Transforming from
ownership to membership.
How does a 100-year-old brand prepare for the inevitable transformation from auto manufacturing to personal mobility?
How does a 100-year-old brand prepare for the inevitable transformation from auto manufacturing to personal mobility?
Lincoln is a 100-year-old automotive brand and the luxury division of Ford. At the turn of the century, the Lincoln brand fell into disrepair. The brand relaunched with three new vehicles in 2012 and has since rebounded to its once glory days in the premium auto segment. Relaunching in the United States, China, Canada and Mexico, the Lincoln brand has become a top selection for the discerning driver that is looking for craftsmanship, comfort and most of all innovation.
The Challenge
As the personal transportation industry started to transform, Lincoln had the foresight to begin a transformation of their own. Their challenge was to prepare to shift from Auto Manufacturing to Personal Mobility and from Vehicle Ownership to Brand Membership.
To achieve their goals and meet their objectives, Lincoln had to prepare their brand for the future while maintaining the business model of vehicle sales today. They were standing at the precipice of a complete industry transformation. From revenue generation, to the role of dealers, to the relationship with their customers, to the connectivity of their vehicles, down to the service and support they had to offer their customers - everything was about to change. Taking a pragmatic and intentional approach to solving the problem would be key to their short term and long-term success.
The Solution
Lincoln’s business transformation was geared towards embarking on a journey that would build the business model of the future. By defining the 10-year future state, they developed a roadmap to know what to do first, then experiment to define what’s next.
By understanding the personal transportation and mobility trends surrounding the Lincoln driver, we were able to understand the specific expectations of the driver today, while plotting out the expectation path for the future. We leveraged this information to build the end-to-end customer experience for the driver, building out the tools and platforms to best connect them to their experience, then activating the dealers and customer support teams to develop and deploy the programs needed to bring the experience to life This is the Lincoln Way