Marketing Ford

About the Program

Category: Financial Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

The termination of a marketing contract with Nissan North America left the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Lifeguard Division without a fleet of vehicles for its beach patrol functions, a situation which threatened to force the Fire Department to purchase vehicles at a time when budget curtailments were required. The Department of Beaches and Harbors Marketing Division prepared a sponsorship package for major auto manufacturers and, when the Ford Motor Company, responded, negotiated a contract with Ford worth $1.5 million to place on 31 miles of County beaches a fleet of 45 customized Ford Escape Hybrids. These fuel efficient SUVs –Partial Zero Emission Vehicles—make the Los Angeles County beaches the largest in the nation to “go green,” which improves air quality and also saves approximately $200,000 annually in fuel costs.