IMAGES: Available at www.media.ford.com and www.flickr.com/photos/fiestamovement.
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SUMMARY:
- June missions bring agents into the technology world, with several agents visiting companies across the country developing state-of-the-art technologies
- Agent postings have garnered significant numbers on social media sites – about 1,000,000 YouTube views, 180,000 Flickr views and more than 1,500 tweets on Twitter
- Fiesta continues sales success in Europe as Ford’s fastest-selling model ever with 43,000 new Fiestas sold in April
CONTEXT / BACKGROUND:
With maiden missions under their belts, the Fiesta Movement agents are up for their next challenge – one that will take them to the world of high technology. The agents will visit places few outsiders have been, with an inside look at the happenings of some of the hottest technology names such as Pandora and Twitter. As part of the 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.
DETAILS:
June Mission: Technology
With 100 missions to choose from, each mission in June is based on a technology theme. Covering the spectrum from entertaining to unexpected, the missions are sure to tell the unique side to technology and their Fiesta. Missions include:
- Visiting the Pandora office to attend an in-house concert and learn how the recording is integrated onto Pandora. The agent will see the recording and sound-quality technology Pandora uses to record music live and stream it online. They'll also get to meet with Kevin Seal, video producer and editor, and sit in while he interviews the artist.
- Celebrating Twitter at the 140 Character Conference where they will meet the Twitterari, learn new tricks and tell everyone about it in their video and on Twitter.
- Challenging an agent to find a product that hasn’t been featured on the “Will It Blend?” series, and take it to Blendtec headquarters in Orem, Utah. There, they’ll get the latest information on blenders and see what goes behind the blending of off-the-wall items.
Throughout the mission and after its completion, the agent uploads the content to the Fiesta Movement Web site or the social media platform of their choice, so visitors can follow the ride. Using www.fiestamovement.com, visitors can follow the journey by using the live feed feature to keep current on what the agents are saying about Fiesta and their missions.
People are Taking Notice
After kicking off the Fiesta Movement and beginning their first mission in May, agents have created a big impression in the social media world throughout the month, including:
- About 1,000,000 video views on YouTube
- More than 180,000 photo views on Flickr
- More than 1,500 tweets on Twitter
Agents also are telling their Fiesta stories in creative ways and showing off every aspect of the journey, including:
- One agent showed off the roominess of the Fiesta trunk in this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a08oXD3tXv0
- A pair of agents caught on tape what happens frequently to the agents – someone stopping them on the street for more information about the Fiesta: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REYYSSnz3jQ&feature=channel_page
- Traveling to unique places across the United States, one agent photographed their Fiesta with a California Redwood: http://www.flickr.com/photos/laughtech/3512682817
Consumers also are showing interest in Fiesta by requesting more information on Ford’s first global car. More than 15,000 “handraisers” have reached out before the Fiesta Movement even began. Since the Fiesta Movement kicked off in May, there have been almost 1,500 new requests.
Fiesta Sales Success
The all-new Fiesta is the fastest-selling Fiesta model ever in Europe, which helped boost Ford of Europe’s market share in April. In April alone, 43,000 new Fiestas were sold, with more than 151,000 delivered to customers since the start of the year. Fiesta also is Ford of Europe’s best-selling model in April and year-to-date.
In Europe, the Fiesta in Europe name has long been synonymous with outstanding driving quality, design and value. The all-new Ford Fiesta is taking that three-decade heritage to U.S. consumers in 2010.
QUOTES:
"We’re confident that our agents will find off-the-wall ways to tell their stories that will highlight these technologies in new, fun ways."
– Connie Fontaine,
Ford Brand Content and Alliances manager
"Our agents clearly are demonstrating how powerful they are at delivering unique content to their friends and followers in the social arena. It's even more powerful when the Ford Fiesta can enable our agents to grow the Ford Fiesta following!"
– Sam De La Garza,
small car marketing manager
Follow the Fiesta Movement:
YouTube: www.youtube.com/fiestamovement
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/fiestamovement
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Fiesta-Movement/73386615309
Twitter: www.twitter.com/fordfiesta
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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.