Lessons on Ford's social media progress - from our strategy to the Fiesta Movement, and a case study on the 2011 Ford Explorer reveal on Facebook that benefitted from the coordination of earned, owned and paid media.
Using Earned, Owned and Paid Media to Improve Ford's Reputation
1. Social Media @ Ford
Social Media @Ford
Earned, Owned & Paid Media Working
Together to Build our Reputation
Week of November 29, 2010 @ScottMonty
2.
3. We have a fundamental challenge:
Q: Thinking about everything you have read, seen, or heard
about business in the last year, in general, do you trust corporations
a lot less, a little less, the same, a little more, or a lot more than you
did at the same time last year?
Source: Edelman Trust Barometer, 2009
27. 2011 Explorer Reveal
12:01 a.m. Online Advertising begins driving reveal
day traffic to Facebook page
Rich media banners across the Web
included CTA to FV.com, which has
Facebook content; video of Mulally &
Mike Rowe chat
7:40 a.m. Explorer revealed on Facebook via
Faces of Explorer behind the scenes
video (3mins)
10:00 a.m. Prerecorded video – Mark Fields & Julie
Levine in an internal/external
walkaround, executive greeting
11:45 a.m. Real-time chat with Explorer experts,
onwards execs on Explorer wall; launch of
Facebook sweepstakes and ‘Gifting’
2:00 p.m. Video from NYC event goes live
28.
29.
30.
31.
32. Explorer Reveal Stats
• Total social media impressions – 99MM
• 411MM display impressions on 65.9MM browsers
• #1 Trending Topic on Twitter; #2 in Google Trends
for the day
• 500,000-plus 2011 Explorer site visits versus daily
average of 7,000 for 2010 Explorer
• 1.5X greater completion of build & price via
Facebook engagements
• Hit 50,000 Facebook "likes" of the Ford Explorer by
end of day July 26 - added over 10,000 likes in a
single day
33.
34.
35. Facilitating Engagement - Acquiring Fans
● 50,000+ friends added in three weeks Explorer Facebook Fan Growth
through OLA, Conversation Management, Tab July 2010
& Wall engagement streaming out to
newsfeeds, and the earned media blitz.
● 22,719 fans via natural traffic (likely
increased by earned media) and Non- Reveal Day
Facebook OLA (42%) All Day OLA
● Non-Facebook OLA ran on reveal Mike Rowe Tease Video
Mashable Article
day during the highest period of
Facebook Ad Flight Begins
growth (25% growth in 1 day)
Unlock Sweeps Tab
● 21,213 fans through Facebook ads (38%) Launch
FB Editorial
Calendar Starts
● 11,063 fans via newsfeeds, friend
suggestions (20%)
35
36. Facilitating Engagement - Engaged Fans
● 96% of Fans surveyed are likely or very likely to recommend the Explorer to
a friend after experiencing the Facebook reveal.
● Fans surveyed told us their three favorite aspects of the reveal were
exclusive photos and videos (82%), Ford involvement on the Facebook
Wall (58%) and the sweepstakes (55%)
● Fan engagement with content mirrored this finding as the embargo
photo reveal (.43% feedback) and the Facebook reveal video (.38%
feedback) generated the most fan engagement by a wide margin.
● The live chat with Alan Mulally (.34% feedback) also performed strongly
for fan engagement.
37. Impact
94% of Explorer conversation was positive
Explorer owned 64% share of positive voice in the
month of July – more than 3X its Share of Positive Voice
closest competitor. July 2010
• Jeep Cherokee – 19%
• Honda Pilot – 7%
• Toyota 4Runner – 8%
• GMC Acadia – 2%
% of Positive Voice
The Jeep media push on the 27th did not
register significantly in social media or
share of voice
Positive Dialogue: Exterior design (teaser and
embargo photos), improved fuel economy
Neutral Dialogue: Novelty and discussion of the
Facebook reveal, conversation around vehicle specs,
Date
pricing, and availability
Negative Dialogue: Criticism of new frame, towing
capacity and performance
In order to get there, we needed a plan. And that plan manifested itself in One Ford One Ford : One Team. One Plan. One Goal. The plan: Aggressively restructure to operate profitably at the current demand and changing model mix Accelerate development of new products our customers want and value Finance our plan and improve our balance sheet Work together effectively as one team
Globally, 62% of people trust corporations less than they did last year; for the U.S., it’s 77%. That means that almost everything companies say about themselves is automatically suspect. Who do people trust, then? Third party experts People like themselves Therein lies the opportunity. If we make it apparent that there are people like them who work for Ford and who drive our vehicles, we can help establish some level of trust.
The other challenge we face is the lack of attention that seems rampant currently. DVRs are jeopardizing 30 second spots. Customers are bombarded with over 3,000 messages a day. In a 140-character world, how will your messages break through the clutter? Lack of trust and attention are two significant barriers to overcome.
To many people outside of the Detroit bubble, or who have not owned or considered owning a Ford, the Blue Oval lacks personality. And in 2006, