A sort-of-open letter to Presidents Ford, Lincoln and Mercury

Wellington, September 28, 2006

As an aside to my usual work as a brand consultant, I have often thought about how the Mercury brand would survive. Over the years, I have come up with numerous, optimistic scenarios, but have usually shared them with my customers and readers, and never with Lincoln–Mercury itself. This time, I believe I should.
   Mercury’s fate always seems to hang in the balance because of the perception that its cars are rebadged Fords. Most solutions seem to be geared toward product, and that costs. Lateral thinking should be the solution here.
   When the Ford Motor Co. bought the Rover brand from BMW in mid-September, I believe it presented Mercury with an ideal opportunity: to go global.
   Ford has never attempted to take Mercury vehicles outside North America, and costs of establishing a brand are immense. But what if there were a brand that had loyalists, a recent history, and could be positioned to preserve other Ford divisions’ offerings?
   Mr Giombetti, I talk of rebadging the Milan as a Rover.
   You and I know of the relatively low costs involved in a new grille. The Mercury’s handling and packaging are not dissimilar to that of the Rover 75, but moves the game on sufficiently. Rover 75 buyers were roughly the same age as Mercury’s ones. They demand comfort, which American cars offer. The mid-Atlantic approach of the Milan is roughly where the Rover once was. Few people in Europe would have seen the Fusion–Milan–MKZ shape. Its styling would appeal to the Rover buyer. The Mazda 6 platform is already proven in Europe and safety-wise, it should pass the Euroncap tests.
   It also makes economic sense in scale terms, too.
   All it takes are nine months to a year, time-wise.
   I hope you will give this idea some consideration. I have published it online, and essentially expect good karma should you go ahead with it. I’m sure a bit of goodwill would not go amiss.

Very truly yours,

Jack Yan, LL B, BCA (Hons.), MCA
Chief Executive