Carlisle Ford Nationals 2012.indb - Carlisle Events

THE FORD CONNECTION
FORD ‘GOES FURTHER’ TO POWER UP CONNECTION WITH ENTHUSIASTS
By John M. Clor / Ford Racing
Ford fans may think the primary focus of Ford Racing
is simply to help racers who drive Fords go at-out
faster to the nish line. But in reality, the main purpose
behind Ford Racing is to help build the Ford brand in
the hearts, minds and eyes of everyday consumers.
Racing and winning on the professional stage shows
o to the world a car company’s engineering expertise
and product integrity — and thus, it helps inuence
sales. Just as important, racing success on the grassroots
level also drives brand awareness and purchase
consideration with real-world car buyers.
Research proves that enthusiasts — including racers,
amateur sportsmen, car collectors, car club members
and active brand loyalists — all serve to drive
word-of-mouth sales by promoting a company’s image
as they interact with fellow car buyers on their
own turf. Enthusiasts also happen to enjoy modifying
and personalizing their vehicles, which is why Ford
Racing oers a full range of products to help serve customers
who want more for their cars than what comes
from the factory.
The annual Ford Racing Performance Parts catalog
is like a “Christmas Wish Book” for Ford enthusiasts,
oering the latest and greatest factory engineered
hardware to help many of us make our performance
dreams come true — and the 2012 version that is
available at the Ford Racing trailer this weekend is no
exception. But our catalog also serves as a very real
physical link between Ford’s on-track racing operations
and its production-car engineering credibility.
“Track-bred = street cred” is more than just a slogan
for the Ford Racing Performance Parts business. It’s as
much a mantra for how we develop new products as it
is a purchase-driver for Ford performance enthusiasts.
More importantly, as our overall product guideline, it
demonstrates Ford Racing’s commitment to enhancing
the ownership experience for you, our most passionate
of Ford fans.
But at Ford Racing, the connection to enthusiasts
goes far beyond simply the selection, quality and value
of the parts in the FRPP catalog. It is truly a personal
relationship that we work to grow and improve upon
every day. As performance vehicle fans ourselves, we
well know that enthusiast owners are among the most
vocal and visible of all Ford loyalists. Making performance
products that satisfy their desires serves to
activate them at the grassroots level as “disciples” who
help us preach the Ford “gospel” to their peers. And
that kind of direct third-party endorsement sends a
very inuential message to our prospective customers.
That’s why we think it’s important you know that —
like you — the people who work at Ford Racing also
“bleed Ford blue.” From our car-guy managers to the
hot-rod engineers to the motorhead marketers, even
the tech-heads on the Ford Performance Info Line —
you’ve gotta “love it, know it, and show it” around here
to be successful.
Easy to be an enthusiast
Last year, Ford Racing added an entire “Enthusiasts”
section to its recently revamped FordRacing.
com web site, giving a new face and place for its Ford
Performance Group enthusiast outreach program, a
unique customer interface launched by Ford Racing
in 2006. That move was designed to make it easier
for fans to nd and enjoy the kind of unique Ford enthusiast,
club, event, and specialty car content that
has made the site a true virtual connection between
Ford Motor Company and its legion of loyalists. From
special coverage of major Ford and club events, such
as Carlisle Ford Nationals, to unique stories from Ford
fans, to ocial Ford build info on many of today’s most
collectible performance Fords, the new “Enthusiasts”
section of FordRacing.com oers content that you
simply can’t nd anywhere else.
Fueled by the unequaled popularity of the Mustang,
it’s a fact that there are far more Ford-based vehicle
clubs than any other automotive marque. Instead of
building cars as mere appliances, like many of the import
brands, Ford has a heritage of building cars and
trucks that connect with owners on an emotional level.
Such a connection between car and owner has enabled
Ford to amass a veritable army of loyal enthusiasts over
the years that is the envy of every other automaker
on the planet. So now you can see why some import
manufacturers are asking their product teams to devise
cars that evoke more of an emotional connection with
owners, and why other carmakers are now hard at work
devising marketing “brand disciple” strategies of their
own. That automotive passion Ford fans are known for
is the very reason behind the annual celebration of the
Ford brand we’re enjoying this weekend in Carlisle!
Honest emotional connections
But owner loyalty isn’t something the company
takes for granted. In fact, Ford is working harder than
ever to “Go further” for our customers. In today’s world,
we know that consumers don’t particularly like being
“sold to” and don’t entirely trust what they hear about
a product from big corporations or manufacturers’ ads.
