After a dismal winter, the Detroit automakers are sitting on lots full of unsold cars. Ford (NYSE:F) is showing some marketing savvy by playing to this abundance. It is giving Ford Fiestas to 100 people that are active in social media to drive around for six months, without any restrictions on what they post about the cars. The drivers were chosen from 4,000 people who posted videos on YouTube explaining on why they should be chosen to represent "The Fiesta Movement."Playing on the reality TV craze, the drivers chosen will be given missions, supposedly taking them to new places for new experiences. New foods is not mentioned, so I guess they won't be required to scarf down plates of worms or the like.
Given the method of selection, there is minimal risk that some will diss their free rides, but allowing them to post whatever they choose, good or bad, is the only way that the internet audience is going to buy into their impressions. And what does the company have to lose? Either it's making a good product that will suit the needs and tastes of this alpha group, in which case the program should bring welcome attention, or it's building crap. If the cars are crap, the public will figure it out anyway.
The sheer ubiquity of advertising has led us to give little credence to the claims made. Instead, many of us turn to our social network for opinions that we can trust. The internet has allowed us to expand our network of trusted voices, and Ford is smart enough to take a chance on peer-to-peer marketing. Perhaps Facebook can sell cars that the CBS Evening News can't.
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