To ensure their new brand strategy was practical, Ford required every department to articulate how they would activate it. This exercise revealed gaps and ensured the strategy would guide daily decisions on what to do and, crucially, what to stop doing.
Ford's CMO credits their rebrand's success to a two-year process of embedding the new strategy across all departments, from HR to product development. This ensured it was more than a marketing campaign by influencing core business operations and decision-making.
When presenting their rebrand strategy, Ford's CEO encouraged his team to transparently share challenges they hadn't yet solved. This demonstrated deep, critical thinking and built more confidence with the board than a perfectly polished presentation would have.
During Ford's two-year rebrand, moments where stakeholder alignment was lost were not failures. The CMO found these "regroups" were critical for strengthening the strategy, revealing where initial agreements were superficial or impractical and making the final plan more durable.
Instead of forcing decisions in tense meetings, Ford's CMO would pause and then follow up with key stakeholders one-on-one. This allowed her to understand unique departmental challenges without group pressure, demonstrating humility and effectively resolving complex roadblocks.
In greenlighting its "Ready, Set, Ford" campaign, the marketing team used a powerful filter: could any other OEM credibly run this ad? The objective was to create an anthem so deeply rooted in Ford's unique identity that it would feel inauthentic for any competitor.
For Ford's CMO, the ultimate validation of their new brand strategy was an unsolicited call from the Head of Design. He announced he was restructuring his entire department around the brand's new "lifestyle audiences," proving the strategy was adopted at a core operational level.