why does a multi segment approach seem to work for ford? For more than 40 years, Ford's F-150 has
been the best-selling vehicle in the United States. It beat out the Toyota Corolla as the most sold vehicle worldwide, doubly impressive as the world market has a smaller taste for trucks than does the United States. Ford's successful marketing of the F-150 makes it a role model for other companies.
One reason Ford has stayed on top is that it knows the market. Over the years, Ford has kept a conservative body style for the F-150 and made performance a priority. This allows Ford to attract customers who fit more of the standard truck owner mold. Also, as owning a truck has secome more popular among suburbanites, he F-150 has led the market in comfort and technology. For example, as the market shifts to cleaner vehicles, Ford announced plans to create an electric version of the F-150.
Because Ford has multiple customer seg-ments, the company has adopted a multiseg-ment approach. Within the Ford F-150, there are engine types that range from a 2.7-liter V6 all the way to a 5.0-liter V8. Ford has seven different models of its F-150, ranging in price from $28,745 to $67,735.
As Ford invests in electric and hybrid mod-els, Ford must find a way to market greener cars to its core market by focusing on other attri-butes. Ford plans to focus on other unique benefits of an electric engine like how it can function as a mobile generator for keeping beer cold or
preparing coffee for a camping trip. Because Ford continually seeks to understand its custom-ers, it can market new versions of the F-150 to target more environmentally-friendly consumers while not alienating its core markets.