Marketing

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co., confined to virtual product introductions because of the coronavirus outbreak, is getting creative with how it will show off the Bronco and Bronco Sport on July 13. The automaker said Thursday it will partner with Disney to unveil the utility vehicles on ESPN, ABC, National Geographic and Hulu, in addition

Last week’s announcement that professional baseball will return this year, at least in a limited format, was cause for celebration for fans who have been sports-starved since the rise of the coronavirus pandemic. Equally hopeful are automakers that have been missing out on one of their key marketing platforms — live sports. But physical distancing

Subaru of America, once a monthly sales streak darling as its U.S. volume rapidly expanded over the past decade, is switching to quarterly sales reporting. The automaker will report its June U.S. sales Wednesday, then switch its cadence going forward. The automaker, of Camden, N.J., was one of the few holdouts still reporting on a

Chrysler is continuing its series of ads for the Pacifica minivan with actress Kathryn Hahn, but with the added complication of social distancing. The latest campaign, which the brand is using on social media and other websites, is called “Pacifica Mom on Quarantine.” The confessional-style ads were shot via iPhone with just two crew members

HOLLY, Mich. — Dave Pericak smiles as he hops in the driver’s seat of a topless 1971 baby blue Ford Bronco. The late-afternoon sun glints off his Aviator sunglasses as he turns the key and the restored SUV rumbles to life. Pericak is finishing a long day of shooting promotional material for the July reveal

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. will use a familiar name to help reveal the next-generation F-150 pickup later this week in an unfamiliar way. The automaker is tapping actor and Ford trucks pitchman Denis Leary to show off the redesigned pickup during a livestream slated for Thursday night. The automaker originally planned to show the

Ad agency Tier10 now shoots two versions of the commercials it makes for auto dealerships and manufacturers: one with people wearing face masks and one without. Advertisers have a responsibility to produce content that is relevant and empathetic toward what consumers are dealing with, Tier10 co-founder Scott Rodgers said. Having both versions of an ad

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. is postponing the reveal of its Bronco SUV by four days amid concerns that its previous unveiling coincided with the birthday of O.J. Simpson. In 1994, Simpson was infamously riding in a white Bronco along Los Angeles freeways being driven by his longtime friend Al Cowlings. Simpson was attempting to

The chilling 54-second cellphone video begins with a child-size pair of expensive sneakers being placed on the front seat of a car. The voice on the video said he put them in plain view to “set up a trap for these looters.” The car door closes and the camera pans to a nearby home’s upstairs

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. is making official what some dealers have already been offering throughout the coronavirus pandemic: free maintenance for essential workers. The automaker said Friday that members of its FordPass Rewards loyalty program who are defined by their states as essential workers can download an offer for a free service package through

After being called up from Florida to help treat COVID-19 patients in New York, U.S. Navy Reserve Lt. Rob Guerra had to spend two weeks quarantined in a hotel room before he could go back to see his family. His 40th birthday celebration consisted of eating cupcakes in the hotel parking lot. But thanks to

Like face masks, hand sanitizer and rubber gloves, online automotive product launches existed before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic — they just weren’t quite so ubiquitous. But with major global auto shows either canceled or leaning that way, automakers’ need for big splashes for new products has brought what once was a niche strategy

HAMBURG — Volkswagen has completed an internal report into how it came to publish a racist advert, the automaker said. The findings will be released once its management board has reviewed the matter, VW said on Friday. VW’s management board, headed by CEO Herbert Diess, meets regularly on Tuesdays. In the clip, a black man

The organizers of the Geneva auto show have said the event may not be held next year amid a dispute with the local authorities over a bailout and a reluctance by some automakers to attend. The Swiss show was canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) Foundation, which

At a brand not known for executive longevity, Saad Chehab’s tenure as head of marketing for Volkswagen of America was shorter than most — nine months. Chehab, 53, was replaced last week by the VW brand’s U.S. sales and marketing executive vice president, Duncan Movassaghi, 45. He will assume Chehab’s duties on an interim basis