More and more, people are putting their purchasing
faith in personal recommendations from their friends,
neighbors, coworkers and acquaintances — and that’s
precisely where we as Ford loyalists can play a major
role in asking your non-Ford peers to “Drive One.”
To that end, Ford Racing has spearheaded several
initiatives designed specically to help Ford Motor
Company build on our relationship with loyalists, not
the least of which is our enthusiast outreach program.
Using an umbrella approach, we created the Ford Performance
Group of enthusiast organizations — a collection
of independent clubs whose members can enjoy
a variety of benets centered on the establishment
of a Ford-based information clearinghouse. Thanks
to all those years of working with enthusiasts at the
grassroots level, Ford Racing is able to oer these
clubs what they had told us they wanted the most —
a sustainable connection with the company.
Anchoring the program is that “Enthusiast” section
of the FordRacing.com web site, backed by a dedicated
team tasked to build Ford’s relationship with its past,
present and future performance customers. Its goal is
to help promote Ford-based clubs and their activities,
centralize the company’s contact with, and promotion
for, the myriad Ford-centered events across the country
each year, and provide a Web showcase for how
performance vehicle ownership opens the door to an
entire Ford enthusiast lifestyle — all in one place.
Ford Racing has institutionalized this connection
with Ford enthusiast clubs as part of our core business,
primarily because we are enthusiasts too! We
know that our friends and neighbors recognize us as
being car-savvy, and as opinion leaders we don’t mind
sharing our thoughts when car shoppers seek us out
to get advice. We like to show o our performance or
classic Ford because we don’t just drive it from Point A
to Point B — we LOVE it and openly show our aection
for it in public. The other part of our outreach eort involves
making face-to-face connections — one show,
one club, and even one person at a time. It’s why you
can see our products and/or talk to Ford Racing staers
in person at automotive events across the country.
Oh sure, a lot of other car companies put marketing
eorts into racing and enthusiast events for that same
reason. The inuence of you, the enthusiast owner, has
even attracted other Ford groups — both inside the
company and via our agencies — to look at enthusiast
marketing programs of their own. While those may
come and go, Ford Racing has built a viable connection
with our fans, racers and enthusiasts as a part of
what we do each day.
As simple as 1-2-3
Just like Ford’s 1-2-3 nish at Le Mans in 1966, Ford
Racing’s got an impossible-to-beat 1-2-3 enthusiast
program at work for you to utilize! 1.) is our own Enthusiast
web space on FordRacing.com, with content
for, by, and about YOU! 2.) is our weekly “Fast News
From Ford Racing” e-newsletter that we send out to
more than 400,000 Ford fans, plus the daily updates
you’ll nd on our Ford Racing Facebook page. And 3.)
is our toll-free 1-800-FORD-788 Ford Performance Info
Center and Ford Racing Tech Line, where you can get
vehicle, product, club and event information — and
even expert technical advice.
Together, they provide the only service of its kind
oered by any of the major automakers. The fact is,
no other carmaker promotes their enthusiast clubs
this directly, communicates with fans this consistently,
nor oers their loyal performance customers this kind
of direct, toll-free assistance line to the factory.
If you appreciate the idea that Ford has put into
place a program to stay connected with you as a Ford
performance enthusiast, then we suggest that you fully
employ and enjoy this unique relationship. For starters,
you should bookmark www.FordRacing.com and
sign up for our weekly Fast News e-newsletter, where
you’ll get the inside story on what’s happening in the
world of Ford performance. Then check out our “Enthusiast”
section on the site and visit it regularly. You
should also become friends on our Facebook page.
And don’t hesitate to call the Ford Performance Info
Center (1-800-FORD-788) if you have a question about
past or present performance Fords, want to share an
idea about Ford products you’d like to see, or need to
tap into the experts on the Ford Racing Tech Line. And
don’t forget to ask about our special Ford enthusiast
merchandise available through our Info Center via
www.FordShowParts.com.
Finally, by all means keep getting out there to enjoy
your performance Ford! Head out to the racetrack
and cheer on your favorite Ford vehicle. Find a club
and attend a meeting, a car show, cruise, or any driving
or racing event — and discover the fun and all the
friendly people involved in the world of Ford performance
— just like you experiencing here every year
at the Carlisle Ford Nationals. Hopefully, we’ll all be
“Driving Ford Passion” with Ford Racing and its Ford
Performance Group of enthusiast organizations for
many more years to come!
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