Detroit, MI – Earlier this year, Ford announced that they would be refocusing their attention on their lineup of crossovers and SUV’s in the coming years, to ensure that they meet the evolving expectations of today’s drivers. Offering distinctive styling options, Ford SUV’s represent one of the most diverse and divisive lineups. That said, in the interest of brand consistency alone, any attempt at refinement is deserving of applause.
Utilizing a number of approaches, Ford intends to determine the strengths and weaknesses of each of their offerings, as well as which features and models will be carried over to their next-gen lineup. And one of those approaches makes use of randomly-assembled focus groups, offering raw opinions and insights to inform Ford from a consumer’s point-of-view.
For those of you who may lack the experience of participating in a focus group, open discourse is usually prompted through a simple question and answer format. However, the moderator may also introduce, or encourage the use of ‘filters’. This allows the participants to frame their opinions around a certain idea or context, making their insights more accessible, while increasing the uniqueness and quality of insights offered.
Such was the case in a recent session, where the group took it upon themselves to compare Ford’s lineup of SUV’s to women; specifically, “the kind of girls you can expect to meet at a party”.
Ford Ecosport
“She’s cute, if not a bit plain. Not that she wants to hear it from you, you close-minded mansplaining misogynist. What the Ecosport lacks in eye-catching visual appeal, she makes up for in terms of conscientiousness and eco-friendliness. She’s open-minded. She sees the injustice in the world and doesn’t want to hear your bullshit opinion. Want to buy her a drink? Save it. You’re not her type. She knows you’re only talking to her because you’re drunk, anyway. Prick.”
Ford Escape
“She’s a traveler. She talks about going places that you’ve never heard of and pronounces ‘Lisbon’ and ‘Ibiza” with a pretentious accent. Even if she’s never been she’ll make fun of you for never having gone. Even if you do manage to score a date, you’ll be three dates in when you suddenly see a Facebook post that she’s “In a Relationship” with someone far more financially stable. Within a week, you’ll see pictures of their vacations with plenty of affectionate couple selfies.”
Ford Edge
“There’s just something about her. She has her own way of thinking, and doing things. She listens to indy artists and promises to make you a playlist (but it never comes). You’re a little too vanilla for her, with your one stupid tattoo, absence of piercings and lack of ironic facial hair.”
Ford Flex
“She’s fit. Toned. Ever run a half-marathon? No? Then don’t bother. She has a race-wall, where she’s combined numbered bibs, medals and post-race photos into a collage of achievements. Even if you brought her a Michelob Ultra, she’d take one look at your soft flabbiness and know that you couldn’t keep up with her. But if you want to hear the life-changing benefits of veganism and Crossfit without any promise of sex, well…you get the point.”
Ford Explorer
“She prefers to hang out with guys because girls come with too much drama, and if you can’t handle that, you’re too insecure to handle her. Granted, she’s slept with 3 out of 5 of those guys, but they were probably one-night stands or cuffing season standbys.”
Ford Expedition
“If you can’t offer more than Daddy’s AMEX does, just walk away.”
Based on these insights, Ford might want to take a long hard look at the perceived lack of relatability and accessibility, that their SUV’s offer. Even as a third party reading through these, we think they’re pretty accurate. What do you think?
