IMAGES: Available at www.media.ford.com and www.flickr.com/photos/fiestamovement.
CONTEXT / BACKGROUND:
Hugh Weber always has been a social person, but in the last 10 years he’s taken that to the extreme. He’s become actively engaged online, even starting a Web site dedicated to “dudes” becoming dads. So the Fiesta Movement seemed like a natural fit. As part of an innovative social media initiative, 100 young trendsetters will test drive and live with a European-spec Fiesta for six months, traveling as agents on special missions, who then will relate their experiences through a variety of social media sites.
AGENT STATISTICS:
Name: Hugh Weber
Age: 32
Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Occupation: Online media
Current Car Owned: Mitsubishi Endeavor
Twitter Followers: 6,260
Facebook Friends: 1,144
Blog Followers: 1,100
YouTube Views: 13
Flickr Photos: 182
Dude to Dad Network: 8,000
DETAILS:
Hugh Weber has his hands in social media every day. As the owner of a small firm that started in traditional media, he saw the need to grow toward social media. More and more tools were becoming available online, and he realized the great connections that could be made using them. Now he shares everything online, and has the desire to be on many social networks. That big social media effort is what drew him into the Fiesta Movement.
His passion for social media took off about 100 days before his daughter was born – he realized he knew nothing about becoming a dad and wanted to do something about it. So he started www.dudetodad.com, a Web site geared towards men like him, who were looking for advice on their impending fatherhood. The group started with more than 6,000 people and continues to grow, with nearly 20 dad bloggers on the site.
In their short month together so far, the Fiesta has impressed Hugh in many ways. The drive from Denver where he picked up his Fiesta, to Sioux Falls, proved its comfort level for long distances, and around town, he’s found the strong engine with good pick up to be just what he needs. The number of features in the car also won him over, including the push button start.
His first mission sounded simple enough – “Go Home Already.” Asking him to document his trip home from picking up his Fiesta at the agent immersion event, the mission had Hugh find amazing things and people along the way. For someone who loves the open road, this was a perfect mission. Between Denver and Sioux Falls, there’s plenty of it and Hugh enjoyed the ride. He also enjoyed meeting people along the way who were curious about the Fiesta and excited that Ford had entrusted people like them to share the Fiesta message.
His goal for the next five months is to make the most of the opportunity he has being a Fiesta Movement agent. That includes taking a road trip to Virginia Beach for a wedding and participating in a small-town parade in South Dakota. He also wants to share the Fiesta story with as many people as possible – including those who constantly stop him on the street or follow him to his destination just to get a closer look.
QUOTES:
“I think this kind of process, the fact that a company would take a risk to engage average Joe American and give them the opportunity to test out a vehicle and share honest feedback is exciting. I wish there were more companies out there willing to take that risk.”
“The best part of being in the Movement is that great feeling of being a part of something bigger. It’s bigger than the 100 agents. It’s being able to watch videos and at the same time put that content out there about what’s happening in Sioux Falls for people in the rest of the country to see.”
– Hugh,
Fiesta Movement agent
Follow Hugh:
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/hughweber
Blog: http://www.dudetodad.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/hughweber
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Hugh-M-Weber/504361677
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/people/hughweber
Missions completed: http://www.fiestamovement.com/missions/view/89
Application video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uENHR8nbWZs&feature=channel_page
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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 205,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.
