Marketing has been a big part of Ford's success in 2025.
Universal 25% taxes on all auto and auto part imports have made buying American more attractive to U.S. car shoppers.
Most car companies have held prices steady at the behest of the White House, but even the threat of higher prices due to tariffs has caused a buying rush.
Marketing has been a big part of sustaining that buying rush for Ford (F) .
"It's really paid off for us in the last 60 days. You've seen a lot of the results in the market. Last month (May)...we actually posted a 14.7% share here in the U.S. That's up 1.9 points of share on a year-over-year basis. A lot of times in this industry we fight for tenths of share, and to have a 1.9% increase year over year was very strong," said Ford Blue and Model e President Andrew Frick.
Ford says its total sales rose in the second quarter at a rate about 7x that of the overall industry. The company says it was the top-selling brand in the U.S. during the first half of the year, thanks mainly to different promotional pushes.
This week, the company's marketing team teamed up with its presence in the NFL for a marketing coup.
Ford signs Detroit Lions player to a marketing deal Tesla could've had
The Detroit Lions are owned by Sheila Ford Hamp, who became principal owner and chairperson of the team in 2020 after her mother, Martha Firestone Ford, took over for her husband, William Clay Ford Sr., following his death in 2014.
So, for all intents and purposes, the Detroit Lions are owned by the Ford family, the same Ford family that owns a 40% voting stake in Ford Motor Company (F) .
Related: New Ford F-150 promotion targets one group in particular
This past offseason, the Lions drafted rookie wide receiver Isaac Teslaa (pronounced Tes-laah) out of Arkansas in the third round. This week, the rookie - known for his crazy, one-handed, highlight catches - debuted Ford's newest ad campaign that plays on the similarities between his name and Ford's electric rival.
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Teslaa's shirt is a play on electric vehicle maker Tesla.
Tesla recently entered the EV pickup space with its Cybertruck, but neither the F-150 Lightning nor the Tesla rival has proven to be popular with U.S. car buyers.
However, earlier this year, the F-150 Lightning registered 7,913 vehicles while the Cybertruck registered 7,126. Ford overtook Cybertruck, reversing the trend from 2024, when Cybertruck outsold the Lightning 39,442 units to 33,150.
Ford turns to marketing to win customers
Earlier this year, Ford launched its "From America, For America" campaign to provide customers with employee pricing.
"Employee pricing for all was easy to understand and resonated with customers," said Ford U.S. Sales Director Rob Kaffl.
Since then, Ford has offered other incentives to U.S. buyers, including July 4 sales and a 0-0-0 financing deal.
Last month, Ford started offering Labor Day deals in key regions through the end of September.
Ford is expanding its incentive program this fall to move more F-150s, and the deals will go to buyers with weaker credit histories.
More Ford Motor news:
Until the end of September, Ford offered buyers with lower credit scores the same interest rates as those with excellent credit scores.
The Ford F-150 costs from $39,000 to $80,000 and is Ford's top-selling vehicle.
Related: Ford takes drastic action to solve $5 billion a year issue
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This story was originally published October 2, 2025 at 5:33 AM.