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Ford Fiesta Movement Chat With Scott Monty (video)
This week Ford announced a new "social media" campaign named the Fiesta Movement around the upcoming launch of their new Ford Fiesta automobile. Ford will give 100 special "digital influencers" a European-spec version of the new Ford Fiesta for six months and seek their feedback. Unlike your normal test drive and feedback form type deal, here they have decided to get these so-called digital influencers to complete missions each month. While I don’t know what the missions are, you can be sure they will lead to lots of media mentions for Ford and the Fiesta.
A number of bloggers and journalists covering the launch and one post from Steven Hodson caught my eye. He called the program, "the ultimate social media experiment". As I do with all paid post campaigns, I questioned if any of the 100 would actually post negative comments about the car. This experiment as Steven calls it is slightly different than your normal paid review, but I believe it’s still in the same family. I also wonder how the income associated with this experiment will be reported (sorry old accounting hat on momentarily). Ford global communications team member Scott Monty commented that the people in this program are allowed to say whatever they want whenever they want. Scott went on to reply to another commenter noting, "if you think – for one second – that Ford is telling these people what to say or that we’re only looking for glowing reviews, I want some of what you’re smoking." Probably not the best way for a Ford executive to talk to a potential customer.
After reading Scott’s comments and learning that he was in NYC today, I asked to meet with him to learn more about the program and have him answer some of my questions. We met this morning at the Javits Center where the International Auto Show is set to begin in a couple of days. Side note, I posted a bunch of photos of some exotic cars on Flickr this afternoon. I enjoyed the conversation and while there’s no doubt that Scott and I disagree about whether this program is equivalent to any other paid post/review campaign, I hope I left him with some things to think about and consider.
The net is that Ford is buying media mentions – if all they wanted was feedback, they would give the people a form and have them submit it. This is more of a PR campaign than it will ever be a social media campaign. Just because you use Twitter or YouTube does not just instantly make it social media. It will be interesting to see how disclosure is handled as well with the 100 digital influencers. Scott says each person is required to disclose – but what about on the social sites? Will every tweet, image uploaded to Flickr or video on Youtube have a note about disclosure? Scott says the media will be tagged but will the average Internet user get that a tag = paid post? This issue of social media disclosure is actually much bigger than this campaign.
Ford will most likely get more honest feedback than a traditional paid campaign because the 100 aren’t doing paid posts for a living like some of the other paid review sites. On those sites, negative can quickly mean no future work – that’s probably not the case here.
A few of the questions with regards to this campaign that Ford will need to analyze are:
- Will Ford be able to move the needle in terms of top of mind awareness for not just the 100 in the program but you and me?
- When they program is over and the Fiesta is in production, will you consider it when you shop for your next vehicle?
- Will your overall impression of Ford change (either better or worse)?
I am glad Ford is running this program. Is it perfect? Certainly not. But it allows us all to discuss the pros and cons and get that much closer to better online marketing programs. As I told Scott, I wish the attorneys at my past employer would have let us move an inch here and there – never happened. I will be watching how this campaign moves forward and you can rest assured my thoughts (unpaid, no car, no gas) will appear here. And I look forward to continuing my industry conversation with Scott in the future.
Check out my video conversation with Scott – I tried not to duplicate the content in this post and in the video.
and tinyurl.com/givedaveafiesta
I was one of the 595 applicants who made a video to enter the campaign. Unless we were lied to in the selection process, they said only people who made videos were actually in the running to get the car. Not the people who only filled in the online applications.
I’m interested in the reasoning why Ford decided to say they chose from 3,300 online applicants then.
I never got a chance to enter all of my web links on the application because my app got sent out there before I got to finish it. So when we were graded, I got a low score. Just my luck.
Haven’t gotten an answer back on that one yet.
Maybe God is saving your life by not giving you a Ford. Ford Motor Company Lies!!!!!!!!!!!
yeah, ford sucks.!
Magpie, IZEA and this Ford campaign are really getting us to ask some tough questions about authenticity in online marketing, aren’t they? (And thanks for you for asking the tough questions)
In terms of the Ford Fiesta movement, I’ve gotta commend Scott for at least taking a chance to really do something new. Definitely one of the more interesting “social media/PR” campaigns I’ve seen.
