“Ford leaving Chrysler, GM in its rearview” is the lead headline in AdAge for March 9 & 16.   And then they go on to analyze this phenomenon.  Is it because there’s a “halo surrounding Ford for passing up federal funds being devoured by Detroit rivals”?  Or is it because Ford is “building image in its marketing while others flog incentives”?  How about this Sherlock – the American consumer has come to the surprisingly logical and intelligent conclusion that the boys in Detroit may not be overly focused on product quality if their financials are in the crapper.  On top of that, in the event that aftermarket service is needed, these flailing icons just might not be here to help if, more probably when, that time should come.  How did that possibility not occur to you?

Has the American consumer been reduced to such a demographic statistic in our industry that they could only possibly be responding to company dogma or PR spin?  In reality the American consumer consists of people.  People who don’t want to commit a large chunk of their hard earned income only to get stuck with an inferior and unreliable product.  People who are paying attention to what’s going on around them and making intelligent decisions.

Let’s give the American consumer a little credit.  Granted, they’re not getting the full story on any of these companies, Ford included.  But they’re taking the information available to them and using it to make cogent and reasonable decisions to the extent that they can.  And they’re doing it in numbers great enough to be counted.  And that’s the best anyone can be expected to do – even some of the marketing geniuses who analyzed this data in the first place.