By Patrick Coffee

Ford Motor Company released an ad campaign this month titled "Committed to America," stating that it assembles more vehicles in the U.S. and employs more hourly workers in the country than any other automaker.

"From America. For America," its tagline read.

President Trump praised the campaign on his Truth Social platform, writing, "A Great Ad by FORD!"

The virtue of buying American-made products has remained a rare point of bipartisan consensus in an increasingly divided country. But Ford is likely at the front of a wave of advertisers that will re-emphasize their domestic bona fides as President Trump's new tariffs turn up the heat on imports, marketing and legal observers predict.

Many advertisers will have to choose their words carefully, however, because even companies with factories in the U.S. often source many components from abroad. Marketers in industries that rely heavily on imports, such as automotive, pharmaceutical, technology and apparel, risk overstepping if they cannot fully substantiate any "Made in America" claims.

"I think marketers will be stepping up to the plate, and those who have the ability to make the claim will make it," said Ronald Urbach, partner and co-chair of the advertising group at law firm Davis+Gilbert.

The campaign is an extension of Ford's longstanding position as an American brand, but the tariffs also provide an opening for the company, said Phil O'Connor, head of marketing communications for Ford Blue, the company's combustible engine division.

"We were in a unique position to reinforce why we're such a good option in times of uncertainty, given that the uncertainty is driven specifically by tariffs on goods that are assembled and parts that are assembled outside the U.S.," said O'Connor.

The Federal Trade Commission will likely intensify enforcement efforts against companies that make misleading claims about their American provenance, according to Urbach.

One of the Trump administration's goals in enacting these tariffs is to encourage companies to manufacture more goods within the country, according to White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers.

"'Made in America' is not just a label slapped on a product; it is a symbol of American Greatness -- and it is a label the whole world will get used to seeing when we become a global manufacturing powerhouse once again," Rogers said in a statement.

It is also a label subject to scrutiny.

Home goods maker Williams-Sonoma agreed last April to pay the FTC $3.17 million, which the commission said then was the largest fine yet for a "Made in the U.S.A. case," for violating a 2020 order regarding imported products, including those manufactured in China, that were inaccurately labeled on its website as being made in America.

Williams-Sonoma had agreed to pay $1 million in 2020 after the FTC found that the company made unsubstantiated "made in America" claims about several product lines.

A Williams-Sonoma spokeswoman attributed last year's fine to an unintentional administrative mistake. The company has worked to improve its processes and plans to expand its assortment of "Made in the U.S.A." products and partnerships, she said.

Marketers must carefully choose their language regarding countries of origin, said Laura Smith, legal director of Truth in Advertising, a consumer advocacy group that filed complaints against Williams-Sonoma over its "made in America" claims.

Ford's recent ad used the word "assemble" rather than "build" or "make," Smith pointed out. That might be because the FTC's standards require that "all, or virtually all" of any product marketed as made in the U.S. is indeed made in this country, Smith said.

"They don't say if more cars are made in America, they say more cars are assembled in America, and that nuance is actually really important, at least with respect to how the FTC would view this kind of claim," Smith said regarding the Ford ad.

In 2022, Truth in Advertising sent a letter to Tesla challenging the company's claim in social media that all of its cars sold in the U.S. are also "built in the U.S." The group called such claims inaccurate because every Tesla includes parts manufactured outside the U.S. Tesla didn't respond to requests for comment on deadline.

Tesla updated its language in an ad campaign last year describing the Model Y as "the #1 most American-made car" and citing an annual list compiled by Cars.com, but reverted to its original claims in a more recent social-media post.

No car is built with entirely American-made parts, and no car on last year's Cars.com American-made index surpassed 75%, according to Patrick Masterson, who oversees research for the index and is chief copy editor at the automotive site. The ranking reflects the value of individual U.S.-made parts in each automobile it includes.

"Made in America" has become a key differentiator for companies that can say it, according to Andrew Beck, partner and co-founder of brand consultancy Beck & Stone, whose clients include Walmart and the Claremont Institute, a conservative political think tank.

"'If you're an American company, be an American brand,' is what we've been telling our clients," he said.

WeatherTech, an automotive accessories manufacturer and perennial Super Bowl advertiser, has long centered much of its marketing around a decision to manufacture its products in the U.S., according to David MacNeil, founder and chief executive.

As more sales move online, it's increasingly important to label a given product's country of origin accurately so consumers can make better-informed decisions, MacNeil said.

"You get an advantage in America if you say your product's made in America, and you should not get that advantage if it's not true," he said.

Write to Patrick Coffee at patrick.coffee@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 08, 2025 13:33 ET (17:33 GMT)

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