And Allen, you are quite correct. Of course the “digital influencers” are being paid off to create content about the Fiesta (with a car). It just doesn’t sound good for a brand to say that out loud. And so it goes…
Thanks for your comment Amy. I agree that basically ford is paying for media – whether it’s a tweet, a video, etc. Part of the products I marketed for nearly a decade included toilet paper and paper towels – how do you get consumers to talk about these products on their own? It’s something I worked on every minute of the day.
I agree that it’s good that Ford has taken a step that gets us to talk about them – the more we talk, the closer we get to the ideal
Allen, I just figured out why I’m having a hard time reconciling our two positions on this matter. It’s the juxtaposition of the phrases, “get consumers to talk” and “on their own.” If they’re doing something on their own, we can’t very well get them to do anything, can we? I think what you’re suggesting is, frankly, unachievable in the real world.
The reason people talk about products is because they’ve either had a negative or a positive experience. So as a marketer, it’s our job to give them that experience. It could be through a traditional ad, a newspaper article, a piece of direct mail, a physical experience, etc. But ultimately, everyone will come away with their own impression.
With a well-respected brand like Apple, it comes from people using the product or believing some aspirational notion behind it. Or with an airline like JetBlue or Southwest, it’s because they’ve taken a flight on one of the airlines. Our difficulty is that most of the perceptions of our brand are baked in years-long opinions that don’t reflect the current reality. The solution is to encourage people to Drive One, which is what our overall marketing campaign is focused on.
The Fiesta Agents will be testing and providing feedback about these vehicles, giving rides to people they know, and bringing the car around public places, where people will have a chance to see our vehicles up close. The experiences will be real and the results are that people will be talking about us. But they can’t do it unless we give them something to talk about.
I know this is a gray area that everyone is debating and discussing, and I don’t think we’ll be seeing eye to eye on it any time soon, but I thank you for drawing attention to it and getting others to talk about it too. As we learn from our Agents how to improve the car, maybe we’ll have a chance to learn from everyone else about how to improve our marketing efforts.
Scott Monty
Global Digital Communications
Ford Motor Company
@ScottMonty on Twitter
I entered the contest but was not selected. I have since removed all Fiesta Movement content from YouTube and my blogs to avoid advertising for Ford for free. I will, however, be at a Fiesta Movement event hosted by a friend and will absolutely give the vehicle a closer look. I will blog my review after getting a chance to actually experience what the car has to offer.
Ford has an opportunity here to make a decent entry-level vehicle again. The hard part for people taking part in reviews based on the Fiesta Movement is nobody knows the entry level price or exactly what trim levels will be offered. If it cost more than, say, a Mazda3 (a direct competitor based on style, handling and demographic) then they are going to be in trouble. I’m going to bet the fit and finish in the Fiesta will not be at the same level as, say, the Mazda 3 or a Honda Fit (both of which I have experienced and impressed me for their solid feel and great handling). It’s just not, historically, what Ford does best on lower cost vehicles.
What I am hoping is the car is better than the Focus. I drove a 2009 Focus a few months ago with less than 3K miles on it as a rental down in Florida. The car was rubbish considering the MSRP. Handing was rough, engine was sluggish, brakes were horrible, car was noisy on the road and the interior felt cheap. My 1999 Escort I drove years back handled better than that thing.
This is where the Fiesta has a chance to turn things around for Ford. As long as they can keep the car priced fair (less than foreign counterparts) and it lives up to the hype I think we will see decent sales from the target demographic. Finally people will have another option besides the Focus. Again, price will be the key factor here. Many buyers choosing between a Ford, Mazda, Honda or Toyota will need a compelling reason to go Ford.
Chris,
First, thanks for applying to the program. It’s a shame that we couldn’t include everyone, but we had a lot of entries to choose from.
The reviews I’ve seen so far indicate that the Fiesta feels superior to the Yaris or the Fit, which are its direct competitors. As far as your rental Focus, the sad fact of the matter is that when we sell vehicles to rental companies, we have no control over how they’re maintained in the wake of abusive drivers. As a result, some people end up with a less than satisfying view of Ford.
As you know, we’re really excited about the program and very confident in how the car will be viewed, based on its existing success overseas. I hope you enjoy your chance to see it firsthand via your friend.
I am not sure if the fiesta is in the same category as the mazda 3 – scott will need to confirm – I stood next to the car (Scott offered me a drive but I declined) and I rent the mazda 3 from zipcar all the time and the mazda looks bigger – I told Scott that I really like the Mazda 3 although in my parking location, the VW rabbit is my favorite.
Fiesta, explorer, f-150, Lincoln, Mazda it really doesn’t matter about the room, the ride, the color it is still made by Ford that’s why it’s the ” FORD FIESTA MOVEMENT” they want to move Fiesta’s off the showroom parking lot. Almost all cars look good when they are new. But we must take into account the track records of the Automobile industry we support. Look at all the consumer complaints, rip-off report, National Safety records. My Lincoln was spouted as one of the safest luxury Cars of it’s time, gorgeous, inside and out. No doubt the Lincoln Mark VIII was a great looking car. But ,looks can be deceiving , Companies like Ford Motor Company can be deceiving, their media spokesman can be deceiving, their movements, deals, commercials, Attorneys, legal counsel, and the CEO Alan Mullally can be deceiving.
Do you really want to buy a car, be strapped down to 5 years of payments on a car that could catch fire , break down or even kill you, all because Ford skimped on a $20 part?
We all work hard for our money, Alan Mullally is only interested in keeping Ford A float , he does not care how he does it. If he did why didn’t he repair the cruise control switches in 2006 when he came to Ford? Simple answer; Cost of repairing millions of defective vehicles vs law suits. LET THE CUSTOMER BURN! I am saving and borrowing money for the up coming recession, and I will be the hero, the greatest, business man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My son may have burned alive on earth, but some will burn for eternity for there decisions.
Hello Allen. I, too, am curious to know if Ford considers the Mazda 3 to be in the same class as the Fiesta. They look very similar on the outside as far as styling (although I believe Mazda had some hand in the design of the Fiesta?) but I have never seen them side by side to compare. If Yaris and Fit are the direct competitors then I’m guessing we can assume 14 to 15K would be the starting point on price. If that is the case the Fiesta would come in about 3K less than a Mazda 3 with similar equipment. This would be a good thing.
Scott, as far as the Focus. I could very well be how it was treated and maintained. It was just shocking to see that on a car with less than 3K miles on it. Guess this is why you should never buy a car that used to be a rental ;-) I hope Ford can set the standard for quality in entry level American vehicles once again so we can get some real competition back in that market. Look at Chevy… the Aveo… I mean really. Good to see Ford shooting higher than that haha.
VOLVO UPDATE:
Ford management has pretty much respected Volvo management, That is why Volvo is the only Ford owned product that is still a safe car to drive. I am happy the Swedish government has announced that Volvo would be the recipient of government loan money according to Motor Authority. Volvo will receive US$572 million in loan guarantees because Ford has given their word that they will see Volvo through to its sale. Now, that would be a problem for me actually expecting Ford to keep it’s word LOL, but since Ford is barley hanging on financially, they will sell. I mean how can you expect Alan Mulally to live off of 13 million a year? Poor Mulally family. You can bet none of them are driving a car with a $20 defective cruise control switch!
My PR GROUP will be the thousands of wronged Ford Customers. The man who almost had his truck paid off, then it catches fire, and without transportation/ looses his job/house/family ……..It has the domino affect in real peoples lives. Where is our bridge loan, just in case we need it?
Allen, I really hope I’m not hijacking your thread, but I have a friend who was one of the winners, and thought it would be helpful to take this conversation one step further and do an interview with her on my blog.
After all, I know there’s a lot of people interested in this campaign, but I still haven’t heard much from the Agents themselves yet – especially the larger picture issues we have been discussing here! To preface, I hadn’t even talked to her about winning until I did the interview.
If any of you are interested, you can check it out here.
Great video. I love this marketing concept for Ford. Good luck to Scott on getting his way to have a “completely consumer generated ad campaign.” I think that’s a great idea. I look forward to see how this turns out.
Allen – what is your take on the people that were selected? any of them stand out to you?
I will leave my thoughts for now on that until we see the first posts from the paid reviewers. My hope is that certain ones on the list have changed their ways :)
Glad to have seen you again today, Allen. I enjoyed our chat. But let me remind you: the agents are not paid. :-)
I do need to better understand why you think this is not a social media campaign. First you say that Ford is “buying media mentions” – which is advertising; and then you call it more of a PR campaign – which is earned. But you say that because we’re using social networking tools, it doesn’t make it a social media campaign.
