More than half of Team Detroit's employees work primarily on digital initiatives, Mr. LaNeve said. Other digitally focused practices at the agency include a global analytics practice and installing a digital-first planning and measurement system for Ford's regional dealer ad groups.
Mr. LaNeve said traditional media are still important, but digital media consumption has made the traditional notion of the purchase funnel all but obsolete.
"For years we've organized and budgeted where Tier 1 was national for the brand, Tier 2 was regional and in support of the dealer ad groups, and Tier 3 was individual dealer advertising," he said.
"The customer doesn't really receive digital media the way they do traditional media," he added. "They engage digital media, they consume it on their own terms and timetables and it's non-linear — the jump from watching a video to locating a vehicle to building and pricing a car to e-mailing their dealer."
Nissan is also adopting an approach similar to Team Ford's "digital first" at its new agency, Nissan United, said Jose Munoz, chairman of Nissan North America.
Digital content gives marketers more creative freedom to tell different stories about a new product simultaneously, he said.
"The name of the game is not whether you go [into digital] or not," Mr. Munoz said. "It's how you go there, how you get there and how many resources for this vs. other channels."
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Ryan Breene is a reporter with Automotive News, a sister publication of Tire Business. This story appeared on the publication's website.
