What could Ford Motor Company, global manufacturer of automobiles, possibly have in common with internet retail giant Amazon beside each largely dominating in their respective fields?
That’s what a recent piece published by the Detroit Free Press attempts to answer, and according to columnist Josh Linkner, the correct response might well be “a surprising amount.” He writes: “Both are enjoying record growth and profits, and both innovate at a breathtaking pace.”
Additionally, he says, both practice three of the same core philosophies.
Expand Your Role In Customers’ Lives
Readers of this site will immediately think of Ford’s “Smart Mobility” plan upon considering how the automaker is attempting to expand its role in customers’ lives. The announced FordPass mobile app is a prime example, rolling car sharing, advance parking, SYNC Connect, and more into a single Ford-branded package. Mr. Linkner points out that this isn’t at all unlike Amazon’s model, which has ballooned to include things like media streaming, drone deliveries, and Echo voice-activated smart home hardware, among other things.
Realization
Amazon has largely been a tech company since the beginning. Ford Motor Company may be a newcomer into that sphere, but the automaker is still putting its best effort forth into a full transformation. As Josh Linkner writes: “Ford doesn’t just make cars. They deliver mobility solutions using the latest technology including ride sharing, autonomous vehicles, and alternative energy propulsion.” Likewise, Amazon – which started as an online book retailer – now facilitates digital business in a number of different ways, from the aforementioned drone deliveries, to providing cloud hosting for other tech companies.
Less Sizzle, More Substance
Perhaps most importantly, Ford and Amazon both let their services and product quality speak for themselves, without relying so heavily on dazzling ad campaigns and marketing. This strategy is paramount to customer satisfaction and loyalty, driving sustainable long-term growth where other companies might fixate on the short-term, costing themselves repeat buyers in the process.
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In short, all but gone is the Ford Motor Company of old: a simple vehicle manufacturer from the industrial age, caught in a slow-to-change business with a status quo more than a century in the making. The new Ford is more savvy, more tech-focused, and ready to serve not only the world’s automotive needs, but it’s transit demands, as well.
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