Ford Dives into Social Media
The Ford Fiesta
will finally be available to U.S. customers next year as part of Ford’s
strategy of offering a single global product lineup. Recently
redesigned, the latest Fiesta is a compact hatchback that balances
efficiency and sportiness and it has already seen tremendous sales
success in Europe. Its success has fueled anticipation among American
consumers and dealers alike, but to help maintain the anticipation,
Ford has created a new campaign to generate interest.
To excite North American consumers about their latest offering, Ford
has already shipped 100 Fiestas to the U.S. as part of the automaker’s
Fiesta Movement campaign. For the next six months, 100 Americans will
drive a Fiesta completely free of charge as they record their
experience and impressions of the vehicle online via fiestamovement.com.
The Fiesta Movement campaign is comprised of young and well-connected drivers. The campaign is intended to leverage social media to spur grassroots interest in the Fiesta and generate demand for the car leading up to its release.
This bold campaign is plenty risky for Ford as few companies have had success running similar viral campaigns. However, Ford Tacoma
and other observers recognize that Ford has plenty to gain if the
campaign proves to be successful. For a limited financial investment,
Ford can put the Fiesta in the hands of influencers and in front of its
target demographic at a significantly lower cost than a traditional
media buy.
Of course not everyone believes that such a campaign will be capable
of enticing consumers. First, with a free car, free insurance, and even
free parking, how can anyone expect these drivers to give completely
unbiased opinions of the vehicle? Despite these perks, Fords social
media guru Scott Monty
has indicated that the Fiesta Movement drivers were instructed to be
truthful and honest. To do their part, Ford will not censor or edit the
content generated by those participating in the campaign.
Although the campaign is risky, Ford has little to worry about and
everything to gain. With brisk sales of the Fiesta in Europe
, the Ford
Fiesta seems poised to be a success in North America soon enough.
Article Tags:
Social Media
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
about the author
Joe Kent is a writer for TK Carsites, an automotive website design and marketing firm in Orange, CA, that specializes in automotive SEO and working with car dealers nationwide.
I had to sell my Subaru when the maintenance costs rose
Back in 2000 when I was looking for my first car, I decided to buy my Subaru because it was neat and compact, with a small engine and low running costs. I was just out…
Popularity: 6% [?]