Volkswagen Group last week withdrew a German social media ad for the redesigned Golf and apologized after it was criticized as racist. The 10-second video posted on its Instagram page showed a man with dark skin being moved around by a large white hand and flicked into a cafe. The name of the cafe is

Abeach party for Jeep enthusiasts in Texas this month resulted in two men being shot, nearly 200 arrests and viral video of carefree partying during a pandemic. The annual “Go Topless Jeep Weekend” event attracted thousands of people to a peninsula along the Gulf of Mexico near Galveston. “We’ve been in quarantine and, like, I

Organizers said Friday they were canceling the 2020 New York auto show that had previously been pushed back until August, citing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the venue’s use as a field hospital. The show, which was initially set for early April and is typically used to unveil many new vehicles, was previously postponed until

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. is highlighting its critical role in the U.S. economy in a new ad campaign launching this week, days ahead of a planned restart of North American vehicle production. The company released three spots under the title “Built for America,” a follow-up campaign to its “Built to Lend a Hand” commercials

As uncertainty about the coronavirus swept the nation in April, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles sought to provide “entertainment relief,” as North American marketing chief Marissa Hunter called it, with a weekly slate of musical performances from various artists on Facebook. FCA, which has often turned to music as a connection point with consumers, partnered with Interscope

Since 2008, Subaru of America has fostered a marketing identity built around the idea of love. Now, the automaker is leaning on that emotion in a more active and direct way with its advertising during the COVID-19 pandemic. Subaru, along with its retailers and two independent distributors, made a donation of roughly $5 million to

For the past two months, consumers have been awash in a wave of goodwill from automakers using TV and social media to say they are here to help. This outpouring of assistance has revolved around a common toolbox among manufacturers: deferred payments, extended lease offers and no-interest loans that are enticing shoppers to buy during

Bimmer superfans who had the European delivery experience on their bucket list might want to step on the gas. BMW is discontinuing the European Delivery program for U.S. customers starting in the fall, citing a lack of interest and growing demand for U.S.-made crossovers. The Bavarian automaker follows Audi, which discontinued its European delivery program

With a new entertainment streaming service that’s lighting up TVs and phones in the U.S., Subaru of America has tapped into a fresh advertising medium to stay on consumers’ minds. Peacock, NBCUniversal’s entry into streaming services, launched to certain Comcast subscribers April 15 and is expected to go nationwide July 15. Its content includes TV

Jaguar Land Rover’s North American arm is conserving cash by suspending co-op advertising for at least 90 days. It’s also putting roughly 150 employees — 40 percent of its U.S. work force — on paid leave for a month. “In light of a partial suspension of our U.S. business operations and a continued decline in

Bill Murray helped Jeep tailor a new digital ad touting safety during the coronavirus pandemic. In the Groundhog Day-themed video, Murray wakes up and heads outside before turning around and saying, “Safety first.” Then he goes back to bed. It’s a perfect message for the moment, but the audio wasn’t new. It was just a

CDK Global Inc. finalized the sale of its digital marketing business to Ansira Partners Inc., a marketing agency owned by private equity investors. The digital marketing business includes dealership advertising and websites and has been renamed Sincro, operating as an Ansira subsidiary, CDK said. All of CDK’s former digital marketing customers have been transferred to

Hyundai Motor America is recalling nearly 12,000 vehicles in the U.S. because of unintended movement of unoccupied cars with the Remote Smart Parking Assist technology. The vehicles are 2020 Hyundai Sonata and Nexo sedans, according to a NHTSA document. The Nexo is Hyundai’s fuel cell vehicle sold only in California. The recalled vehicles have a

Kim McCullough, 59, Jaguar Land Rover’s vice president of marketing for North America, left the company last week, ending a long run with the luxury importer. For now, North American CEO Joe Eberhardt will assume McCullough’s duties. McCullough took over as vice president of marketing in September 2014 after working as brand vice president of

DETROIT — Jeep, a free-spirited brand known for adventures, is pushing a more cautious message during the coronavirus pandemic: Stay off the road. Jeep, in a new digital spot released Friday, is urging the public to stay home during the outbreak as it reminds consumers that the trails will be waiting for them when the