Ford Fiesta : Go Fida, excuse me GO What?

Brand : Ford Fiesta

Agency : JWT

Base line : Go Fida


This exciting new powerhorse from the Ford Stable is set to hot up the Indian automobile scene.

Ford has tasted its success with its josh machine which is considered as a stylish and powerful car which is priced sensibly. Then the entire market witnessed a large number of product launches and the competition was carving in to Ford's market. Hyundai with its aggressive marketing was able to beat Ford with their Accent .

Ford is fighting back with the launch of Fiesta.
Fiesta is priced aggressively at around 6lakhs is set to capture a fair share of the market.

As usual Ford is also relying on the bollywood stars to sell its car an this time roped in Abhishek Bachchan to endorse the car. The campaign is executed by JWT.

Regarding the campaign, I have my own reservations. I know hindi but the term Fida is strange to me, so it will be for the entire south indian market. josh although it is an Hindi word, south indian languages also have similar words. but Fida is a real strange word. Only yesterday I came to know that it meant "mad about something" .............well fine....

Ford will have to spent some money on teaching the Non hindi speaking consumers about the main positioning statement " Go Fida"

Marketers should be careful about the positioning statements and its linkages with the market. It is important that they understand a diverse maket like India with 17 odd major languages and million dialects. So does it make sense to have a positioning statement that is simple and could be understood by the target market.

Fiesta will be successful because it offers excellent value for money proposition, the one and onluly one proposition that works in India, but for the campaign and positioning , I have my doubts

Brand Taglines : A - F

A

1. Amaron : Lasts Long, Really Long, Ting Tong
2. Alpenliebe : Lalach Aaha Laplap
3. A Star  : Stop @ Nothing
4. Alto : Lets Go
5. Allen Solly : My World, My Way
6. Aliva : Thodi Sharafat, Thodi Shararat
7. Arrow : USA 1851 / The League of Professionals
8. Acer : Life is busy, Acer makes it easy
9. All Out : Macharoan ka Yamraaj
10. Amway  : We are listening
11. Airwick : Its good to be home
12. Amul : The taste of India
13. Amul Macho : Ye toh bada toing hain
14. Accu-check : Live life the way you want
15. Apache : Racing DNA Unleashed
16. Amrutanjan : Its Gone /Pure Healthy Essence / Kick Out Pain
17. Ambipur : Fragrance Your Imagination
18. Appy Fizz : Cool Drink to Hang Out With
19. Allen Solly : Friday Dressing / Adios Stressing Hello friday dressing
20. Accenture : High performance delivered
21. Airtel : Express Yourself 

B

1. Binani Cement : Sadiyon Ke Liye
2. Breathe Right : Breathe Better, Sleep Better
3. Bournvita : Do you have Bournvita Confidence ? / Tan Ki Shakthi, Mann Ki Shakthi (2011)
4. Boost : Boost is the secret of our energy
5. Big Babool : Bade Kaam Ki Cheez
6. Boomer : Boom Boom Boomer
7. Bournville : You don't buy a Bournville, You earn it
8. Brio : It Loves You Back
9. Bosch : Invented for Life
10. Bru : Happiness Begins with Bru
11. Bingo : No Confusion,Great Combination
12. Belmonte : Suit Your Style
13. Blackberrys Suit : Go Sharp

C

1. Cif : Lets You Shine
2. Candyman : Kucch Bhi Karega For Candyman
3. Center Fresh : Zubaan Pe Lagaam
4. Chlormint : Dobaara Mat Poochna /Chaba Daba Ke
5. Complan : I am a Complan Boy
6. Clear Shampoo : No Dandruff
7. Clean & Clear : Clean Clear and Confident
8. Ceat : Born Tough /Be Idiot Safe
9. Coca Cola : Open Happiness
10. Canara Bank : Together we can
11. Close Up : Taazgi Jo Pas Laye
12. Coffy Bite : Coffee or Toffee /Bachchon Ki Coffee, Badhon ki Toffee

D

1. Dyna : Be a Lady
2. Dairy Milk : Kucch Meetha Ho Jaye
3. Dettol : Be 100 % Sure, 
4. Dabur : Celebrate Life
5. Dominoes : Hungry Kya /Khushiyon ki Home Delivery
6. Dinesh Suitings : Take the world in your stride
7. Doy soap : Clean Skin, Healthy skin
8. Daiken : Complete Silence
9. Domex : 100% Germ Killer
10. Dell  : Power to do more

E

1. Eclairs : Chocolate ka meetha bomb/Dooble Sara / Get Lost
2.  Enfield : Trip
3. Essilor : Seeing The World Better
4. Essenza Di Wills : Your Essence Your Soul
5. Eveready : Give Me Red 
6. Everyday Dairy Whitener : For great tasting tea
7. Eno : Gets to work in 60 seconds
8. Euro Innerwear : Prepare to get assaulted 
9. Eon ( Hyundai ) : India On
10. Economic Times : The Power of Knowledge

