Ford #1 in brand Loyalty

64% stick with Ford:banana:

:supercool:

All of this loyalty is just perceived value. I personally feel that nearly all vehicles on the US market have similar quality based on price and vehicle class.



Much of the Loyalty is based on other factors besides the actual quality of the vehicle. Ford's popularity soared when they did not accept bailout money and is still contributing to the popularity of Fords even now, and will probably last through a generation of Americans.



Another aspect is how the customer views the dealership and the salesman. Did the salesman show you vehicles that fit you and your budget, or did he push a model that benefited him more than you? How you are treated by the service department when you bring your vehicle in for warranty work or scheduled maintenance. Was the job done right the first time, or did you get the standard old excuses like, "They all do that" or "We could not duplicate the problem"?



I really don't hold a lot of value in those customer opinion polls since they are often based simply on perceptions and not facts. Also, consider that most brands offer some sort of Loyalty discount. The bigger the discount, the more preveived loyalty.



...Rich

This wasn't a customer opinion poll. It apparently was an analysis of the customers who purchased a vehicle in the past 10 years and then purchased the same brand in the past 3 months. I don't know whether that is a good measure of loyalty either, but I do know that it's only a measure of loyalty from new-car buyers. For me, I'll never show up in that analysis because I've never purchased a new car. Used car buyers bolster a companies reputation by keeping up residual values of leases and resale values of used cars. These two factors contribute greatly to a new-car buyer sticking with a brand.



Almost every time I've bought a vehicle, I went with the best available to me at the time. Probably the only times I've searched for a single vehicle, were a Wrangler and two Mustangs - all of which were weekend and good weather cars, not daily drivers.

ncstatefolfpacker,

I am only referring to how these various Customer Loyalty statistics are derived.



Simply because someone buys the same brand vehicle within 10 years can be interpreted many ways. If they had bought a GM, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, or any brand vehicle and they were satisfied with that vehicle, they would naturally want to go back to that brand for their next vehicle. Since most vehicles on the market in the same class and price range are very close in quality....they could have been just as happy with a GM. Chrysler, or foreign vehicle if that is what the bought before...so a lot of their next vehicle choice is based on how there were treated at the dealership



If the quality of the vehicles are similar for that class and price range, then the customer relations of that dealership is what tips the scales for brand Loyalty. Some people will assume that Fords are better when it was the dealership and to some degree the corporate customer relations that really builds brand loyalty.



...Rich

#1 in brand loyalty is nothing perceived. It means that people who drive Fords prefer to drive Fords.



I like BF Goodrich tires. I am loyal to BF Goodrich tires, IF I CAN BUY THEM CHEAPER THAN THE AVERAGE TIRE. I am more loyal to my wallet than a tire brand.



If I continually ALWAYS bought BF Goodrich tires without buying any other brand, I am loyal to that brand.



Some people are Pepsi drinkers, others are Coke drinkers. If I buy the pop that is the cheapest, I am not loyal to either brand. If I only buy Coke or only buy Pepsi, I am loyal to the brand.



This is nothing more than some company doing a study and coming up with an answer.



Essentially, people that drive Fords prefer to drive Fords.



There is no perception here.



Ford drivers prefer to buy Fords. That's all...





Tom

Caymen,

As usual, we disagree !!



You cannot prove that Fords are better than any other vehicle on the road. Without proof, its always up to the perception of the consumer....which is highly subjective.



I like Ford's, and I think they have gone a long way in improving their image, but that is only a perception and I cannot prove that Ford's are actually better...and neither can you! Much of my perception is based on my past experience with Fords, and what appears in the media. If Ford were to be forced to recall a lot of vehicles like GM, them my opinion might change.



Just my current opinion based on experience, and current reports by the media...which is all we can go on.



...Richard

I don't recall saying that it means Fords are better. I said that it simply means Ford drivers prefer Ford over all other brands. Again, this is not a perception, this is a fact as the article said...



"64% of Ford owners will buy another Ford".



Nowhere does it say, or imply, that this means that Fords are the best cars, the fastest cars, safest cars, or anything you may try to construe from my words.



Fact is, 64% of ford drivers WILL buy another Ford. This makes Ford NUMBER 1 is Customer loyalty.



That is a fact.





Tom

Most likely it means people leasing Fords, will continue to lease Fords.

Tom,



I would like to know what was the motivation behind the loyalty to Ford? It's all subjective based on people's perceptions but everyone had a reason why. I am not challenging the survey, but the people's reasons for buying another Ford.

What carried the most weaight in their decision to buy another Ford? Was it the dealership's customer relations, the good deal they got, the salesman, the service they got, the quality of the vehicle, the Loyalty Discount money they got, or simply that Ford did not take Bail-Out money?



