Internet Marketing for Ford Australia and Holden Australia - Case Study Example

Assessment of Internet Marketing For Ford Australia and Holden Australia Name Institution Assessment of Internet Marketing For Ford Australia and Holden Australia Companies to be analyzed Ford Australia Also known as, Ford Motor Company of Australia Limited, Ford Australia is a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, which is an automaker in the United States. The company started in 1925 in Geelong, Victoria, as an outpost of the Ford Motor Company of Canada when it was separate from Ford USA. The first products of Ford Australia were Model Ts assembled from the complete knock-down (CKD) kits provide by Ford Canada. With the introduction of new models, Ford Australia manufactured more than Model Ts. During the World War II, Ford Australia stopped producing cars to start military production to support the war effort. Initially, Ford Australia assembled UK source pilot then changed focus to British cars such as Zodiac, Zephyr, Perfect, Canadian Ford V8, and Consul. Holden Also known as GM Holden Limited, Holden is an Australian automobile manufacturer with headquarter in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company started in 1856 as a manufacturer of saddlery in South Australia and moved to automotive field in 1908 before becoming a subsidiary of the United states-based General Motors (GM) in 1931. Before the company became General Motors Holden’s Limited, it became Holden Limited and adopted the current name in 2005 (Holden Australia, 2016). Holden manufactures GM vehicles operating in Australia and held partial ownership of the GM Daewoo in South Korea between 2002 and 2009. Holden offers variety of bagde engineered models including Chevrolet, Isuzu, Nissan, Opel, Suzuki, Toyota, and Vauxhall Motors. Domain Ford Ford Motor Company is an American international automaker with headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan in the suburbs of Detroit. www.ford.com An international page for the company that allows regional navigation www.ford.com.au Ford’s subsidiary in Australia From the domains, the automaker uses similar naming systems; however, the domains differ in terms of regional naming which defines the location of the subsidiary. The websites suggest that www.ford.com was set up before www.ford.com.au whose major role is to allow the Australian customers to navigate easily through the website and access their required services. Holden The company aims to end its local manufacturing in 2017 but looks forward to building its 150-year Australian history. The company has more than 2oo dealership, a local Proving Ground of tuning and testing the cars, and more than 14,000 workers across Australia and looking forward to long Australian future. www.holden.com.au Reflects that the company mainly serves the Australian market The website has been designed in a manner that it allows easy navigation to various products and services produced by Holden. However, when searching for www.holden.com, the website redirects to www.holden.com.au which means that it majorly operates within the Australian market. The company uses only one naming system, www.holden.com.au, which makes it difficult to make spelling errors. Ford Australia Holden 2 1 Search Engine Position Ford Australia 1 www.ford.com 2 www.ford.com.au 3 www.fordparts.com 4 mustang.ford.eu Holden 1 www.holden.com.au Search term: Ford Australia Ford Australia gets reasonable representation on the Google as being one of the most researched automobile websites globally, especially within the Australian market. When searching for “Ford”, several websites pages are displayed. The website does not allow searching spelling mistakes, thus allowing the potential customers to navigate easily through the website (Levine, 2007). Search term: Holden When searching for Holden, the potential customers only view Holden Australia signifying the manner in which the company has narrowed its products and services within the Australian market. Ford Australia Holden 1 1 Condition Market Size In the advent of technology, both the businesses and potential consumers are turning into various technological programmes in a bid to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. The automotive industry comprises of an array of smaller industries whose performances vary across the various stages of the supply chain. Overall, there have been slow but steady growths over the past five years. The global sales of the passenger cars were forecast to hit 73.9 million vehicles in 2015. The dependency of the industry on the rates of employment, global consumer spending, international price of the crude oil, and rates of financing are the main factors making the industry vulnerable to economic shifts. Figure 1: International Sales Trend Figure 2: Australian Automobile Industry Ford and Hold are the major Australian players within the automotive industry with Hyundai being the leading competitor. The new cars within the Australian market are Toyota and Mazda with Holden and Ford ranked close. Moreover, Toyota and Mazda continue to enjoy dominance in the Australian new car sales despite lack of heavy discounting while Holden and Ford enjoy strong sales based on the arrival of the new models. Figure 3: Australian Automotive Market Ford Australia Holden 2 2 Internet Adoption The era of digitization is changing the manner in which manufacturers sell and market the cars. Social media, mobile technology, and independent online information sources tend to put the potential customers in charge of the processes that automakers and dealers one had