I agree, Toby. This ad undermines the credibility of market research, particularly the way the announcer says "it was ... market research" (wink, wink). My concern is this tongue-in-cheek play on market research will further erode consumer response rates.

Toby, what an absolutely and completely wrong approach. No wonder consumers are so suspicious of advertising from big companies: they simply get lied to.

Y'know, I thought something was off about those commercials but I couldn't put my finger on it at the time.

I understand using an independent marketing research company. But a fake one? How am I supposed to believe any results from that?

@Sybil - I agree. Data collection firms have a difficult time to begin with; sure doesn't help to be undermined by an advertising campaign.

@C.B. - When one sees something like this coming from a F-100 company, the principles of social media marketing and the message from Age of Conversation seem even more critical to promote. Thank you for your energies in helping wake up those marketers who seem to be a sleep.

@J. Smith - I found it odd too that Ford seemed to think it was cute to make up a fake research co. Why didn't they just hire a real marketing research firm? They would have had the same result with credibility!

A little late picking this one up? Seems kinda stale to me?

@Boris - Perhaps, but I recently saw the commercial on local TV and thought if I hadn't seen it than others may not have as well. The only person that I found addressing the issue of the impact of the fake research company was Professor Carl. I felt it was important to continue that conversation.

What are your thoughts about Ford's use of creating a faux marketing research company to "test" a product?

When I first started seeing those commercials, I was put off by the disingenuous approach, and the voice-over. Not the least bit cool. Thanks for sharing the Media Post article and for delving more into this subject. My concern is that we're going to see more of this type of approach, and the more jaded among us will just shrug our shoulders and shake our heads.

Toby,

This is totally the wrong approach. Very disappointed in Ford.

Unfortunately bad research gives the research industry a very bad name! I am sure Ford sees this as a successful campaign - I don't I wish they would pull the commercials.

Merrill

@Toby: I doubt many lay people are troubled by the idea of a fake market research company, given the context of the commercial. But I am curious as to why they just didn't hire a real one, so as to increase authenticity. Seems it would have been just as easy.

One result of all this fakery is that consumers tend to assume that any spot with actual "real people" (this one included) has actually been shot using actors. So many industries also have (self-imposed) legal guidelines prohibiting them using actual customers- the financial industry, in particular.

At least they revealed how they did it. But why does it remind me of a punk'd episode with Ashton?

I guess it's a take off on the reality TV or edu-tainment. Maybe they felt "real" research is too boring. Who knows. It would have had more credibility with a real company and they could have accomplished the same thing.

I have to disagree. I think it is a marketing campaign, not market research. And its not as if anyone except market researchers are really watching the industry closely, just waiting for them to slip up, as some of you allude. I'm in the marketing and survey research fields simultaneously and I see brilliance here. Give people what they want, not what you think they need, which is more "unbiased" research that is really begun with an agenda anyways, then trotted out as if it were biblical truth. I agree we have to keep the industry integrity in-tact, but I think this is not an assault on the market research industry in any way. I was impressed by the ads and the fact that they disclosed their methods, to me, immunizes them from criticism. They said, "hey, we aren't claiming market choice, we're just saying they loved our cars." Just thought I'd offer a differing viewpoint.

What is the real issue hear? That Ford did the "research" itself (instead of hiring a real research firm)? That they disclosed what they did during the commercial?

What would have been the best way to conduct this trest?

I have to disagree. I think it is a marketing campaign, not market research.

The child being held up in the rear seat in the red edge ad .That's a big no no

I don't think this is such a bad marketing approach, it's not like they said they were a competitor...

I think it was just Ford's attempt at humor. Like Markus said on 10/16/07, it was a market campaign, not market research.