As first announced by CEO Dianne Craig at the Lincoln National Dealer Meeting in September, FordDirect is now providing Ford.com and Lincoln.com referrals generated through New Vehicle Marketing Service (NVMS) at no charge to Dealers. This change took place Oct. 1 and represents another major improvement in the way FordDirect offers important digital solutions to Ford and Lincoln Dealers. All Dealers have now been notified.

This change to New Vehicle Marketing Service includes the following OEM referrals: Build & Price, Incentives, AZX Plan, Search Inventory, Quick Quote, Credit, and Test Drive. Dealers will experience savings based on their percentage of OEM referral volume.

Third-party referrals through NVMS will continue to be charged, but are now LACP (Lincoln Advertising Covenant Program) and Ford Co-Op eligible. FordDirect is auto-submitting costs for reimbursement on behalf of Dealers to make the process convenient.

As a result of the no-charge OEM referrals, the Digital Advertising Solution (DAS) Referral credit will be eliminated. Participation in New Vehicle Marketing Service is still required to receive both OEM and third-party referrals.