Would dropping the Mercury name do irreparable damage to the Ford
corporate name? All of the above?
Like Oldsmobile, Plymouth, and DeSoto, Mercury (in my opinion) has long ago lost any relevance in today's market. It's a far different marketplace today than it was when the Mercury brand was launched back in 1938 as a '39 model. Nameplates like Mercury, Buick and others just don't have the features that set themselves apart from the rest of the market. 30 or 40 years ago that wasn't the case, but not in today's crowded market. Unless, off course, you want to be known as a brand that seniors buy? There's an old saying that goes something like: "You can sell an old person a young person's car, but you will never sell a young person and old person's car." Unfortunately Mercury has been mining the over-60 market for so long, that's what most customers associate it with; same with Buick. That's a very tough perception to reverse (quickly)âand if I were a betting personâI don't think Ford can pull it off.
Like Oldsmobile, Plymouth, and DeSoto, Mercury (in my opinion) has long ago lost any relevance in today's market. It's a far different marketplace today than it was when the Mercury brand was launched back in 1938 as a '39 model. Nameplates like Mercury, Buick and others just don't have the features that set themselves apart from the rest of the market. 30 or 40 years ago that wasn't the case, but not in today's crowded market. Unless, off course, you want to be known as a brand that seniors buy? There's an old saying that goes something like: "You can sell an old person a young person's car, but you will never sell a young person and old person's car." Unfortunately Mercury has been mining the over-60 market for so long, that's what most customers associate it with; same with Buick. That's a very tough perception to reverse (quickly)âand if I were a betting personâI don't think Ford can pull it off.
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