Ford Extends Employee Pricing in New Campaign

Ford is marking the United States' 250-year anniversary with a marketing campaign that extends employee pricing to customers. The carmaker says the initiative connects to its 125-year history in American manufacturing and its current workforce strategy.

According to Ford, the "American Value. For American Values." campaign will offer employee pricing on most new 2025 and 2026 Lincoln vehicles. The company says this could save buyers anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars depending on the vehicle.

Andrew Frick, President of Ford Blue and Model e, says the campaign aims to recognise workers who support American industry.

He says: "As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, 'American Value. For American Values.' is our way of giving back to the people who show up every day: American workers, small business owners and families who place their trust in Ford."

The pricing sits below the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price and applies to most 2025 and 2026 Ford and Lincoln models.

Campaign targets workers

Lisa Materazzo, Chief Marketing Officer of Ford, says on a press call that the campaign was designed to focus less on "telling people who we are" and more on "recognising who they are."

The launch advert features images of workers across construction and manufacturing industries alongside images of Ford employees. Lisa says the approach reflects a shift in how the company communicates with customers.

Lisa says: "Credibility matters more than ever. Ford has always believed that American values are more than words – they're actions.

"We're not talking about a traditional promotion. We're talking about aligning what we say with what we do – we wanted to bring those values to life."

Dealership community programme expands

Ford says 250 of its dealerships are working with local non-profits to support communities across the country. The activations will include blood drives and food collection.

The expansion forms part of Ford's Building Together initiative, which the company first launched in 2025. The programme supports American Red Cross, Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity and Team Rubicon at local community level.

Ford hosts local activations at dealerships as part of the programme. The company has also increased its Volunteer Paid Time Off policy for employees to encourage staff to work with the company's nonprofit partners.

The dealership programme runs alongside the pricing extension as part of the broader campaign tied to the US anniversary.

Workforce size and training

According to Ford, the company employs more US hourly workers and assembles more vehicles in the US than any other automaker. The company says its commitment to its US workforce is "foundational to Ford's identity."

This workforce strategy has developed alongside changes in the manufacturing sector. Ford has created several training and development programmes to address manual skills gaps.

Jim Farley, Chief Executive Officer of Ford, says these investments are necessary as the widening manual skills gap creates a "very serious" issue for businesses. On the Office Hours: Business Edition podcast, Jim says: "We do not have trade schools. We are not investing in educating a next generation of people like my grandfather who had nothing, who built a middle class life and a future for his family."

The company operates two main training initiatives to tackle this gap. The Automotive Student Service Educational Training (ASSET) programme has been running for 40 years and partners with community colleges. The Ford Accelerated Credential Training (FACT) programme is a 15-week training initiative.