Not enough bloggers in the region to drive new Fiesta campaign, says Ford

Ford is to count on the efforts of 100 bloggers to launch its new Fiesta model. However, Middle East Ford officials said they won't be able to replicate the innovative campaign here as they feel blogger marketing in the region still lags behind other cyber marketing tools.

As part of a social media initiative, 100 young trendsetters will test-drive and "live" with a Fiesta for six months, travelling as "agents" on special "missions", who will then relate their experiences through a variety of social media sites from Facebook to Twitter and YouTube.

In the US, more than 4,000 applications were submitted, with an excess of 640,000 views of applicant videos on YouTube.

Ford Fiesta has more than 300 fans on the Fiesta Movement Facebook fan page and more than 600 followers on the @FordFiesta Twitter account.

The Fiesta Movement campaign is squarely aimed at Millennials, the next-generation consumer group born between 1979 and 1995. These consumers, who will total 70 million drivers by 2010, use social media daily and offer a prime opportunity for Ford to tap into a group that hasn't yet established brand loyalty.

According to statistics from a Microsoft study on Millennials, each day 77 per cent use Facebook, MySpace or other social networking sites and 28 per cent access a personal blog.

In the GCC, which accounts to half of the Ford exports around the world, online promotion has started off in a novel way – involving an online auction on souq.com for 24 uniquely painted, Special Edition Fiesta 2009 vehicles.

The auction, dedicated for the benefit of Dubai Centre for Special Needs, attracted 70 bids, which, according to a well-informed observer, was seen as a very good response by the portal.

According to Ford, the campaign was the first of its kind in the automotive segment. Bloggers invited to offer their inputs from around the region, however, generated no response. Yet, the campaign fared well, and the first shipment was effectively sold out.

On a positive note, Theo Benson, Ford Middle East Marketing and Product Manager, said: "Ford Middle East recognises the value, power and importance of using technology to communicate with both the media and the end consumer. Owing to the youthful customer target for this vehicle, Fiesta provided us with our first real opportunity to fully leverage digital tools and to take a product launch beyond the traditional campaign."

He said: "The use of technology and the internet are increasingly becoming a normal part of the everyday life of consumers across the region. In the GCC, for example, internet penetration has grown to 31 per cent, a figure that is not insignificant when compared to the 48.1 per cent average across Europe.

"We also see that media consumption in the region is changing. In the GCC, it is estimated that consumers on average spend 70 minutes per day online, more than the time spent reading newspapers (27minutes), magazines (28 minutes) or listening to the radio (53 minutes).

"As consumers spend more time online, websites, search engines and in some cases social network sites have grown to become the most valued medial sources for some consumers, a trend that is forecast to continue in the future."

Benson said Ford recognised online media as a powerful and highly effective means to reach multiple markets, while still retaining the ability to target a very specific consumer audience, in addition to other encouraging features including the speed, cost, and results measurement advantage of new media which could not be easily matched by other traditional media.

"This non-traditional approach continued to the way that we interacted with the press as well. Exposure on the Fiesta launch was generated in part via a new, social media release (SMR) that contained Special Edition Fiesta information, special video content, images and press releases targeted to key print and online media. The SMR received extensive coverage within the online community, magnifying our reach beyond the traditional automotive and business press.

"Facebook users utilised video content from the SMRs to spread the word about Fiesta and the 24 Special Edition vehicles to their own network of friends and colleagues." Benson estimated the on-line banner advertising to have achieved over 16.7 million impressions and prompted over 30,000 customers to "click-thru" for more detailed Fiesta information located on homepage.

Approximately 1,700 consumers responding to Ford's local e-mail campaign and another 5,000 consumers racing to souq.com to get more information on the on-line auction.

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