Ford Says Best Buy Partnership Helped Drive Awareness, Consideration

December 02, 2009

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DEARBORN, Mich. — After completing a 30-day pilot program in the Dallas area, Ford said its recent partnership with Best Buy — which was designed, in part, to educate consumers about the SYNC product — has helped boost consideration for the automaker and drive traffic for area Best Buy stores.

Basically, area Ford dealerships and 30 Best Buy stores teamed to offer free SYNC demonstrations to consumers. During these presentations, shoppers can check out the product in a SYNC-equipped model outside the respective stores.

Phone upgrade checks were also offered.

And for owners of Ford, Lincoln or Mercury models had the opportunity to register for personal tutorials on the SYNC product. They could also sign up for phone compatibility testing and upgrades.

During the month-long program, officials said the companies completed close to 3,500 demos and 400 owner clinics.

In some good news for Ford, four-fifths of the shoppers who took part in a SYNC demonstration — all of whom did not currently own a Ford vehicle — claimed their overall opinion of the automaker "dramatically improved" following the demonstration.

What's more, 70 percent said they would more likely to purchase from the automaker after checking out the SYNC system.

Ford also indicated that the clinics helped to provide consumers that own SYNC-equipped models with a better understanding of what their ride can offer. Some of these features include specifically 911 Assist, turn-by-turn directions and information services, and Vehicle Health Report.

A combined average of only slightly more than a quarter (28 percent) of Ford owners knew all the intricacies of these features before the clinics. However, a combined average of close to 69 percent said they knew about and would utilize these features after the clinics.

Additionally, more than a third (36 percent) of Ford owners said their favorite SYNC feature was the hands-free capability.

Meanwhile, for Best Buy, the pilot program helped area stores see strong traffic. In fact, over 16,000 consumers throughout Dallas, Fort Worth and west Texas completed mobile phone upgrade checks during the pilot program.

Before the owner clinics were conducted, only a little more than a third (36 percent) of shoppers claimed they would consider buying a phone from Best Buy. However, that number climbed to 72 percent following the completion of the clinics.

Officials noted that Best Buy concentrates on smartphones, which can be pivotal to maximizing SYNC capabilities.

"Smartphone technology is rapidly gaining popularity, in part because consumers are realizing just how central mobile devices are to connecting them to all aspects of their lives," said Shawn Score, president of Best Buy Mobile. "And with Ford SYNC, the benefits of smartphone technology now extend to the automobile."

Score continued: "The success of the pilot program in Texas and the organic developing of relationships between our stores and Ford dealerships across the country are tremendous proof points that consumers are hungry for support and guidance in getting the most out of their increasingly mobile lives."

And now, several Ford dealerships throughout other areas of the country are reaching out to local Best Buy outlets and ramping up their own grassroots campaigns to build on the success of this pilot.

These include Sturman & Larkin Ford in Pittsburgh; Advantage Ford Lincoln Mercury in Duarte, Calif.; and Galpin Ford in North Hills, Calif.

"Our partnership with Best Buy provides another touch-point for customers to experience the full capabilities of our world-class SYNC system," commented Sam Pack, dealer principal of Five Star Ford in North Richland Hills, Texas.

"While Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers ensure customers have a full understanding of SYNC, Best Buy makes the process even more seamless for customers looking to upgrade their portable electronic devices so they are able to fully maximize their SYNC experience," Pack concluded.

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