With a global program, Elena Ford pushes Ford to go even further

One week ago, Ford Philippines perked up when Elena A. Ford, granddaughter of longtime Ford Motor Co. president Henry Ford II and great, great granddaughter of founder Henry Ford, jetted into Manila to grace two Ford dealership events: the reopening of Ford Tacloban and the inauguration of the awesome new Ford Alabang facility.

 

Not that Ford Philippines under managing director Kay Hart needs perking up. Ford is actively and aggressively going further in this country. In October, with 36 dealerships nationwide, Ford sales increased by 52 percent to 1,980 units year-on-year, bringing total sales from January to October to 16,514 vehicles to consolidate the 52 percent surge.

 

In 2013, Ford sold a total of 13,286 units, a 41-percent gain from 2012. Ford’s October 2014 sales figure is only two vehicles behind Hyundai’s 1,982 units sold last month. This is significant, considering that Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. is ranked No. 3 after Toyota Motor Philippines and Mitsubishi Motors Philippines.

 

SECOND IN ASEAN. At the media roundtable held by Ford in the morning of Oct. 15, Ford Asean president Matt Bradley was pleased to announce, in the presence of Ford Motor Co. vice president Elena Ford, Ford Asia-Pacific president David Schoch and Hart, that the Philippines ranks No. 2 in the Asean in terms of volume and market share after Thailand.

 

Ford Philippines’ impressive growth can be traced to the its expanded dealer network and improved product line (with new technologies like the Eco-Boost and Sync) plus four more all-new models (the 2015 Escape, Mustang, Everest and Expedition) coming up next year.

 

But Ford’s success is also due, in a major way, to its ability to supply customer demand, even with delivery problems created by the Manila port congestion. The implementation of any marketing plan is hindered when supply cannot meet demand.

 

This is where Elena Ford, 48, the daughter of Ford heiress/socialite Charlotte Ford and Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos, will play an important role, albeit on a global basis.

 

Effective March 1, 2013, Elena Ford, the first female member of the Ford family to hold a high position in the company, was appointed vice president for global dealer and consumer experience. As such, she reports to Jim Farley, executive vice president in charge of global marketing, sales and service, and Lincoln.

 

GLOBAL STANDARDS. Elena Ford joined the company in 1995 and held a number of marketing and communications positions, including director of global marketing and sales operations since 2009.

 

At the media roundtable, when she was asked to describe her work, she said that she sets global standards and best practices in dealer strategy, planning, training and consumer

experience as One Ford expands worldwide.

 

Ford’s advantage is its global portfolio. Streamlining IT systems around the world, Elena Ford’s global dealer and consumer experience program aims to improve and standardize the global order and delivery process from the factory to the dealer to the consumer. The organization she heads will bring the same standard of excellence to the dealer experience for Ford and Lincoln customers worldwide.

 

Elena Ford believes that dealerships whose employees enjoy their work will have happy and loyal customers. After cutting the ribbon to open the new Ford Alabang dealership, she said: “We cannot overstate the importance of our dealers to the ongoing success of Ford Motor Company. And that’s because our dealers are essentially the face of the Ford brand to our customers. They play a critical role in both establishing and building customer relationships and customer loyalty.

 

HONORED. “As the head of our global dealer network and consumer experience program, and on behalf of the global leadership team, I am both honored and continually humbled by the commitment, by the investments, and by the ongoing efforts of our dealers around the world, who come to work every day with a focus on ways to better serve our customers.”

 

Regarding the new Ford Alabang facility, the largest in the Philippines, she noted with approval that “like all Ford dealerships worldwide, it features a ‘customer first’ design—or what is known as our global Brand@Retail standard—and truly represents our ongoing commitment to provide an unmatched customer experience by investing in new facilities with a consistent and unmistakably Ford customer interface, featuring modern equipment and world-class technologies.”

 

Ford has rolled out its consumer experience movement in the United States and will do the same in the Philippines. But none of the Ford executives at the media roundtable and Alabang dealership inauguration would say when.

 

Based on Elena Ford’s description of the program, it is something that Ford customers and prospective customers will welcome.