I always get suspicious when surveys or statements like that are made without any background details..



My point was not the fact that Ford is number 1 in Customer Loyalty, but means nothing if we don't know why they are number 1 in Customer Loyalty. Is this based on just counting the number of people who received a Ford Loyalty Discount, or traded in a Ford when purchasing a new Ford? What other incentives did these Loyal Customers receive? Does it include Leases, etc?



Without more specific information...What does it really mean and what is the intended impact of that survey?



I'm sure you will disagree, so it's not necessary to even reply.



....Rich

What does this have to do with ISIS beheading Christian children in Iraq? :sad:

I prefer Ford's. I cant say they are the best, though. I just know out of many brands I have had. No Ford has ever left me stranded. Other's have. Just my experiance.

Eddie,

I can understand your preference and why you may be loyal to Ford products. Other will have different reasons, and some have no other reason than Ford did not take Bailout money....And that's OK too.



My question is what does it mean to be number-1 in customer loyalty if you don't know why the customers are loyal to particular brand?



The article does not appear on that link (just the title), so I don't know the exact data used. Is it based on the number of cars sold? If you sell more cars at a cheaper price you probably will get more repeat customers than the number of cars Mercedes, BMW, Lexus Ferrari or even Cadillac sells, but I suspect that they have a lot of loyal customers willing to poney up the money even without rebates, or loyalty discounts. I know a lot of Mercedes owners who say that they would never own anything but a Mercedes?



...Rich

I grew up in an era when my parents and other relatives were extremely brand loyal. I had uncles who would only buy Pontiacs or Buicks or whatever and no one could convince them to buy any other brand than the one they were loyal to. My dad happened to drive Fords and Mercuries so that is what my influences were. That sort of brand loyalty is slowly but surely being lost in this country and I doubt will ever return. I haven't bought a new vehicle since my 2007 Trac and that is mostly because Ford doesn't currently offer anything I want or need. Call me crazy if you want but I am perfectly happy and satisfied with my choices.:grin:

I would like to know what was the motivation behind the loyalty to Ford?

Click to expand...

It doesn't matter. Maybe they like the steering wheel. Maybe they like a certain button on the dashboard. Maybe they like the blue oval on the front.



It doesn't matter. Ford is number 1 in customer loyalty. That is what the study said.



Nothing subjective at all. That was your original contention that being number 1 in customer loyalty was subjective.



If it was said Toyota was Number 1 in customer loyalty, then we would know Toyota drivers prefer to drive Toyota.



You are over thinking the results.



Is the survey really beneficial? Not in the least. Do I rush out and buy a car because Motor Trend called something the "Car of the Year"? Nope. Do I study Consumer Reports and buy what they recommend? Not in the least.



I know what type of vehicle I need and I buy whatever it is in the Ford brand.



Why do I do this?



I drive Ford products.





Tom

It may not matter to you, but it does matter to me.



I'm NOT over thinking the results, just curious as to why the survey was done and published if it was not beneficial to someone? We can say that we are not influenced by such meaningless surveys, however there are people who may be influenced by the article when make their next automobile selection.



Somebody thought it was important or relevant, otherwise the data would have never been collected and analized, much less picked up and reported by the media. If the data was obtained from the car makers, then they thought the data was relevant and were willing to share it.. Ford may have eager to share it and have it published.



Nobody does this stuff for "No Reason".



...Rich

The article states that they just compiled data from U.S. car registrations for every month for the last 10 years. They counted those that bought cars in the last three months who bought the same brand as in the past 10 years as been loyal to that make. Ford came out on top. That's cheap science. To do what you want Richard L, is costly. Surveys have to go out, get collected, analyzed, etc. This article is just discussing a computer-crunching numbers analysis.

ncstatewolfpacker,



Like I said, I could not view the article. The link only displayed the title of the article, but there were not further links to actually see the article. Perhaps that was just an issue with my browser?



Regardless, getting public record information is not cheap either. Yes, we all have access to public records, but that data is not free. You have to pay some rather expensive fees to be provided that information, often times thousands of $$$ for some very basic data. Someone had to pay fees to each state to be provided that data, I also know that it required some additional manipulation cost to get the data into a usable format to be processed by computers.



That brings me back to my point as to why would someone go through that expense just to publish an article that has no point, motivation or agenda? I suspect that perhaps this was all paid for by Ford knowing that they would be rated number-1 simply based on the number of vehicles Ford sold and the affordability of their vehicles. Remember that Ford has been the top selling brand since the Bail-out in 2008.



...Rich

"Remember that Ford has been the top selling brand since the Bail-out in 2008."



i am assuming you are referring to domestic brands only?

51% of the voters voted for Obama. What does that tell us?