Brand Loyalty: Ford

I've noticed that there are a few brands with whom I do business to the exclusion of all other brands.  This exclusive engagement is a marketer's panacea. and as a marketer myself, I wanted to do a deeper examination of why I held these loyalties to see what could potentially gleaned from them.  Hence, brand loyalty will be the subject of this and future posts. 

We'll start with my automotive loyalty - Ford.  Since 1990, every vehicle I've ever purchased, be it for myself or for my wife, has been a Ford product.  Their are myriad reasons for this behavior:

• I began my career with Ford, and worked there about 5 years.  Having access to their employee discount plan (called the "A" Plan at the time) made it affordable for even one just out of college to afford a lower-tier new vehicle
• Since that time, I've owned 10 Fords, and of the 10, only one had significant issues; for this case, it was a transmission issue.  And even though a service issue occurred, Ford covered it and made good on my situation with a generous warranty.  All other of my vehicles have remained issue-free
• In fact, my vehicles have lasted an incredibly long time.  My Mercury Mountaineer lasted nearly 200,000 miles of very hard driving, and my current Explorer is nearly at 100,000 with nary a hiccup
• Ford has been on the forefront of technology.  One example: Ford's partnership with Microsoft on the Sync product was among the start of hands-free engagements for vehicles.  It integrates seamlessly with mobile devices via bluetooth technology, and makes things incredibly convenient for the driver.  I can't imaging driving any significant distance without it.
• Ford is an American company.  Yeah, I know that's a dated reason for customer loyalty, and while I know it shouldn't, it still matters to me.

Good products, good service, and good experience leads to happy customers.  Happy customers lead to additional business.  Additional business leads to brand loyalty.

That's exactly why you'll always find me driving a Ford.