Friday, October 21, 2005

As reliable a harbinger as roiled clouds

It's always a sign of trouble when they trot out Bill Ford to appear in TV spots: "Ford is making his first TV ad appearance since the 2002....That effort was meant to reassure a wary public about Ford's ability to carry on in rough terrain. Back then, it was a tumultuous year ending with the ouster of Jacques Nasser as CEO. Now, it's the end of a disappointing quarter in which Ford reported a net loss of $284 million, and is laboring to sell SUVs."

But this note provides some relief: "In the new ads, Ford again speaks extemporaneously." Good. Because for a minute there I thought his last line -- "Innovation is the compass which will drive this company forward" -- might have been the product of a beaten and bowed copywriter.

UPDATE: Upon further review, the call has been reversed. Ford actually says: "Innovation is the compass which will GUIDE this company...." Which is better. I'm going out right now and buy an Expedition to atone for my mistake.

No comments: