IMAGES: Available at www.media.ford.com and www.flickr.com/photos/fiestamovement.
CONTEXT / BACKGROUND:
Charlie Brumfield and Nick Malone, car enthusiasts and co-hosts of burnoutradio.com, say they came up with the idea to do their show as a “…scheme to test drive a bunch of cars for free.” 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: Charlie Brumfield / Nick Malone
Age: 26
Location: Mesquite, TX
Occupation: Co-Hosts, “Burnout Radio,” Mail Carrier
Current Car Owned: 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse; 2009 Dodge SRT8 Challenger
Missions Completed: 1
Twitter Followers: 151
Facebook or MySpace Friends: 105
YouTube Videos: 25
DETAILS:
Everything’s big in Texas, and in the case of Charlie and Nick from Mesquite, what’s big is their passion for cars. These two friends want to drive as many cars as possible, but aren’t really in a position to buy. So, they came up with a self-described “scheme” to have cars (temporarily) given to them. They began telling car dealers that they had an internet radio show where they talk about cars, and that they should be lent vehicles off the lot for test drives. When they saw that the idea worked they launched burnoutradio.com, which now has over 200 subscribers.
Charlie and Nick really wanted to get their hands on a one-of-a-kind Ford Fiesta for six months – and they aren’t wasting the opportunity now that they have it. So far they have taken the Fiesta to local car shows like “Cruizin the Casa” in Garland, TX, and they say the response from those who have seen the vehicle has been great. “People love it,” Charlie said. “I did not expect it to be the show stopper that it is.”
The guys have just completed their first mission, “Do you have any idea where you are?” They blindfolded their friend Jenny, drove her to the middle of nowhere (literally a country road outside Mesquite), and left her to drive her way back to civilization (of course, they had to teach her to drive a stick first). Up next is their June mission, “Geocaching for You,” an online scavenger hunt where they will need to find the treasure, or geocache, with a GPS system.
Charlie and Nick are also going to take advantage of their participation in the Fiesta Movement by helping out the DFW Charity Racing league, an organization that runs charity racing events that helps families of children with disabilities. Check out fiestamovement.com for more details. As always, Charlie and Nick expect to have a grand ole time.
QUOTES:
“We thought it would be a great opportunity for Burnout Radio and, since I really believe that the Fiesta is one of the cars Ford should bring to the U.S., we wanted the chance to be one of the first people in the U.S. to get our hands on one.”
Fiesta Movement agent
Follow Charlie and Nick:
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/burnoutradio
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1044003735&ref=profile
Twitter: http://twitter.com/burnoutradio
Application video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tBcMLvfZQg&feature=channel_page
###
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.