The Lincoln Way-Plan to Woo Customers

[ANTAUS]

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/07/19/the-lincoln-way-car-dealership-black-label/

[PREMiERdrum]

Meanwhile, the brain-trust at Cadillac opened a coffee shop in NYC.

[twintornados]

[fordtech1]

I saw this. I didn't think it was real.

Edited July 20, 2016 by fordtech1

[bzcat]

The Lincoln Way was pretty much how Toyota built Lexus from the ground up. Ford's focus on customer experience with Lincoln is probably the right call. You can have the best dynamic products but if people get turned off visiting the dealers, they ain't going to buy one.

[BORG]

I believe this is partly related to the fact that California (the largest luxury car market in the US) has very few (I could only find one) standalone Lincoln dealerships, all of them share lots with Ford dealerships, even Black Label. I don't think people are aware of Lincoln's weakness on the West Coast and this is part of a unique effort to put a small dent in a pretty big problem.

 

I've seen Caddy's New York 'Coffee Shop" which is quite a bit more than people think it is. It's also a facility for events which really does make it an integral part of New York society, I think it's quite genius but very much unique to New York. In many ways I do think Caddy is finally getting ahead on the PR game. Lincoln is getting a little staid, they need to make this the final year for Matt commercials and move along.

Edited July 20, 2016 by BORG

[jcartwright99]

"... Lincoln is getting a little staid..."

How so? Just the commercials?

 

The changes that are happening for Lincoln, as far as offerings with Black Label (and everything that comes with it) and the dealership experience, are smart and very pragmatic. The world wasn't created in a day!

[PREMiERdrum]

I've seen Caddy's New York 'Coffee Shop" which is quite a bit more than people think it is. It's also a facility for events which really does make it an integral part of New York society, I think it's quite genius but very much unique to New York. In many ways I do think Caddy is finally getting ahead on the PR game.

They moved their divisional offices and are floundering to find their "DNA" going forward. Of course, they chose a market where the vast majority of people do not drive, and those who ride in vehicles typically do so in makes and models not of their own choosing. Look at the 2 latest ATS/CTS ads to see they have no idea how to market their current lineup. The "asshole with a pool" ads were smarmy and self-important, but they had conceptual structure behind them.

 

The NYC move was a Johan vanity project, and thus far it's produced no fruit. The brand has dreams of grandeur and 6-figure sedans, but has failed to read market trends that were obvious to literally everybody else.

 

Boiled down, Cadillac's messaging struggles stem from the fact that you can't build a campaign around "we build American BMW's." That's the only identity they have, and even that isn't completely fleshed out.

 

Lincoln, meanwhile, is exploiting the inroads they've made on the west coast and this customer experience center is a great, relatively inexpensive way to raise their profile even further in the markets where their growth potential is most opportune.

 

Lincoln is getting a little staid, they need to make this the final year for Matt commercials and move along.

 

They might not do much for us here, but the McConaughey ads have been extremely well-received and are being held-up, at least in the YP circles I am involved in, as an excellent brand concept message. I know when they re-upped him to expand the campaign, they were thrilled with the exposure - identity - follow-through on them.

 

I'll buy you a beer if the Navigator's launch campaign doesn't have him in it.

[jcartwright99]

 

"...I'll buy you a beer if the Navigator's launch campaign doesn't have him in it."

 

 

I think it could go either way. He may represent too much of the transitional Lincoln. I know he is in the MKZ commercials but that is just a refreshed product. On the other hand, he could become much like the Lexus voice over guy (James Sloyan). You expect to hear/see him in their advertising. I really think it depends on how Lincoln (as a whole), the MKZ, and Continental are received in the next 6-12 months.

 

Keep this in mind though. If the product isn't up to snuff, it's a moot point.

[PREMiERdrum]

Keep this in mind though. If the product isn't up to snuff, it's a moot point.

 

 

See: The superb Shiny Toy Guns/"Starships don't need keys" Lincoln ads from 2008/10 that couldn't have been less symbolic of the actual product.

[jcartwright99]

 

See: The superb Shiny Toy Guns/"Starships don't need keys" Lincoln ads from 2008/10 that couldn't have been less symbolic of the actual product.

 

At least they were spending advertising on Lincoln at that point. If they did actually come in for a test drive, just think about how much disappointment they left with.

