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Lincoln
The trouble with Ford's Lincoln brand is that no one cares about it any more.
Not long after I heard that Mark LaNeve, chief operating officer of
Ford agency Team Detroit, was moving to take over direct operations of the New York ad agency Hudson Rouge for
Lincoln, I heard that JCPenney CEO Ron Johnson was ousted. The two events are connected.
There can be all sorts of reasons why LaNeve, former head of sales and marketing at
General Motors, is taking over the office that was under the direction of Cameron McNaughton since it was opened last year to serve Lincoln. But the bottom line reason: The plan to save Lincoln is not working.
As I was listening to the discussion about JCPenney's Johnson and his mistakes, I heard two talking heads discussing it. One said it perfectly: "Johnson's mistake was not in moving JCPenney to an everyday low-pricing strategy, it was taking the job in the first place. JCPenney has no reason to exist. It's reason for being is gone. It was once the place where America bought its underwear, but now they buy their underwear all sorts of other places."
I have been saying for about two years now that the trouble with Ford's Lincoln brand is that no one cares about it any more. Okay, Lincoln dealers and some current and ex-Ford employees, some of those in the airport livery and hearse businesses care. That's not a business model, though. Ford is going to try and force Lincoln on China, I hear. The Chinese want Lincoln? I doubt that.
Continue reading Lincoln needs a farewell address, not a new marketing plan
Lincoln needs a farewell address, not a new marketing plan originally appeared on
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Opinion: Lincoln needs a farewell address, not a new marketing plan
