Toyota marketing chief, responsible for shift to small cars and Lexus, hired by Ford.

Marketing isn't ford's problem. You can put a pretty ribbon on crap, but then you just have a sh!tty ribbon.

 

Agree 100%

He will be going from marketing a quality product to a Ford product. I'll bet he doesn't last long unless Ford takes a major stride forward in quality. I wonder how good he really is. Quality sells itself. He's going to have to actually sell, now.

 

Good they need IT

 

Looks like he does a lot of 'internal marketing' to get the company doing what will sell. Since FE and quality will both be required I would expect that they would be high on his list of must haves. I would call it a good move by Ford and hope it is not too late.

 

I applaud Jim Farley's approach at Ford. However, I would take issue with his influence with Toyota before he was hired by Ford. Toyota and many other successful Japanese firms tend to be somewhat of a closed culture when it comes to major decisions made within a Japanese company, especially such a high-profile company such as Toyota. I understand it is a closed culture at the top of the Japanese hierarchy.
With that being said, I believe Mr. Farley is employing some very positive aspects of what he learned at Toyota. Communication with its affiliates (car dealerships) is one important aspect I am sure he appreciates...and bringing those individuals where the American Auto Industry began in the dead of winter.... good for him and those managers and auto workers at Ford! I just hope the 50 years of dismal company management is not too much for him and his new team to overcome. There would be nothing more satisfying in my lifetime than to buy a Ford some day because it is equal or better than a Toyota. This is coming from a person who purchased his first Toyota (Celica GT) in 1977 and never looked back.
I'll be looking at quality of product, not quality of slogans and marketing genius for that to occur.

 

Toyota made a shift to smaller cars? I thought Toyota's bread & butter have always been the Corolla/Camry sized cars.

 

I do think that Ford has really made strides in the quality department. Still looks and performs like crap, but the quality is FAR better. At the same time, Toyota has slipped in the quality department...

Toyota has been making a major effort at knocking off the F150 as the "king of trucks" for a long time.

Don't forget the Highlander and the Sequoya. Toyota does make some behemoths. And their sales are slipping since they aren't selling any. The only truck that are moving at all are Ford and Dodge 1-ton trucks in commercial use. Toyota didn't make a move on that market (even though they're a major player outside the US in that market).

 

Well, if you don't have a good product to market, your marketing will be worthless. The Prius is not an example of good marketing, it's an example of good engineering. The technology markets itself.

Marketing is overrated in the U.S. Look at all those SUVs and trucks out there nobody wants. Thats what marketing gets you. The shortsighted view.