 

"You want 50,000 for this? That Taurus across the street is just as nice for 15 grand less, with more bells and whistles and drives just as well. "

[BORG]

How so? Just the commercials?

 

The changes that are happening for Lincoln, as far as offerings with Black Label (and everything that comes with it) and the dealership experience, are smart and very pragmatic. The world wasn't created in a day!

 

The Commercials, like anything that gets really popular it's hard for people to pay attention to the messaging when it becomes expected or ignorable. The commercials are like sequels, they start to get weaker moving forward and you just have to refresh the franchise again.

 

Lincoln itself is doing fantastic things and it's starting to build toward something obvious now. I do believe Lincoln is run by smarter and more resourceful people than Cadillac and I have full confidence Lincoln will overtake Caddy to become the premiere American luxury maker and seller.

Edited July 20, 2016 by BORG

[jpd80]

And remember that 50% of all sales come from just five regions, California, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

There's a great opportunity to keep increasing volumes by simply getting more cars and dealerships in the right places.

[2b2]

I believe this is partly related to the fact that California (the largest luxury car market in the US) has very few (I could only find one) standalone Lincoln dealerships, all of them share lots with Ford dealerships, even Black Label. I don't think people are aware of Lincoln's weakness on the West Coast and this is part of a unique effort to put a small dent in a pretty big problem.

 

I've seen Caddy's New York 'Coffee Shop" which is quite a bit more than people think it is. It's also a facility for events which really does make it an integral part of New York society, I think it's quite genius but very much unique to New York. In many ways I do think Caddy is finally getting ahead on the PR game. Lincoln is getting a little staid, they need to make this the final year for Matt commercials and move along.

:thumb:

otoh

afaik more people (& hipsters too) DRIVE in LA than NYC....

Edited July 20, 2016 by 2b2

[BORG]

LA is not a hipster town, it's the least hipster town, haha. Detroit is more hipster than LA.

 

 

The thing that remains unsettling to me for Lincoln is that it's still very fond of it's traditional customers so I'm not quite clear on how they grow sales beyond them, because it's a pretty small market and getting smaller.

Edited July 20, 2016 by BORG

[rmc523]

 

See: The superb Shiny Toy Guns/"Starships don't need keys" Lincoln ads from 2008/10 that couldn't have been less symbolic of the actual product.

I loved those ads.

[2b2]

^^ they're just harder to identify with tans and sun-blonded hair

( NOT a reference to NCIS-LA )

 

more seriously, wonder how many former Cadillac buyers are now firmly in the Lincoln camp?

Edited July 20, 2016 by 2b2

[PREMiERdrum]

 

The thing that remains unsettling to me for Lincoln is that it's still very fond of it's traditional customers so I'm not quite clear on how they grow sales beyond them, because it's a pretty small market and getting smaller.

 

They launched their rebirth off of those who traditionally like their products but were turned off by the general disarray of the brand through and after the PAG shitshow. They had a pool of people predisposed to favor your products, assuming they meet basic benchmarks, and they tailored the MCEs and replacements to these buyers, especially those in areas where the brand wasn't as widely considered as the midwest. That plan worked, pumping up sales, and likely profits, which are now paying towards the new Navigator, which appears poised to elevate itself considerably, and the CD6 program, which has all sorts of fun prongs to it. I can tell you, while the next wave of products stay true to the bold, almost brash "American Luxury" identity, they certainly aren't all only aimed at the "traditional" Lincoln customer.

 

They didn't take the Cadillac route of alienating core customers before fully romancing new ones, and I'm grateful.

 

Lincoln was eviscerated for their slow and safe approach that focused on dramatic upgrades to customer experience and strategic, incremental improvements to product.

[MKX1960]

I believe this is partly related to the fact that California (the largest luxury car market in the US) has very few (I could only find one) standalone Lincoln dealerships, all of them share lots with Ford dealerships, even Black Label. I don't think people are aware of Lincoln's weakness on the West Coast and this is part of a unique effort to put a small dent in a pretty big problem.

 

I've seen Caddy's New York 'Coffee Shop" which is quite a bit more than people think it is. It's also a facility for events which really does make it an integral part of New York society, I think it's quite genius but very much unique to New York. In many ways I do think Caddy is finally getting ahead on the PR game. Lincoln is getting a little staid, they need to make this the final year for Matt commercials and move along.

