So, I screwed up. I had the opportunity to ask Ford and GM why they should get federal bailout money vs. using it to invest in our public transportation infrastructure, but I missed the call. My friend Aaron Strout gave his readers a chance to pose questions to the guests on his webcast and I made the cut. But I went AWOL.
[Note: Scott Monty (Ford's social media lead) points out in the comments that Ford hasn't taken any federal bailout money.]
I was putting together a proposal and got totally lost in it, until I got an IM from Heather asking if I was on the webcast… they were asking my question! Well, I sheepishly replied “no, but I hope to catch it on the archive.” What I DID do immediately was check out the Twitter chatter about the event to get a sense of what was happening.
What I found was really interesting. Ford launched a social media program around their re-designed Fiesta. It’s called the Join the Fiesta Movement and it’s designed to get car enthusiasts excited about the future launch of the Fiesta in the US market (it’s only available in Europe).
So now you’re saying “yeah, sounds like they’re pushing all the facts, figures, pictures and video to try and get me jazzed, but not this time…not this time.” But that’s not what they’re doing at all. They’re asking you to let them PULL you in and I’ll be honest… it sounds like a lot of fun. They’re selecting 100 people to drive a Fiesta on “secret assignments” taking you to “places you’ve never been to meet people you’ve never met.” Did I mention they’re paying for insurance and gas? And you apply for the program by posting a video on YouTube.
What I find so fascinating about this is that it’s not traditional in any sense of the word. It completely breaks the mold with social media/social marketing/market research… whatever you want to call it. And it’s coming from a US auto manufacturer! Way to go Scott!
Do you think this approach could work in other industries? Can you give me an example? Would it get you excited?
February 11, 2009
Jim Storer
Leave a reply
7 responses to “Pulling for You”
Scott Monty
February 12th, 2009 at 07:34
Thanks, Jim. One small point, though: Ford is not getting federal loans.
Tim Walker
February 12th, 2009 at 08:24
I think this could work in all sorts of contexts, Jim. People like intrigue, fun, and novelty, especially when it puts a different spin on something they do regularly — in this case, driving.
What if a bunch of local restaurants put together a sort of group scavenger hunt that led teams of people from one place to the next, sampling some specially-prepared micro-meal? Like a cross between a tasting menu and a pub crawl, with the unusual twist that it would be coordinated between restaurants that might be seen as competing with one another? What if the whole thing were coordinated by tweets?
What if a B2B company called for video entries to a contest that would put one of their domain experts or super-techies on the winning entrant’s premises for two days to field questions, brainstorm, troubleshoot, etc.? All at the expense of the vendor, not the client?
The mind reels . . .
Jim Storer
February 12th, 2009 at 09:06
@scott – noted. thanks for the clarification.
@tim – two great examples – thanks for chiming in. as someone who embraces scavenger hunts in a big way (ask me about that sometime) i love the way Ford (and your second example) put FUN back in the customer relationship. And if you can create an initiative that energizes your target customers (digital natives in this case) with an activity that leverages leverages their strong suit (creative use of the internet) you’ve got a winner. While my mom loves a good scavenger hunt, a similar program for the Lincoln Town Car probably wouldn’t fare as well. ;-)
Aaron Strout
February 12th, 2009 at 10:02
Jimbo – I’m crushed. ;)
Seriously though, I thought the same thing when Scott mentioned the Fiesta contest. What a great way to inject some intrigue and enthusiasm into the Ford brand.
Best,
Aaron | @aaronstrout
heatherjstrout
February 12th, 2009 at 10:03
Thanks Jim. I’m so put off by the US car industry I never take the time to read about the good things that might be going on in the industry.
This campaign is a really great way to pull people in. Thanks Jim for writing this because I wouldn’t bother to read about it anywhere else and Scott for warming me ever so slightly to the US car industry.
Tim Walker
February 12th, 2009 at 12:47
So here’s a question for you, Jim: what would you recommend I do next with that scavenger-hunt idea? Suggest it to someone in the restaurant business? Tweet it? Blog it? Set up a site with free social / interactive marketing ideas?
Just trying to think about how to turn this into something practical instead of random mulling . . .
Jim Storer
February 13th, 2009 at 17:13
I just posted a response to Tim over on his blog… check it out here (awaiting moderation at the moment): http://www.hooversbiz.com/2009/02/13/what-do-you-do-with-leftovers/
Jim
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What do you do with leftovers? -- Hoover’s Business Insight Zone February 13th, 2009 at 08:28
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