Okay, so what *would* make it social media in your opinion?
As as far as your critique of my choice of phrases in responding to Bill, I’m not engaging to make it seem like I’m a corporate executive. Ford got me and my personality when they hired me. And each employee that engages on their own on behalf of the company will collectively give Ford a personality – something corporatespeak/legalese won’t ever allow us to do.
Thanks for your dialog and debate here. Clearly we disagree on it – and that’s okay. It’s the conversation that matters, right?
Scott
Great post and interview Allen. I don’t know what you call this but something is not social media just because they use YouTube and Twitter. How they can call this a “movement” when it’s 100 people hand-selected by the company is beyond me. What a disconnect from reality. When real people who aren’t being paid by Ford decide to spend their time posting about their new Friesta then you’ll have a movement.
Scott – you don’t consider giving somebody use of a car for free and paying their insurance and gas payment? I think that’s considered an in-kind payment by the IRS? Actually Allen, wouldn’t these people need to pay taxes based on the value of the in-kind payment?
"When real people who aren’t being paid by Ford decide to spend their time posting about their new Friesta then you’ll have a movement."
I mentioned this to Scott – it’s super easy to pay people to talk about your product or service, much harder to get them to talk on their own. Scott said that there’s no way to do that with a car that’s not even in production yet.
As for the payment and possible IRS issues, it’s been years since I did corporate taxes and so I will need to defer to a current tax accountant. I will try to see what I can dig up today.
@Allen, you being the “Creative Problem Solver”. check out the 4,000 or so video applications for the Fiesta Agent wannabes, and select your 100 choices.
IMO I’d rather read opinions on the car from ordinary people instead of the usual predictable fluff from auto rag writers.
To me you sound like nothing is a good idea unless its yours.
I like reading a combo for a car – regular people who aren’t paid plus auto rag writers as you call them. This way you get more specific details on things like gas mileage and oil consumption combined with driveability, etc.
Sorry, I don’t have time to watch 4,000 videos – let me know whic 100 you selected – thanks.
And I think that if we see people who come into contact with these 100 start posting photos, videos, etc., then it’ll be a movement. We simply plant the seeds with the agents and their work will (hopefully) create the movement that we’re hoping for.
Right – so it’s not about getting feedback and making changes, it’s about marketing/pr/etc :) nothing wrong with that.
I am looking forward to watching how this campaign moves.
Allen this is a great post, and unlike other bloggers I read who just like to make comments and hide behind their computers, I applaud you for actually being a man and going out to meet Scott and get the real story!
Thanks Craig – luckily Scott was in town so we were able to meetup quickly – I appreciate his willingness to chat as well.
I am not one to beat around the bush, loosing a child because of Ford Motor Company’s Greed does that to a mother along with the burned bodies, and cars etc. Maybe you can relate? But, I doubt it. Ford spends tons of money on advertising,social media, internet, newspapers, TV and they LIE!!!!!!!!!!!! It brings me to the old say ” if it really works, people will run to you to buy”, you won’t have to build media campaigns!
Ford has lost it’s integrity, and the American people understand this. American’s are listening to stories like mine of Ford fires! Ford Fires that can kill you, and your children. Ford Fires that have burned down many homes, while the Ford/Lincoln /Mercury is just parked in the garage! Ford has done little or nothing to alleviate the suffering of these former Ford consumers.Read the consumer affairs reports, I’m not the only one, there are 1,000’s.
So, guess what? They tell their family not to buy anymore Fords, and they tell other people and on and on. WORD OF MOUTH, WORD OF INTERNET, TV, NEWSPAPERS works the same way for angry, disrespected , suffering EX-FORD customers. Except of course the ones that didn’t make it out alive, then it’s left up to their families, and the courts. To which I am looking forward to exposing Ford’s true colors. Deliciadawn@yahoo.com
Here’s an idea Scotty…bring back the Pinto and create the Pinto Movement.
Get some kids to crash two Pintos into each other, causing a massive explosion, and post the video to YouTube. It’ll be a viral hit and generate millions of views.
Think of it as the Mentos-Coke video for the auto industry. Now that would be innovation!!!
lol @Rick’s comment
Wonder what Ford would estimate the price of life is today.
This competition was a joke from the beginning.