My dealer used to have Ford and Lincoln on the same lot as well as a Lincoln lot. Now, they are separate. I actually liked it better when both were together and had my Ford salesman sell me a Lincoln last time I bought one in 2012. I'm a blue collar kind of guy and when I walk into the Lincoln dealership, I practically get ignored there because I don't look like a typical Lincoln customer. My salesman that I have bought 8 vehicles from recently retired after 22 years at that Ford dealer. I don't know what I'll do now if I decide to get a Lincoln.

[silvrsvt]

 

At least they were spending advertising on Lincoln at that point. If they did actually come in for a test drive, just think about how much disappointment they left with.

 

"You want 50,000 for this? That Taurus across the street is just as nice for 15 grand less, with more bells and whistles and drives just as well. "

 

Doesnt seem to be hurting the MKZ vs the Fusion.

[PREMiERdrum]

I loved those ads.

 

I did too! I remember you and I discussing them at length. They were really well done as standalone ads, but they did nothing to connect prospective customers to the products available at the time.

 

 

Doesnt seem to be hurting the MKZ vs the Fusion.

Well, this current MKZ is not at all visually related to the Fusion, unlike the 2010 MKZ that the Starships ads were pushing (along with the MKS, and I think there was an MKT Starship that aired once or twice).

[jcartwright99]

 

Doesnt seem to be hurting the MKZ vs the Fusion.

 

We weren't talking about now. I was specifically referring to the 2010 Lincoln MKS vs 2010 Taurus. While it was great that they were spending advertising dollars on Lincoln and had a great starship campaign, the product wasn't that good.

 

Not to beat the deadest of dead horses but lets take a trip down memory lane for a second.The 2009 MKS debuted with a 273 horsepower engine. It wasn't an earth shattering car by any means. Sure it looked different from what Lincoln was doing but wasn't going to turn the brand around. It was an average at best attempt but still a "decent" luxury car. The following year Ford introduced the Taurus and Taurus SHO, which we all know was based on the same platform. The SHO had some options that weren't even available on the Lincoln. Both cars got the 3.5 ecoboost engine and 6 speed transmission. The SHO was 95 percent of the car that the MKS was but for a steep discount. Sure, the leather was better, quieter, and isolated you a bit more in the MKS (at the penalty of handling kind of being meh) but it wasn't that much different.

 

You can say, essentially the same thing with the 2010-12 Fusion vs MKZ. The sport models were exactly the same mechanically The point was Lincoln had a good ad campaign and it didn't matter. The product wasn't good enough to justify the price (see MKS discounts). Now as the Lincoln transformation occurs, we are getting better products and we can hopefully assume the MKZ refresh and the Continental will be more steps in the right direction. The question becomes how do you market Lincoln now that they have legitimate luxury vehicles that can compete very well in their segments? People have a right to be skeptical of Lincoln. What is going to get them into the door and take a look?

[aneekr]

The question becomes how do you market Lincoln now that they have legitimate luxury vehicles that can compete very well in their segments? People have a right to be skeptical of Lincoln. What is going to get them into the door and take a look?

 

The first of McCarthy's "Four Ps of Marketing", namely product. Product is the most noteworthy lacuna in Lincoln's recent attempts to position itself as a luxury brand. While some elements of the brand may be considered "luxurious", at this point Lincoln lacks a full range of legitimate luxury vehicles.

Edited July 21, 2016 by aneekr

[silvrsvt]

 

 

Well, this current MKZ is not at all visually related to the Fusion, unlike the 2010 MKZ that the Starships ads were pushing (along with the MKS, and I think there was an MKT Starship that aired once or twice).

 

 

 

We weren't talking about now. I was specifically referring to the 2010 Lincoln MKS vs 2010 Taurus. While it was great that they were spending advertising dollars on Lincoln and had a great starship campaign, the product wasn't that good.

 

 

 

 

I was talking about todays models...but in all honesty I don't think a MKZ is worth anywhere from 10-15K more then a loaded Fusion. They have two options that aren't on the Fusion (AWD vectoring and the full sunroof) but there isn't enough separation options wise where most people would see it. The Pricing of the MKZ is getting to the point that Lincoln can fit a smaller car under it...

[ANTAUS]

Maybe that's what they are aiming for, slotting another car under it. It's sort of how I remember they pushed the LS into the $50K right before they introduced the MKZ. I priced one MKZ loaded for upper $59K, problem is at that price point there's other brands with more cache.