control over. However, some of the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have been slow on embracing such channels which leaves the dealers to fend for themselves as the new rivals tend to use digital marketing technologies in siphoning the profits from the value chain created by the automotive industries (Caterson, 2016). It is from such background that both Ford Australia and Holden joined forces with the dealers in a bid to build first-class digital sales and marketing capacities which often requires fundamental changes in their roles and geography-based distribution systems which were not designed for the borderless online marketplace. In the next ten years, the automotive industry is likely to experience dramatic changes in the consumer buying preferences. Within the automotive industry, customers’ segmentation is nothing new. Nonetheless, by 2020, the fragmentation needs of the customers would have to pay more attention to the regional demand. According to dealers in Germany and UK, the customers have become better informed due to online information services and sources in conversation with the sales representatives. Context and Content Ford Australia The company has a website that highlights all its products and services. The site is easy to navigate. At the homepage, the company highlights the SUVs, commercial, Family cars, Small Cars, Utes, and other cars; the technology use; shopping criterion including Build & Quote, latest offers, test drives, how to locate dealers, Fleet, Brochure, how to sign up for Ford eNews, and MyFord Finance. Through the page, the customers could access Global Ford Website, contact information, and Site Map. With such icons and services, it is clear that the company is committed to e-commerce. As expected within the automobile industry, the company use many visual contents and reinforce of its position. The customers are moved with the adverts and picture contents, which seem attractive. As a result, Ford Australia uses clear photographs and with incorporation of the social media platforms, the company allows the customers to seek clarification for the products and services that they need. Holden The company has a website that is easy to navigate. With the Menu bar located at the top-right, it is easy to note and navigate through all the products and services offered by the company. The menu include the cars, offers, buying mechanisms, owning, contact information, and various social media platform for easy communication. Moreover, the website allows the potential customers to discover their range of vehicles, build and determine the values, and the opportunity to find the deals. The site also contains Privacy policy, terms of use, and site map for easy navigation. More importantly, the website permits live chatting with the customer support, which makes the company focus to integration of the various technological needs and satisfaction of the needs of the customers. As most customers often require demonstration of the products and services that they need to purchase, Holden website takes account of such and places some video and sliding photographs to attract even more customers to visit the page. Ford Australia Holden 2 1 Customer Focused Ford Australia Ford Australia’s website majorly targets the Australian market. With various designs and models of the vehicle displayed on its website, it is clear that the automobile has been able to fragment its market to suit the needs of different people. The type of car determines the customers being targeted. There are various cars posted on the websites with different features reflecting the distinction in the needs of the customers. With incorporation of technological systems such as operating systems, it is clear that the company majorly targets the youths: both males and females in the upper and middles class brackets with the steady flow of income. These individuals are college educated living within the urban cities and have active lifestyle (Ford Australia, 2016). Type of car Target market Ford Transit Connect Business people 2010 Field Fiesta Entry level car owners of between 15-25 years Ford Trucks Work needs especially the men Ford Taurus People of between 30 and 50 years with huge families Ford Focus Entry level car owners Ford Crown Victoria Target for people aged 40-70 years mainly for chauffeur services and Police Departments Ford Mustang Everyone Ford Econoline Companies dealing in transportation and various work needs Ford Explorer and Ford Expedition For people aged 30-50 years with limited off roading needs Holden Initially, Holden focused on the Commodore Car Company; however, with the image displays on its website, it is clear that the company is shifting to a position it considers relevant to the Australians. The company is setting the arm for the transition in position from the local GM, which deals with local production to full line importer status in a bid to be more relevant to the new spectrum of buyers available in Australia. Holden adopted a tactic that mainly targets the family buyers with new models of vehicles. Like any other sector within the Australian market, motor industry inclusive of the Holden seek to find more innovative and creative ways of engaging the customers in digital and social channels. With the integration of different social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, the company mainly targets the youths and those in their middle 40s and 50 years of age. Generally, Holden targets both the Australian men and women aged between 18 and 45 years from the low class to middle class since the company has various models at