiver in this case being the target market, the company has to ensure the right information is conveyed otherwise it may easily be knocked out of the market. The article further explores the various challenges that face the company in the process of implementation of its communication activities both in the internal and external environment of the company. Abstract Different companies use different communication tools and media to convey information to the target markets. The incorporation of the communication tools and media together to keep the customer updated is summarized in what is called integrated marketing communications. Such communication tools include personal selling, publicity, sales promotion and advertising. The communication tools are print media, broadcast media or electronic media. Many challenges are faced in the practice of integrated marketing communication that need to be looked into with as much concern as they deserve. Ford Motors Company Ford Motors Company promotes the sales of the automobiles it produces worldwide thereby enabling it to maximize profit from the broad market base due to the vast number of consumers. (Banham, 2002, p. 234)The commodore and falcon brands manufactured by ford motors have outdone all the other traditional cars in the Australian markets with more than 20% of the total number of new cars in the country being from Ford Motors Company. Ford also makes sales in the United States of America from which its headquarters is based. (Banham, 2002, p. 236) It’s the second largest automobile industry in the country after general motors. The company produces a wide variety of automobiles to capture maximum number of consumers. Cars are produced with the aim of targeting fleet buyers and individual consumers who need the cars for private use while vans are aiming at the commercial institutions and consumers. The company advances on the quality of the cars it produces to produce luxurious and prestigious cars for members of the upper socio-economic group of customers. This group of people is willing and able to pay for high prices of such commodities as they would wish to be recognized that they lived beyond sustainability. (Green, 2010, p. 177) The key messages that Ford Motors Company to the target market are summarized in their vision and mission statements and their objectives. The companys mission is to improve continuously and consistently the quality of the goods and services to meet the needs of their customers thereby ensuring prosperity to its business activities. The vision statement of Ford Motors Company is to become the leading consumer company producing goods and offering services in automobiles in the whole world. (Carey, 1996, p. 465) Among the values of the company are the creativity of the consumer, entrepreneurial spirit, and consumer resourcefulness. The health and safety of the consumers is a point of concern to the company thus constant checks on the environmental conservation and care. The key messages above put the consumer of the products and services of Ford Motors Company at the top of everything else. The mission statement instills into the consumer the spirit that the company is ever willing to produce better goods and services than the ones it produced yesterday. This makes the customer always feel current and up to date with the services and products he is offered. (Branwyn, 1997, p. 444) The consumer also feels the company is there to serve his needs and do as per he requires. The complaints and compliments of the various customers are always taken into account when attempting to improve the quality of the products. The consultations of the consumers on what best satisfies their wants and needs make them feel to be directly in communication with the company and involved in its day-to-day running. Everyone has always had the sky as the limit thus striving to be above everyone else in the market. When the company aims at being the world’s leading company in the production and distribution of automotive products, it makes the consumers think of it as the best in the same line. (Egan, 2007, p. 168)Being the best means production beyond standards and limits of everyone else in the market keeping the consumers intact and building their confidence. The company highly values the safety and health of the consumers. The company engages in the environmental conservation activities including controlling pollution from its industries. The consumers are thus assured safety. The company does not appear to be only interested in the cash and other resources from the consumers but also ensuring the customers are to standards health wise. (Goodall, 2009, p. 301)The target market would thus not only be in preference of what the company offers to them in exchange of other resources, but rather it will prefer the company as a whole. This creates customers loyalty and builds on the image of the company besides the business activity it indulges in. Communication Tools and Media Used Ford Motors Company relies on a number of communication tools and media to reach the target market both from within the United States of America and in Australia. (Guffey, 2010, p. 214) The communication channel deployed is determined by the geographical location of the target market and the ease of access, not forgetting the coverage of the media and or tool. The various communication tools include advertising, publicity, sales promotion and personal selling among other communication tools. The communication media that the company adopts to reach the customers include print media, electronic media and broadcast media of communication. (Green, 2010, p. 397) Advertising: The Company engages in massive adverts using different media. It makes adverts in the social media, the print media including newspapers and magazines. It also uses broadcast media for example television, radio to reach the target market. As the information regarding the company and the products reach a large number of customers, the customers feel their motives geared towards buying the company’s products is comprehended by the company and the advertisers. (Carey, 1996, p. 94) Frequent repetition of the adverts keeps them fresh in the memory of the consumers and allows them to make comparison among companies following the adverts they make. Ford Motors Company can reach target market dispersed over a vast geographical region and those located far away from the company especially those outside the United States of America. Personal selling: The Company has put in place a task force that is entitled with the task of meeting the consumers on a face-to-face basis and sharing with them on the companys goods and services. (Fischer, 2010, p. 176)The salespersons are tasked with making the consumer be informed of the existence of the company and persuading the customer that the company is the best as far as the production of auto motives is concerned. Through personal selling, the company can build a very strong relationship between it and the consumers. The consumers can channel their complaints and compliments directly to the company thus