Ford faces four more years of torment

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. spent a divisive election season defending itself from repeated attacks for moving work to Mexico.

Now it looks like Ford will have to do the same for the next four years.

President-elect Donald Trump made the Dearborn automaker a campaign trail poster child for greedy corporations that spurn U.S. workers for cheap labor south of the border. That narrative contrasts with Ford's post-recession image as an American success story that didn't take the government bailout money that its crosstown rivals needed to survive.

It's likely to have an effect on how the public views the company, experts say.

"There's been a constant pounding on that brand," said Michael Bernacchi, a marketing professor at the University of Detroit Mercy. "Eventually, when you're pounding on something like that, it's going to have an impact."

Ted Marzilli, CEO of New York-based marketing firm YouGov BrandIndex, said Ford's "buzz score," or public perception generated by news and advertisements, has fallen from a peak in 2009, and has dropped slightly within the past year. Much of that drop is a natural falloff from the goodwill it generated during the Great Recession, but Marzilli said Trump's attacks have had a "modest negative impact." 

The automaker tried to limit the damage by posting on Twitter during debates that included infographics touting U.S. job creation. Top executives appeared on national media outlets to stress Ford's commitment to its home country and dismiss Trump's comments as misinformed campaign bluster. 

Executive Chairman Bill Ford and CEO Mark Fields both reached out to offer congratulations to the president-elect, a company spokeswoman said. 

Ford will continue on its course to build cars in Mexico. It has no plans to halt construction of its $1.6 billion small-car plant in Mexico. 

But the chance that Ford -- and other automakers -- will be slapped with tariffs for building cars across the Rio Grande is much more real than it was on Nov. 7. 

"The automakers are taking it very seriously," said Michelle Krebs, senior analyst at AutoTrader.com. "They're making plans, but I don't know what their options are."