distinct prices that meet the needs of the customers. The other market targets are people who value powerful cars and value the Australian pride. Models Target Astra, Cascada, Commodore, Insignia, and Ute Targets the consumers who fancy sporting activities Colorado Utility vehicle with the cargo tray in the rear integrated with the passengers Caprice and captive Families Ford Australia Holden 2 1 Communication Communication is an integral part of the business and determines organizational customer relations. As a result, businesses have been integrating different forms of communication to ensure effectiveness, efficiency, and reliability in the products and services provided. The website of both Ford Australia and Holden has effective communication ads. Holden The website communicates with the consumers in different ways, which enable site to user communication. The texts written on the sites communicate various products and services offered by the company. The texts are within both the main body content and headlines, which are easy to understand. On the websites, there are images which communicate the types of vehicles of speaks many works of the quality of services offered by the company. Moreover, the photographs used not only communicate the purpose, but also create attractive and interesting design. The website has a link that makes it easy to send emails, subscribe for the newsletters for updates on organizational activities. Moreover, the website also “Live Chat” for direct communication with the customers service department. With consumers seeking for reliable and efficient services, social media is becoming an integral part in business communication especially in establishing a two-way communication. The social platforms used with the company are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Ford Australia The website integrates different mechanism of ensuring effect two-way communication between the company and the potential consumers. Moreover, the website has various texts indicating the types of vehicles that the company manufactures, their features, purposes, technologies used, shopping, and the owner, which reduces the number of questions that the consumers need to ask. The images on the website communicate faster, clearly, and emphatically. The sliding photographs and video displays attract consumers to view company’s website. The website has a frequently asked question (FAQ) to improve communication with the visitors who often have similar types of questions. Through such FAQs, the company ensures that instead of leaving the questions unmasked and unanswered rather than requiring personal answers to the common questions, which makes it convenient way of getting the question of the visitors answered. However, it is difficult to find out the icons that link various social media platforms, company’s contact details, how to subscribe to the newsletters, and emails compared to Holden. Ford Australia Holden 1 1 Cross Promotion Cross promotion is a marketing strategy, which involves joining forces with another company in a bid to link reputation and choosing the partners. Moreover, it involves utilizing another medium or channel for promotion and distribution of the products and services to the new market. Ford Australia The driving games are thriving on the updated iterations and keep with the current scene. For years, Forza has been a quality franchise though lived in bigger shadow of bigger games such as Gran Turismo and relatively hidden from the Xbox exclusivity. After Forza 5 receiving great attention, Forza Motorsport is focusing on reaching further. As a result, Ford Motor Company announced its new-frangled supercar, Ford GT, to be available within Forza 6 for driving as well as other range performance cars such as Shelby GT350, F-150 Rapter, and Mustang (Tarcomnicu, 2016). The revamped Australian Formula Ford Series formed an alliance with Mazda Road to the Indy ladder system, which received boost for the competitors with its announcement in the United States. Such an alliance would see both the promoters of both brands working together with an aim of providing the competitors of Australian Formula Ford with the defined pathway. Holden Cross promotion, activities are also important for Holden Company. The rapid expansion of the local car industry became successful after the launch of FX, which is a Holden model. However, to market it, the company had to run an advertisement campaign that featured the chant of the “football, meat pies, kangaroos, and Holden cars” due to the size and remoteness of the market. In 2015, the company partnered with Disney which is an American owner of the Star Wars franchise with an aim of producing the unlikely cross promotion which is summed up in the nebulous tagline: “Both Star Wars and Holden inspire and unite people of all ages, delivering experiences that are out of this world for all Australians.” Ford Australia Holden 2 1 Compliance The power of the website is its universal accessibility by everyone irrespective of the disability aspect. Ford Australia The websites is fundamentally designed in a manner that it allows accessibility to all people, irrespective of the software, hardware, language, culture, location, mental, and physical ability. With these features, it is evident that meets the accessibility goal for diversified range of sight, cognitive ability, hearing, and movement. As a result, the company removes all the barriers that could impact people with disability negatively and makes communication and interaction easy in the face of physical world. From the analysis of the website, it does not have