facilitating improvements on quality a per demand dictates. Sales promotion: The Company promotes the sales of its commodities by such offers as discounting of prices for a specific brand of cars within some period to increases the sales of such brands. The brands could be discounted to clear an existing stock thereby increasing the number available to the customers. Consumers who were unable due to weak financial muscles are now able to afford the brands during the offer periods. (Goodall, 2009, p. 247) Public Relations: The Company makes every possible attempt to build on its image and its relationship with the public. Information regarding the company is put in newspapers and other forms of media where the consumers gain access to it. (Stewart, 2013, p. 135) The Company also uses their sponsors to publicize its existence. Direct marketing: Through direct emails sent to individuals, the company communicates to the target market. Such emails consist of specific information intended for specific consumers. For example, an update on the luxurious cars regarding prices features and modifications best suit target market made up of people from the upper socio-economic class. (Slyke, 2008, p. 47) Passing such information on them keeps them informed and aids in their decision-making processes. The company may opt to manufacture cheaper private cars to contain those who are not able to afford the ordinary cars available in stock. Once the cars are already manufactured, immediate communication with the customers is vital, and this is facilitated by telemarketing. Communication Media Used Ford Motors Company uses various forms of communication media to get a grasp of the target market. Such communication media are classified as either broadcast media, print media or electronic media of communication. Electronic Media: This includes emails, text messaging, social networking voice mail and instant messaging. Electronic communication has enabled Ford Motors Company to pass information instantly to the intended target group. The information passed can be relayed to a vast geographical region at the same time. (Lipschultz, 2014, p. 39) With the email accounts of their customers, Ford Motors Company sends electronic messages to their consumers informing of the prevailing circumstances and updates in the company. (Mori-Carrera, 2006, p. 164)Being a free form of communication and only requires access to the internet, emails provide a very convenient form of communication as the company does not necessarily have to undergo, massive costs and expenses. Emails remain preferred by the company as has no impact on the environment and works within a blink of an eye. Through such services from the internet as live chats, Skype messenger, Gmail chart and windows live messenger, Ford Motors Company can communicate instantly with the consumers. The consumers are as well having an opportunity to respond to the sent messages and this forms the root of the success of the company. (Hughes, 2013, p. 238)Consumers from Australia can have a one-on-one link with the company just like consumers attended to through personal selling. To ensure communication with the intended consumer especially in cases where the company wants to communicate to an individual, the company adopts video chatting. The company is not only able to have instant communication with the consumer but also with the aid of the web cameras able to see the person with whom it is communicating. Video charting allows the company to communicate with more than one person at a time by use of the business conferencing features. Ford Motors Company also takes advantage of the social media networks including Facebook, linked in and twitter. Hosting a huge number of people of late, the company can access all its customers via Facebook. (Fischer, 2010, p. 94) The company can post of the brands on the Facebook and ask customers to make their comments. The customers can also follow the company on Twitter getting access to the companys updates and news. The company uses the blogs to get from the consumers their minds and ideas on the companys progress. The company can change the topic of the discussion any time of the day. Everyone regardless of their location can share their ideas and comments on the posted topics. Mobile devices have helped the company to send texted and multimedia messages to its consumers. The text messages have proved very appealing to the consumers as it is more confidential than emails, social media and the other forms of electronic media. Such electronic as emails, Facebook, video chatting and blogs are subjecting hacking and manipulation by internet hackers who may end up introducing viruses and other malice to the sent information. Print Media Communication: The different types of print communication used by ford motor company include daily newspapers, magazines, and proceedings from the conferences. The company prints the information it would wish to convey in such documents and ask the customers to respond. The reactions to the compliments of the consumers are as well communicated through the print media. The company also has various forms of display media. The billboards, posters, flyers and signs tend to be very communicative of the company even though they have a very narrow coverage. (Management Association, 2014, p. 562) Ford Motors Company also makes adverts over the radios and television. With varied colors and images give the consumers an opportunity to make choices between competing companies dealing with the same line of commodities. How the communication activities are helping the organization undertake strategy and achieve their objectives Ford Motors Company aims at maximizing profits and ensuring it reaches the widest target market achievable. The various forms of communication media and tools have had a very significant role in achieving the mission, objectives and vision statements. From the electronic communication media, the company reaches customers located far away from the companys suburbs. The company can retain to retain the already existing customers besides reaching new markets. The electronic communication tools are effective in terms of price and distance coverage. The illiterate target market of the company is not left behind in the distribution of any updates that would be of importance to them. Television and radios that form the bulk of the broadcast communication tools ensure the information reaches such consumers. (Means, 2009, p. 258)The consumers are thus able to know of any available offers and their periods, and may be a new brand of vehicle introduced into the market by the company. The social media that hosts the widest target market for the company act as an excellent source of information on the necessary improvements on the quality of the goods and services the company offers. From the comments on the posted images of cars on Facebook, the company gets in touch with what the customer would wish to be provided with. Still, the social media provides a platform with which the consumers can forward their complaints and compliments. (Grenny, 