Ford’s Social Media Experiment

Author: Arjun Thomas
Filed under: News, Social Media

Wednesday
Jul 8,2009

The Ford Social Media Experiment is the latest in a long line of companies looking to leverage social media as a vehicle to promote a product or a service.

So what is this all about?

As part of the Fiesta Movement, Ford’s new platform to promote the 2011 Fiesta in the United States the company has selected 100 “agents” who will drive a new Fiesta for upto six months. Using their social networks ( Facebook, Myspace, YouTube, Twitter and so on ) they will share their experiences with the rest of the world.

It will also act as a platform for Ford to obtain feedback on the car ahead of its planned launch.

“These agents are ready for adventure and eager to spread the word with their friends, fans and followers. They’re going to take our Fiestas on missions across the country and share how much fun they are having.”

– Connie Fontaine,
Ford’s Brand Content and Alliances Manager

This is a clear example of how much of an emphasis Ford is putting on social media.

Even before this initiative has taken flight this has received a huge response from the web bringing a lot of attention to Ford and the new Fiesta platform.

More than 4000 applications were submitted with an excess of 640,000 view of applicant videos on YouTube. The Ford Fiesta has over 300 fans on their Facebook page and over 600 followers on their Twitter account.

“We got a tremendous response from consumers, a lot of exciting people decided to apply,” said Sam De La Garza, small car marketing manager. “Choosing the 100 agents is a critical step in the movement, pulling us one step closer to getting people in the vehicles.”

This address a core business benefit - connecting with the next generation consumer group which will total 70 million drivers by 2010 and using social media ( which most of them use ) is a masterstroke towards building brand loyalty.

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