F

1. Fa  : Feel Good Freshness
2. Fiama Di Wills : Beautiful You , Today Tomorrow
3. Frooti : Fresh'N'Juicy , Grow Up
4. Fair and Lovely : Chaand Ka Tukda
5. Fastrack : How many you have ?
6. Fair & Handsome : Be fair ,Be Handsome
7. Fem : Beauty With Care
8. Fiesta : Go Fida 
9. Ford : Go Further
10. Fanta : Zyada Fanta Zyada Masti

Ford Ikon : The Josh Machine

Brand : Ikon
Company:Ford India
Agency:JWT

Brand Count:208

Ford Ikon is a brand with a class. This brand has redefined the car marketing in India. Launched in 1999, Ikon in a way rejuvenated the fortunes of Ford Motors in India. Ford came to India with a dated model like Ford Escort.Escort was launched in 1995 and was one of the first international brand to enter the midsize sedan market.

Ford Ikon was launched in the event of phasing out of Escort. Since then Ikon has been a major player in the entry level sedan market with a share of over 20%. The most interesting aspect of the brand is in its positioning. Ikon dethroned the position of Esteem in the C segment through its breakaway positioning.

Till 2005 Ikon has sold over 100,000 cars and has occupied a special space in the highly competitive car market in India. Ford Ikon is actually an Indian adaptation of the highly successful European Fiesta model. But knowing the Indian market with the Escort example, the company decided to design and Indian car for Indian consumers. Thus born the brand Ikon.
The company virtually adapted the whole product to suit the Indian consumer taste and also Indian driving conditions.Ikon was one of the first examples of Global brand getting Local in the automotive industry.
Once the product is ready, came the question of marketing. Ikon was priced as an entry level sedan car and was positioned in the C segment. C segment was dominated by Esteem and there was a slew of competitors waiting to tap the market including Hyundai Accent. Most of the purchases in this segment was rational and the brands were also positioned on rational platforms. Ikon wanted to break the icons and decided to do away with the demographic positioning. Research and initial test marketing showed that Ikon is associated with the Attractive and Peppy attributes. The company decided to position the brand as a lifestyle brand. The TG was decided to be young professionals who works hard and play hard who are Full of Life and Affluent. This brand is the classic case of lifestyle segmentation.

Ikon had the sporty design and all the pep that a sporty car needs interms of engine capacity and performance. The agency hit upon the big idea of positioning the brand as the Josh Machine.I think the tagline JOSH Machine is one of the best taglines I have come across. Although the term Josh is hindi ( I have criticised Go Fida campaign) Josh term had a universal appeal across India. Although some of the ads were lousy, the product delivered the promise. The Brand clearly identified the TG and Josh satisfied the need for a sporty sedan ( that need is still there). Indian Yuppies lapped up this product and the brand which suffered most because of Ikon was the Maruti Esteem.Ikon was priced between Rs 5.5 lakh and 6 lakhs.The brand broke from the rational positioning into a more emotional plane.The brand had the famous tagline " The Josh Machine " which was later modified to " Live Life with Josh".

The brand hit a rough patch in 2003 with competition hotting up. The launch of Indigo changed the dynamics of the C segment. To compete with Indigo, Ikon launched a variant in the sub 5 lakh category with Ford Flair.

Last year Ford launched its Fiesta in the Indian market at a premium over Ikon. According to company reports, Fiesta is positioned as an Aspirational sedan and complements Ikon rather than cannibalise it. Fiesta became a runaway success because of its blockbuster performance.

Ford Ikon is now at a critical point in its lifecycle. Although the brand has came out with lot of variants over time like SXI, NXT, the brand is now perceived to be an old brand.The Josh in this brand is no longer there and the company is now focusing on its new baby Fiesta. This lack of marketing and brand building on Ikon can prove to be a big negative for the brand. Slowly the brand may lose its relevance in the Indian market . The Ford India site talks about the new Ford Ikon with spruced up interiors,but what the brand needs is a relook on the promotional front.The brand still holds significant relevance in the Indian market because there is no brand that has the sporty look and the positioning of Ikon. There is still an unmet need for a peppy car and Ikon if not promoted with Josh will be a great injustice to the brand. There is not even a need for repositioning. Only high profile well made advertisements will do the trick. Exciting colors and roadshows will pep up this sagging brand. Else this brand will die a very untimely and unwarranted death..

Source: Businessline,agencyfaqs,
image courtesy: agencyfaqs,ford website

Related brand
Ford Fiesta