M
Mike
UPDATE EMAIL ADDRESS
This article was submitted to the various Thunderbird club newsletters. It is a topic that always seems to generate considerable comment.
The NEW Thunderbird would sell better if Ford did more advertising.
By Steve Legel
I hear this lament again and again, as I visit with owners of the new Thunderbird. Likewise, collectors of new Thunderbird memorabilia have run out of new stuff to find. Only one television commercial was produced for Thunderbird, and the car appears in the product line of only a few others. The new Thunderbird has been spotted in a half dozen movies, and a few television shows. It has been less frequently seen as a fund raiser raffle prize, and garners little new ink in the automotive press. New Thunderbird enthusiasts from across the country routinely point out the poor knowledge base of salesmen and service managers related to this vehicle. The **************** forum has been the lifeline of information for owners.
Early on, with my promotional work with the Company, I was told that Thunderbird would be a “stand alone” product, and that marketing resources would be directed to the new F 150, Focus, Mustang and the upcoming parade of new product.
The new generation Thunderbird is a product of its time, and its unique niche in the automotive world.
As the last generation of Thunderbird was finishing production, facing stiff market share competition, and a changing automotive environment, newspapers and magazines trumped the occasion with plenty of ink dedicated to “bye bye birdie” articles. Behind the scenes, development of the “retro bird” was well underway. The decision to advance the product in 1999 and 2000 is a product of the state Ford Motor Company was in and the personalities of the players involved. Consider these observations:
1. Ford Motor company was awash in money at the end of the ‘90’s.
2. Jac Nasser was actively expanding the company’s presence in the automotive world with purchase of other automobile manufactures (Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo), expanding Hertz rental, expanding Ford Credit, expanding information technology (every Ford employee with a computer) and generous, highly visible, public charity promotion. The new Thunderbird was another flower in the vase.
3. J. Mays was winning accolades for his “retrofuturism” concepts seen in the New Beetle. The PT Cruiser was wild for sales. Retro was in!
4. The automotive press praised the unveiled concept at the 1999 Detroit North American International Auto Show.
5. Internal marketing studies showed a strong, though limited market, for a “halo” car such as this.
6. The stock market was at an all time high, baby boomers had solid retirement values, the job market in America was strong in all sectors, and new technology abounded (high speed cable modem, knee and hip replacement, cholesterol lowering drugs, erection raising drugs, cardiac stents).
The production of the car was inevitable under these conditions. Conditions that were similar to the “unbridled optimism” J Mays described of the 1950’s America in which the first Thunderbirds were born.
Between development and production/delivery, the world changed. In July 2001 many Thunderbird owners gathered at Ford World headquarters for the Unveiling Day celebration and launch of the new Thunderbird into the “pipeline” delivery to dealers. Ford had promoted the launch with its American Dream Cruise Tour of America in three restored classic 1955 Thunderbirds. In September 2001 terrorists commandeered four civilian aircraft. Stock market corruption was discovered among some prized U.S. companies. The United States went to war in Iraq. The Ford Explorer/Firestone tire problem emerged. Ford company stock value plummeted. It is in this background that the new Thunderbird came to market. Baby boomer retirement portfolios retreated, the job market across all sectors and all ages diminished. Ford Motor company was forced to change its product and “soft marketing” from warm fuzzy relationship building events to hard sales of strong product (Ranger, Windstar, Taurus). Further, revitalization of the company would focus on new product development aimed at larger markets with products more versatile in option packages, (F 150 has 18 models, Focus has a dozen variations, Mustang comes in many packages, and a cohort of all new product came off the drawing board).
How did Thunderbird fit in? I think the market for Thunderbird included “will have” and the “could have” buyers. The “will have one” group was ready to buy and placed orders early on. They were rewarded by “Managing the wait” incentive programs, the 20 minute phone sale of 200 special edition Neiman Marcus Thunderbirds, and dealers charging $5,000 to $10,000 over sticker price. A fellow club member remarked to me, “The people who really wanted one, bought one at the beginning.” Some of this group, are owners of classic little birds, others are car lovers who enjoy the ambiance and image of the classic bird, but want the improved, contemporary features and none of the hassles associated with finding, restoring and maintaining a 45 year old automobile. The “could have bought one” group, is the market share that would have really made the sales of the car take off. The worrisome economic, political and social early years of the century gave pause to interested, but not committed buyers. Further clouding the issue, was an automotive press that did not know how to regard the new Thunderbird. On one hand, Motor Trend awarded it the “Car of the Year” award, and on the other, Consumer Reports has never has a nice word to say about the car. This dual image pauses potential buyers. The Thunderbird is often compared to other cars by the automotive press. The reality, is that the Thunderbird is a truly unique vehicle, in a class by itself and can only be judged on its own merits, not in comparison with another.
Certain product features were included in addition to the retro styling cues, including luggage space, dual climate control, sound system and wind noise reduction. Specific exhaust note tuning, engine power and suspension refinement complimented the creature comforts included in the design. Production was configured to 100,000 units over a 4 year period, culminating in a 2005, 50 year of the nameplate anniversary.
The new Thunderbird has done precisely what it was intended to do. The car is a styling and engineering paradigm. The styling cues elicit favorable memory (or image if you are younger) of optimistic times. The engineering is an exercise in platform sharing (now the watch word in automotive manufacturing). And the Thunderbird is cool looking (its primary appeal) with its classic porthole roof and removable top. It is well suited to its “boulevard cruiser” description for adequate power, handling, braking, comfort amenities and storage space for travel.
