Repositioning | Ford of Brazil

Faced with a drastic decline of the Brazilian car market since 2013 and the increasing heated competition of Asian car manufacturers, Ford Brazil has experienced great difficulty in attracting buyers. Problems in the production of some car models further aggravated the situation, compromising customer retention. Against this backdrop, CRICA consulting was contracted in August 2016 to oversee and analyze a series of quantitative and qualitative studies on the new perceptions and demands of Brazilian car buyers. When CRICA was hired, the studies had already been commissioned by Ford to be conducted among its suppliers in Brazil and abroad. The challenge was to extract consistent findings from the enormous amount of data to guide the brand's new strategic action plan, which would be reflected in its communications and services provided to consumers.  The mission took around six months to complete. Next, CRICA consulting was invited to attend a global Ford meeting to consolidate the brand's new strategic plan for Brazil. The company spent a week at a hotel in São Paulo, immersed in the exchange of ideas with representatives from various markets (USA, Mexico, Argentina, the United Arab Emirates).  CRICA played such an important role at the meeting that less than 1 month after the meeting, the car manufacturer decided to hire the company to undertake a new endeavor: to urgently test the company's 3 possible brand platforms among its stakeholders, in order to select one to be implemented.  With the support of a resourceful team, CRICA developed and conducted a study with 40 key players, including employees, dealers, buyers and customers. Less than 30 days after CRICA had received the invitation to conduct the study, the results were presented to the Ford's directors in Brazil and the US.  The strategic recommendations not only identified the most promising platform, but also revealed weaknesses and opportunities for the next steps of the brand in Brazil.  Photo bellow: car buyers in one of the 8 group discussions held on the concept testing phase.