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Brilliant! Ford Shows the way for Large Corporations to use Social Media

You may have read on various parts of the web about Ford Motor Company’s plan to lend 100 new Fiestas to bloggers and web savvy people for a six month period. The idea is that these people will obviously write about their experience with the cars, as well as various tasks Ford will set them to and report on during their tenure.

New_Fiesta_in_Vision

Car manufacturers have been doing this for years for the press and for large corporate buyers, and as long as the product is decent, it’s an effective way to get people to talk about it. As part of the overall launch cost of a new car, six months depreciation on 100 Fiestas is a drop in the ocean, so it makes good marketing sense as well. How many people will read these reviews? Probably millions, and many people reading them will be  regular visitors to the blogs, so will have a built in trust in what they they are reading.

I’m delighted to see that Ford (normally a woefully conservative manufacturer – I can say that, as I once worked for them) have come to this particular party. What do you think – is this the future of social media marketing for large corporations? What are the dangers?

PS Just in case the head of PR over at Mercedes Benz is reading this, I’m sure the readers of this blog would be very interested in hearing my views on the CLS over a six month period :)

Maybe also check out:

1/ Why every business needs a social media presence

2/ SMS messaging will never work

3/ I am Web 2.0

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Submitted by Mike on April 20, 2009 - 13:50.

A win for Ford

Submitted by Devon (not verified) on April 20, 2009 - 14:29.
Devon's picture

I think it's a great idea. I assume they have carefully selected their 100 bloggers to include people who are influencers (have a decent reach) and who write intelligently about cars or a related topic. It's an excellent way to get the word out about the Fiesta. On the downside, I'm sure they can expect some honest reviews (i.e. it won't be all five-star reviews), but because of that, the blog readers will trust the review even more. Anything that breaks through the clutter in this day and age is a win in my book.

Brilliant

Submitted by Chris (not verified) on April 20, 2009 - 15:52.
Chris's picture

Brilliant idea. I like the look of the new Fiesta, and this is a good way to get the word out about it. Devon's right, bloggers are often viciously honest (a good thing) so it'll be interesting to see what the reviews say.

I dropped a few hints on my blog about testing the Tesla roadster, but Tesla didn't take me up on it :)

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"Mike's Life is where you can stay current with the life, thoughts, successes and failures of Mike Cliffe-Jones. Never knowingly ordinary, Mike shares as much as possible about his work as a marketer and in business, as well as his enviable lifestyle on and in the oceans around The Canary Islands."

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