any Flash content, which in most cases require flash players. The company complies with the data collection laws as the policy outline the methods that the company could use to collect the information and incidents in which the information could be used. However, the company’s policy allows sharing information with the third parties outside Australia, which could hinder the morale of consumers from using the website. “Some of the third parties to whom we disclose personal information may be located outside Australia. For example, we may disclose personal information to our related companies overseas and to our overseas service providers. The countries in which these third parties are located will depend on the circumstances. In the ordinary course of business, we commonly disclose personal information to parties located in the United States, India, China, and Singapore (where our Ford group data and business centres are located). Except where an exception applies under the Privacy Act, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that such overseas recipients do not breach the Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act in relation to such information” Holden The website of the company complies with various accessibility requirements and guidelines considering that it is accessible to people with disabilities, accessible from different internet browsers from the phones and computers, it functions appropriates from various equipment. Moreover, website contains minimum coding which makes the platform fast while downloading and easy navigation by the users. The website has diversified uses as some could opt for information regarding their specified vehicles, performance of the company, and social media integration mechanisms (Web Accessibility Initiative, 2012). The website does not require any specialized software such as flash player. All the images have the headers and descriptions, which makes it easier for the users to access their required information. The website also contain both the terns us and privacy policy. Any information that the company collect through the website can only be used and disclosed by the company based on its privacy policy. However, to some extent, through sharing the information, the company fails to protect personal information of the clients as outline in the 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) as enshrined within the Privacy Act of 1988 (Ch) Privacy Act. “Holden collects most personal information directly from you, for example when you provide information through market surveys, product focus groups, the websites operated by Holden, Holden's customer assistance service (Customer Care) via mail, email and telephone enquiries, and during the recruitment process. Third parties may also share information with us, including our Dealers (such as vehicle purchasing, servicing and warranty information), related companies and Westpac (if you have a GM Holden MasterCard, Westpac provides Holden with some information for the purposes of ensuring that card holders are able to claim their GM Holden MasterCard rebate when purchasing an eligible Holden vehicle). We may also collect your personal information if you enter a competition or promotion we run (either directly or through our marketing agents), or through a recruitment or employment agency” Ford Australia Holden 2 2 Corporate Responsibility Ford Australia The corporate platform is accessible from the main website through the community icon. Corporate Citizenship has been part of the company for many years and believes in lifelong education. As a result, the company demonstrates its corporate citizenship through supporting the schools built for the employees and partnership forged with various learning institutions. In addition, the company supports the environment, promotes safety, and assist the local communities. Ford Australia is committed to being a good corporate citizen through commitment in sustaining the local communities around its Broadmeadows and Geelong plants. The company’s corporate responsibilities are: Community support Ford Employees Charitable Contribution Scheme (FECCS) – United Way Geelong Region, The Salvation Army, The Smith Family, Greening Australia (Victoria), and Variety, the Children’s Charity Volunteering - 16 Hour Community Service Program Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Red Cross Blood Bank Corporate Governance Chairperson Board of Directors Chief Executive Officer Product Development Global Program and Purchasing Operations International Governance Affairs Global Strategy Special Advisor Quality and New Model Launch Supply Chain Sustainability and Membership of Global Compass Ford Australia has allies to assist in achieving the desired success within the Market. It promotes long-term relationships with the suppliers and seeks alignment with such suppliers on sustainability issues: Environmental, working conditions, and human rights responsibility. The company communicates its expectations with the suppliers, assess the base of its supply base for social and environmental performance, building the capability of its suppliers, and ensure adequate collaboration within the industry. Holden The website is simple and directs to the company’s social corporate responsibility. The company undertakes different activities for the welfare of both the community and workers. The company aims to be best in the automobile industry and to extend beyond the vehicles into the communities of the members and customers. Since it is dedicated to excellence, it is committed to building educational, community, and environmental progress that has the ability of creating a better world. The company’s corporate responsibility involves: Community – it aims to shape its reputation and motivate the next generation of engineers, designers, and manufacturing visionaries Diversity – the company has employees from diversified backgrounds as it aims to create a inclusion form of culture that embraces respect, responsibility, and understanding Environment – the company aims to make environmentally friendly facilities through sustainability development Safety The website lacks links of the corporate governance and sustainability. Ford Australia Holden 1 2 The Marketing Mix Ford Australia Product The company uses high technology and different manufacturing plants; it also manufactures some best cars globally. The company deals with many cars including Ford Fiesta, Ford Escape, Ford Focus, and Ford Range. All the products are localized and made with the concept with an aim of matching the condition that emphasize on the durability, reduced cost of maintenance, and fuel efficiency. Price Ford Australia is one of the largest automakers globally reaching such zenith depends on the pricing strategy. To make it extremely profitable, the company accounts for the incurred cost within the profit with the prices determined by the competitor’s products. Under the non-price, the company’s competition pricing strategy took sponsorship contract without changing the cost of selling the vehicles. Place Ford Australia has the distinction of introducing to the world the new manufacturing concept with industrialized workforce. The company combined these factors with efficient workforce, low prices, and located with strategic place to ensure possibility in everything. The company is located within strategic locations and developed own manufacturing to ensure the actual price of the vehicle do not shoot. Promotion Ford Australia has highly competitive marketing strategy that aims to build relationship with the previous and loyal customers and new potential customers linked to different events associated with sport. The company also has exclusive opportunity through sponsoring activities, which has assisted in tapping the sport to the customers. Holden Products Holden Company manufactures vehicles of model to accommodate the needs of different customers. The vehicles include Astra, Barina, Caprice, Cascada, Captiva, Colorado Commodore, Insignia, Malibu, Ute, Trax, and Trailblazer. Some of the vehicles are manufactured for off-road activities. Price The company provides wide range of vehicles with prices ranging from US$10,000 to US$100,000+ that caters for different customer segments across the globe: middle class to luxury class automobiles. In Australia, the company uses competitive strategy which emphasis on the value pricing. Place The company boast of various manufacturing plants located in Australia as outline in the website, which is a significant competitive advantage. The company uses typical places for its strategy for distribution of the product. For distribution, the website outlines dealership, Ford Motor Credit Company, Auto parts stores, and Ford Parts Website. Promotion From the websites, the company uses Auto shows, magazines, personal selling, public relations, and sales promotion to promote various. As a result, Ford Australia promotes its products and services through different convectional tactics. Moreover, the company also uses its website in advertising its products and services. Scoring Scheme Ford Australia Holden Domain 2 1 Search Engine Position 1 1 Condition 2 2 Context and Content 2 1 Customer Focused 2 1 Communication 1 1 Cross Promotion 2 1 Compliance 2 2 Corporate Responsibility 1 2 The Marketing Mix 2 2 Total 17 14 Conclusion Ford Australia and Holden are companies operating within similar automobile industry. They enjoy similar search engine position, condition, communication, compliance, and marketing mix. These practices aim to ensure that the websites are appealing to the potential clients in a bid to build the brand and communication strategies. Generally, Ford Australia has the best online performance. However, Holden performed better than Ford Australia in certain areas including corporate social responsibility. References Caterson, S. (2016, August 27). Holden and Ford: Aus motor industry rivals’ slow drive to finish line. Retrieved October 25, 2016, from www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/holden-and-ford-aus-motor-industry-rivals-slow-drive-to-finish-line/news-story/187c71c856dd4dad697c01d241664ffd Ford Australia. (2016). Sustainability Report 2015/16: Ford Motor Company. Retrieved October 25, 2016, from http://corporate.ford.com/microsites/sustainability-report-2015-16/index.html Holden Australia. (2016). Cars. Retrieved October 25, 2016, from https://www.holden.com.au/cars Levine, C. (2007, February 20). RSA Responds to Site-to-User Authentication Study - Wall Street & Technology. Retrieved October 25, 2016, from http://www.wallstreetandtech.com/risk-management/rsa-responds-to-site-to-user-authentication-study/d/d-id/1258418? Tarcomnicu, F. (2016, August 22). Smart Ways to Integrate Cross-Promotion With Online Marketing. Retrieved October 25, 2016, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/280211 WAVE. (2016). WAVE Report. Retrieved October 25, 2016, from wave.webaim.org/report#/https://www.holden.com.au/ Web Accessibility Initiative. (2012, August 1). How People with Disabilities Use the Web: Overview ◦ Web Accessibility Initiative ◦ W3C. Retrieved October 25, 2016, from https://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/people-use-web/ Read More