The NEW Thunderbird would sell better if Ford did more advertising.
By Steve Legel
I hear this lament again and again, as I visit with owners of the new Thunderbird. Likewise, collectors of new Thunderbird memorabilia have run out of new stuff to find. Only one television commercial was produced for Thunderbird, and the car appears in the product line of only a few others. The new Thunderbird has been spotted in a half dozen movies, and a few television shows. It has been less frequently seen as a fund raiser raffle prize, and garners little new ink in the automotive press. New Thunderbird enthusiasts from across the country routinely point out the poor knowledge base of salesmen and service managers related to this vehicle. The **************** forum has been the lifeline of information for owners.
Early on, with my promotional work with the Company, I was told that Thunderbird would be a “stand alone” product, and that marketing resources would be directed to the new F 150, Focus, Mustang and the upcoming parade of new product.
The new generation Thunderbird is a product of its time, and its unique niche in the automotive world.
As the last generation of Thunderbird was finishing production, facing stiff market share competition, and a changing automotive environment, newspapers and magazines trumped the occasion with plenty of ink dedicated to “bye bye birdie” articles. Behind the scenes, development of the “retro bird” was well underway. The decision to advance the product in 1999 and 2000 is a product of the state Ford Motor Company was in and the personalities of the players involved. Consider these observations:
1. Ford Motor company was awash in money at the end of the ‘90’s.
2. Jac Nasser was actively expanding the company’s presence in the automotive world with purchase of other automobile manufactures (Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo), expanding Hertz rental, expanding Ford Credit, expanding information technology (every Ford employee with a computer) and generous, highly visible, public charity promotion. The new Thunderbird was another flower in the vase.
3. J. Mays was winning accolades for his “retrofuturism” concepts seen in the New Beetle. The PT Cruiser was wild for sales. Retro was in!
4. The automotive press praised the unveiled concept at the 1999 Detroit North American International Auto Show.
5. Internal marketing studies showed a strong, though limited market, for a “halo” car such as this.
6. The stock market was at an all time high, baby boomers had solid retirement values, the job market in America was strong in all sectors, and new technology abounded (high speed cable modem, knee and hip replacement, cholesterol lowering drugs, erection raising drugs, cardiac stents).
The production of the car was inevitable under these conditions. Conditions that were similar to the “unbridled optimism” J Mays described of the 1950’s America in which the first Thunderbirds were born.
Between development and production/delivery, the world changed. In July 2001 many Thunderbird owners gathered at Ford World headquarters for the Unveiling Day celebration and launch of the new Thunderbird into the “pipeline” delivery to dealers. Ford had promoted the launch with its American Dream Cruise Tour of America in three restored classic 1955 Thunderbirds. In September 2001 terrorists commandeered four civilian aircraft. Stock market corruption was discovered among some prized U.S. companies. The United States went to war in Iraq. The Ford Explorer/Firestone tire problem emerged. Ford company stock value plummeted. It is in this background that the new Thunderbird came to market. Baby boomer retirement portfolios retreated, the job market across all sectors and all ages diminished. Ford Motor company was forced to change its product and “soft marketing” from warm fuzzy relationship building events to hard sales of strong product (Ranger, Windstar, Taurus). Further, revitalization of the company would focus on new product development aimed at larger markets with products more versatile in option packages, (F 150 has 18 models, Focus has a dozen variations, Mustang comes in many packages, and a cohort of all new product came off the drawing board).
How did Thunderbird fit in? I think the market for Thunderbird included “will have” and the “could have” buyers. The “will have one” group was ready to buy and placed orders early on. They were rewarded by “Managing the wait” incentive programs, the 20 minute phone sale of 200 special edition Neiman Marcus Thunderbirds, and dealers charging $5,000 to $10,000 over sticker price. A fellow club member remarked to me, “The people who really wanted one, bought one at the beginning.” Some of this group, are owners of classic little birds, others are car lovers who enjoy the ambiance and image of the classic bird, but want the improved, contemporary features and none of the hassles associated with finding, restoring and maintaining a 45 year old automobile. The “could have bought one” group, is the market share that would have really made the sales of the car take off. The worrisome economic, political and social early years of the century gave pause to interested, but not committed buyers. Further clouding the issue, was an automotive press that did not know how to regard the new Thunderbird. On one hand, Motor Trend awarded it the “Car of the Year” award, and on the other, Consumer Reports has never has a nice word to say about the car. This dual image pauses potential buyers. The Thunderbird is often compared to other cars by the automotive press. The reality, is that the Thunderbird is a truly unique vehicle, in a class by itself and can only be judged on its own merits, not in comparison with another.
Certain product features were included in addition to the retro styling cues, including luggage space, dual climate control, sound system and wind noise reduction. Specific exhaust note tuning, engine power and suspension refinement complimented the creature comforts included in the design. Production was configured to 100,000 units over a 4 year period, culminating in a 2005, 50 year of the nameplate anniversary.
The new Thunderbird has done precisely what it was intended to do. The car is a styling and engineering paradigm. The styling cues elicit favorable memory (or image if you are younger) of optimistic times. The engineering is an exercise in platform sharing (now the watch word in automotive manufacturing). And the Thunderbird is cool looking (its primary appeal) with its classic porthole roof and removable top. It is well suited to its “boulevard cruiser” description for adequate power, handling, braking, comfort amenities and storage space for travel.
