Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company: F-150 Series

Jamie Lewis, Kate Draper, Ryan Hunsberger

Marketing in a Global Economy OM403

Professor Dale Gerke

November 11, 2010

When Henry Ford started the line of Ford Motor Company he never could have imagined how gigantic this industry would become.   In 1900 Henry Ford built his third vehicle, a truck (Wickel, 2010).   By 1948 the F-Series were introduced by Henry Ford II, the grandson of Henry Ford.   He was the chairman and ran the company from 1945 to 1979.   With the introduction of the F-Series, they were basic trucks with only regular cabs but varied in sizes from half-ton to three ton pickups (Wickel, 2010).   In 1975, the F-150 as we know it now was born again with many moderations in between.   In 1988, Ford launched the first four-wheel drive super cab model and by 1994 they were equipped with driver’s side air bags (Wickel, 2010).   At this point Ford was way ahead of their competitors with the advances they were adding onto the F-Series truck.   There were so many moderations made to these pickups in a short amount of time and the advances continue yearly with Ford’s products.   The F-150 trucks in today’s society are more than a truck as Henry Ford II knew it, they are used as family vehicles and are as luxury of a vehicle as we could imagine.   They no longer ride rugged like how we used to think of trucks but offer a luxuriously smooth riding experience.   The Ford family should be proud of the company they have created and maintained through two economic downturns.

As the economy took a turn for the worst Ford Motor Company was one of the biggest companies it took a hit to first.   By early 2007 Ford was feeling the pain of the recession long before most other companies in the automotive industry.   This company went back to their mission statement to recognize who they are and what they are about to get through these challenging times that they were facing and the ones that were lying ahead of them.

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