Ford’s Groundbreaking 2022 F-150 Electric Truck: Strategies for an Aggressive Marketing Campaign

quotFordamp8217s data show that truck customers begin the shopping process earlier than typical customers starting an average of 233 days before purchasequotamp160the company said then quotNearly half of truck buyers ultimately purchase the brand they researched in their initial shopping They spend an average of 35 percent to 45 percent more time on dealer websites than car and crossover buyers looking at specific trucks to meet their unique needsquotSam Abuelsamid principal analyst for emobility at Guidehouse Insights says there are good reasons truck buyers take their time quotI39m not surprised if the customers spend more time on researching trucks just because it takes so long to go through all the buildable combinationsquotamp160he said quotLast I checked there were more than 14 million permutations and I wouldnamp8217t be surprised if there are more now because of new premium trim levels and more powertrain options including four that are conventional gas plus diesel hybrid and now electricquotFord amp8211 then was ready with online content 30second TV spots and indepth videos to prove that quotthe F150 is a performer to help them get the job donequotOK it39s seven years later and Ford has just released whatamp8217s likely to be the most significant F150 in the modelamp8217s long history The F150 Lightning pictured at topamp160is allelectric with 230 miles of range in a SuperCrew base model that retails for an eyepopping 40000 with an available 7500 federal tax credit reducing the price still more The media loves it and thinks it39s a game changer but will the truckbuying public get the memo This is where a big media campaign as happened back then comes inBut Ford isn39t ready to talk about its marketing campaign just yet quotThe truck doesnamp8217t go on sale until the spring of next year and so itamp8217s like 360 days awayquotamp160said Mike Levine head of truck communications at Ford quotItamp8217s too early to share specificsquotThatamp8217s fair enough but as the company39s own research shows it won39t be long before consumers will be making up their minds about which 2022 pickup to buy So allow me to speculate on what the campaign should emphasizeThe truck already has 75000 advance orders They39re what you might call soft orders because consumers had to put down only a 100 deposit refundable Still it39s a pretty good indication of interest The key will be convincing the people who buy work trucks that the electric is actually a better more capable vehicle That should be possible because it actually isquotHere39s how I would frame itquotamp160Levine said quotTruck customers aren39t going to buy the Lightning just because it39s electric but because it39s a better vehicle doing things an internalcombustion engine truck canamp8217t do We convinced people our twinturbo EcoBoost V6 was not just smaller but can tow a bigger load with better fuel efficiency The same logic applied to our aluminum F150 bodies more towing better fuel efficiency The bottom line is that it39s a better solutionquotAbuelsamid concurs quotI think the emphasis should be on new capabilities that you can39t get with other trucks while reinforcing that this truck can do everything any other F150 does apart from rangequotamp160he said quotProPower power backup and the giant front trunk are all key selling points I wouldn39t put too much emphasis on towing at this point though because some customers would be better off with a diesel But everything else about the Lightning comes across as an advance over other F150s and at a very competitive price especially for commercial customers An electric Raptor running in the Baja 1000 would also be an interesting way to show off what this thing can doquotThe Lightning may not be the best F150 for towing but it is able to haul 10000 pounds The bed can handle 2000 poundsVersatility is the selling point As Levine notes the existing hybrid version of the truck with an onboard generator got a promotional boost during the recent Texas ice storms Randy Jones of Katy Texas told Wave 3 news quotWithout it I would have been in the dark and cold like everybody else in the neighborhood Quite a few of the neighbors said 39Hey I39m getting one39amp160like 39I39m trading my Dodge or GMC39amp160because in South Texas with hurricanes and things like that we39re always having power outagesquotThe Lightning is like the hybrid on steroids with lots of powering options and the marketing campaign is very likely to emphasize this heavily The house or job site can be connected via Ford Intelligent Backup Power and ProPower Onboard allows access to 96 kilowatts through 10 onboard outlets four in the front quotfrunkquotamp160two in the cab and four in the bedquotItamp8217s electric and built Ford Toughquotamp160an ad targeted at people who buy work trucks could say quotTake it to the job site and never be without available power again An electric outage Plug into your LightningquotOr because some versions can reach 60 mph in 44 seconds how about quotThis is a truck built Ford Tough that will take you to work during the week and here on the weekendsquotamp160Cue the drag strip images Fanciful maybe but this is one fast truckAbuelsamid adds quotFord might want to also consider a subscription program like Care by Volvo that bundles everything Since the service costs are lower they might be able to come up with a very attractive alternative to a conventional lease or loanquotOf course Ford is going to have to go to town with social media television buys dealer support and celebrity endorsements This truck is already making a splash but it needs to be so big it almost empties the poolPhoto at top courtesy of FordClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160amp160amp160

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Ford’s Groundbreaking 2022 F-150 Electric Truck: Strategies for an Aggressive Marketing Campaign

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Jim Motavalli

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