Jen Brace, Trends and Futuring Manager at Ford Motor (NYSE: F) yesterday noted several trends in global research that show post-pandemic shifts in consumer sentiment and how people are reacting to technology by rewriting the rules of living, working, buying, and traveling. The self-professed “data nerd” shared the latest Ford consumer research with the Society of Automotive Analysts via Zoom.
“Think of this as the 10,000 foot view of what we see happening around the world. We purposely keep it at a very high level because we’re trying to understand consumer sentiment around the world. So we’re really trying to understand what’s happening in some critical categories that we refer to as the steep categories that stands for social, technological, economic. environmental and political,” said Brace. Brace is clearly STEEPed (Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political) in consumer attitudes. Continue reading






Annals of Marketing – Lexus and the LA Clippers
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The LA Clippers said this week that Lexus will be named “the official luxury vehicle of the LA Clippers and Intuit Dome,” with a Lexus Courtside Lounge at the new arena. Lexus joins naming rights partner Intuit and AT&T, Pechanga, and Ticketmaster as Intuit Dome Founding Partners. Ex-Microsoft pooh-bah Steve Balmer now owns and runs the Clippers. The monetarily peripatetic team was formerly of Buffalo and San Diego.
The Clippers history with arenas is troubled. They fled the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in 1999 for Staples Center (nowadays Crypto.com Arena; that’s com not con), which they shared as an unloved stepchild with the Los Angeles Lakers and the National Hockey League’s LA Kings. The rental deal with the Lakers required the removing and then re-installation of Laker memorabilia and sponsorship logos and other stuff before and after their games. Hardly five easy pieces – so to Jack Nicholson speak – with our fond memories of his courtside Lakers seats where he held court at the Forum and Staples Center. Continue reading →