2011, p. 58) This fosters the achievement of the mission of production of goods and services to the standards of the wants and desires of the consumers. (Eicher, 1993, p. 206)With continued improvement in the quality of the services and goods produced, the company gets closer day by day to the vision. The vision of being the worlds leading producer and distributor of goods and services in the automobile industry. The above communication tools and media are used in both countries to reach the target market. The choice of the communication activity adopted is a factor of the geographical location of the target market and the expected coverage. It is cost-effective to use the electronic media of communication for long distance communication with extensive area customer coverage. Personal selling serves best within the United States of America. The key challenges of practicing IMC. Unifying technology: Ford Motors Company just like any other company finds it hectic to get its data tied together in one document. This is because advancements in technology that keeps changing and requires constant updates and checks to keep in touch with the latest technology. Cross-media creativity: This is the problem of engaging and inspiring the customers with the ideas and images from the company. Communication activities would automatically lose meaning, value hence their place in the business if the target market is not convinced to go for the commodities of the company. The company finds it is quite uneasy to pass the right information to the right person at the right moment. (Karmakar, 2005, p. 91)This comes about because the company rarely does not devote their time and resources to identifying the right target market. Resources and Management support: The resources including funds and personnel to be deployed in the communications department is in scarce supply. Ford Motors Company thus needs more resources for the purposes of the effectiveness of the communication activities. Even with the communication activities in place, there is need of maintenance and continuous improving which are both calling for more resources. (Ormeno, 2007, p. 451) Sharing of the data of the customer: Collection and storage of the data regarding the target market is significantly influenced by the technological advancements. It is a common problem in the company to find another company owns that information regarding a particular target group. (Almonte, 2009, p. 36)This leads to confusion of which date belongs to which company and on the level of confidentiality of the data. International issues: Though not as a nightmare to the company as such, there always exists variation in the information in the data sheets are evident. Due to the absence of local agencies that are responsible for the evaluation of the norms of the culture and media consumption there may arise a slight difference in the information between the top and bottom pages of the data sheet tables. Sharing of brand assets: Ford Motors Company shares assets within its branches and with partnering organizations. This translates to a delay in one branch as it awaits the other to hand over to it the assets. The information could thus reach the target the target at time when it has significantly lost value and thus of less importance. A close examination of the communication tools and media and how their applications in the company intertwine could be a reflection of the application of integrated marketing communication in Ford Motors Company. (Goodall, 2009, p. 312)The company invests relatively lump sums of resources on the communication activities to ensure their consumers are kept on toes. The communication activities play a vital role in the reach of new markets and retaining the already existing markets. The communication tools and media are used simultaneously. (Eicher, 1993, p. 145)Advertising as a communication depends on the various forms of communication media to convey information to the consumers. Such media, as listed, are newspapers, television, radio, magazines besides other forms of advertising. This thus means for a success in making adverts and a reflection of the efforts applied in advertising, the correct channel of advertising must be considered. (Hill, 2011, p. 246) The company also takes part in personal selling to ensure a one-on-one interaction with the customers and get direct feedback and reaction from them. This is affordable when the customers are located close to the industry thus mostly applied to the Americans. (Loewy, 2010, p. 69) But then the company still finds it necessary to reach the customers abroad and also get from them direct responses and claims that would help them know which areas in their production to make adjustments. (Green, 2010, p. 139)The company thus resolves on electronic media of communication to achieve such a goal. This factors in to some extent the company y involvement in integrated marketing communications. Recommendations In order to keep up the good image and maintain the position it holds in the USA and the world as a whole, Ford Motors Company must check on the challenging facing the communication activities. It must also be very vigilant in making a number of choices. I would thus recommend the following measures to be adopted by Ford Motors Company: Ford Motors Company to update their systems to be in line with the latest technological demands. This would ensure there is no loss data in the company regarding their customers. The adoption of the current technology would enhance keeping intact of the data and valuable information to the company. Dedication of time and other resources in the identification of the right customer at the right time. This would eliminate the problem of cross-media activity where the communication activities fail to persuade and inspire the buyer. When the right information is conveyed to the right target market at the right time, most of if not all the objectives of the company are likely to be easily achieved. The use of electronic communication media would highly curb the cross-media creativity problem. This especially the emails ensures the message is sent to the intended receiver hence only care should be taken to ensure the information is conveyed in time. The mobile devices also prove effective in solving this problem even in a better way as the receiver provides an immediate feedback. Conclusion In as much as ford motors company is doing well in the market and competing favorably with the competitors in the manufacture and sales of auto motives, there is need to check on the challenges facing the integrated marketing communication of the company. An adoption of the above-proposed recommendations would prove very effective in the further prosperity of the company. The social media offers an excellent opportunity for Ford Motors Company to trap more customers thus increase the market base. Taking advantage of the existence of this communication tool would place the company in a better position that it is at the moment in terms of sales and publicity. 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