IMAGES: Available at www.media.ford.com and www.flickr.com/photos/fiestamovement.
 Fiesta Movement agent Beto Lopez is ready to start missions after receiving his Fiesta. |
SUMMARY:
- After successful immersion events across the country, Fiesta Movement agents are ready to take part in their first mission under a “travel” theme
- A live feed of agent activity will be available at www.fiestamovement.com – a one-stop Web site for everything related to the Fiesta Movement
- Initial pre-mission buzz already impressive – more than 350 Flickr photos, over 450 Tweets, and about 100 YouTube videos posted
CONTEXT / BACKGROUND:
Whether it’s off to Vegas to get married, recreating a historic event or turning their Fiesta into an ice cream truck, the Fiesta Movement “agents” are off and running on their first “mission.” Having completed immersion events about the Movement and their new Fiestas, the agents are ready to generate excitement about the highly anticipated Ford Fiesta, the new fuel-efficient small car that brings its style and substance to the U.S. next year. 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.
DETAILS:
With keys in hand, the Fiesta Movement agents now are ready to start their missions and talk about their adventures. Each agent attended a two-day immersion event in locations across the country, including Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver and Seattle. Agents were given an intense course on everything related to Fiesta Movement including the history of Fiesta, operation of key features, and responsibilities associated with being an agent.
Each immersion event ended with the agents receiving their new Fiesta, customized with the color and graphics of their choice. The cars were delivered on a closed course allowing agents to get to know their Fiesta safely and remind them the program is about fun and adventure. Agents also received a technology tutorial to learn how to use Bluetooth® capability, voice-activated controls and the EasyFuel® capless fuel-filler system.
In addition, the agents were shown how to handle the European specifics of the Fiesta. For example, the headlight beams can be lowered or raised, unlike cars in the U.S. They also learned about British terminology so when the computer screen tells them the boot is open, they know it means the trunk. After receiving a pair of sunglasses to confirm their agent status and a second key to the car, the agents finally were sent on their way to start their Fiesta Movement adventure.
May Mission: Travel
For the month of the May, the missions fall under the theme of travel. There are 100 missions in all, and each agent goes to the Fiesta Movement Web site to select the mission of his or her choice.
Ranging from simple to complex, the missions all have one thing in common – they require a taste for adventure. One mission asks the agent to recreate Paul Revere’s midnight ride by driving the historic route while discussing that part of American history and the difference between the drive in their car versus on a horse. Another mission is to turn their Fiesta into an ice cream truck. After stocking it with ice cream, they will drive to the beach or an event and give away every piece, photographing each person who receives ice cream. And for the most adventurous, one mission is to get married in Las Vegas, in the most bizarre chapel they can find, in front of 10 witnesses.
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.
Follow the Agents Online
The first place the agents and visitors following their journey will go to is the Fiesta Movement Web site, www.fiestamovement.com.
On the site, visitors will see a live feed of current posts from agents talking about their Fiesta, updated every 30 seconds. If visitors see an agent that interests them, they can click on the agents tab to learn where they are from and what social media outlets they use, with a direct link to their sites. Visitors also can locate the agent nearest them, as well as agents who are viewed the most.
The missions tab on the site allows people to see missions available for agents that month. They also can view which agents have selected which missions, giving the viewer the opportunity to follow the mission through to the end.
Gaining Momentum
After the live feed on the homepage had been up for only a few days and with a fraction of agents with their cars, the Fiesta Movement already has kicked off with impressive involvement, including:
- More than 350 photos posted to Flickr;
- More than 450 tweets on Twitter;
- About 100 videos posted on YouTube, and
- 12 personal blog posts
Many of the agents are discovering unique aspects of the Fiesta – and finding fun ways to tell the story. One female agent has decided the Fiesta is a guy magnet, with men stopping her on the street to find out what it is. And another pair of agents put their Honda Element out to “pasture” in this YouTube video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDTCZI_k5xc.
QUOTES:
“Fans and followers are going to love the live-feed feature on the site. It is great to be able to see what is being said by agents all over the country about the Fiesta and the Fiesta Movement, in real-time!”
“When they got their Fiesta, it was sort of like the agents were winners on ‘The Price is Right,' they were so excited! And since they are so into capturing their life experiences, many agents immediately started sending Twitter messages and live-streaming footage of themselves with the Fiesta.”
“When I first saw the Fiesta I was shocked how cute it looked. I was so excited to get into the car and drive it. We had to wait our turn which was close to 45 minutes and it killed me! The agent immersion definitely made me feel comfortable about taking on this journey.”
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.