1). Ford said videos had to be 2-5 minutes, yet some winners video were under 2 minutes (way to follow your own rules you set)
2). Ford had picked some of the winners before the competition even started. Don’t believe me? http://mssinglemama.com/2009/03/22/fiesta-fiesta/#more-2792 She won of course.
3). Our video was ranked as the 43th most popular Fiesta video (based on views), but I didn’t even receive a call. Why? Because it didn’t matter how good your video was, only had to do with how many friends you had. Just look at some of the winner’s original video, and then look at mine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUZRMckyPZk
We spent 20+ hours making the car, 12 hours editing the video, and about $250 in materials. Ford, next time just pick 100 people with the most friends. Stop getting other people to do your dirty work.
Dear “An-ymous,”
This would be a lot easier – and more authentic – if you said who you were. We did not choose anyone before the competition started. Not sure what about that post makes you think that we did. The fact is, we had to make people aware of the contest by encouraging people to apply.
We had a number of factors that we decided on, and number of views on videos was only one of them. Geography was another. Ability to have authentic conversations was one more…
While I appreciate that you put so much effort into your video, including the 20 hours and $250 car, we had many qualified recipients to choose from. All of the applicants should have realized that not everyone would get a car; my hope was that there wouldn’t be such a feeling of “sour grapes,” but I suppose that’s part of the process.
I would have to say Ford spit in my face, not even 2 weeks salary, that’s what my son’s life was worth. Allan get’s what a Million a Month? Plus perks. I get a box of ashes I had to pay for, A burned up car, lost business! I bet he made sure his families cars are safe. Is my son not as good as his children?
I shouldn’t have laughed because it isn’t funny. This is a true story about the Ford Pinto.
One of the tools that Ford used to argue for the delay was a “cost-benefit analysis” of altering the fuel tanks. According to Ford’s estimates, the unsafe tanks would cause 180 burn deaths, 180 serious burn injuries, and 2,100 burned vehicles each year. It calculated that it would have to pay $200,000 per death, $67,000 per injury, and $700 per vehicle, for a total of $49.5 million. However, the cost of saving lives and injuries ran even higher: alterations would cost $11 per car or truck, which added up to $137 million per year. Essentially, Ford argued before the government that it would be cheaper just to let their customers burn!
I am talking about the Cruise Control switch defect fires and the gas tank defect fires of the Crown Victoria’s. add those cost to your list of saving for Ford Motor Company. My son was killed 28 months ago. 7 months after he burned alive, Ford finally recalled my Lincoln.
Be careful Scott Monty wants your name so he can run to the legal department, and have them send you an express-mail letter telling you not to talk to Ford employees, or they will get a court order. been there and doing that now. Ford seems to have enough money for Lawyers, commercials and to pay for internet junkies.
Oh, yeah, they did say they were sorry, I guess that makes it all better. I know, how much does it cost to raise a child for 22 years, and a funeral to boot?
Grieving Mother getting ready to go to court for the wrongful death of Payton Lewis .
Mr. “Monty,”
So you did send personal emails targeting specific individuals encouraging them to enter. Kind of funny that a company like Ford would have a problem “getting the word out”.
And you picked those people to send the emails out to how? How many personal emails like this did you send? And isn’t it a surprise that these people won? Certainly nothing sour about that, although Ford did leave us with a bad aftertaste.
No need to use my last name in quotation marks – I am who I say I am.
We partnered with agencies who specialize in outreach to the social media space, and they contacted people in their networks – not unlike how PR agencies tap into their contact lists for traditional journalists.
As word spread through a variety of channels and online communities, more people found out about it. But we had to start somewhere.
I think calling a blogger a “paid reviewer” is incredibly unprofessional and insulting.
I am not getting paid. I am borrowing a car for six months.
I already have a car, which I will keep. There will be no income to report on taxes because I am not being paid. This is going to be fun, that’s why we’re doing it. The missions will be exciting and my readers will get to experience it all with me.
The reason this campaign will be a success (there are a lot of them) but one major reason is that Ford gave us content (in the way of missions).
I think everyone is missing the big picture here. There is nothing wrong with a corporation allowing bloggers to sample their products, especially if it’s framed around this valuable content for our blogs. That’s a secret 99% of marketers are missing.
Create the content, create a reason for content and the buzz will follow.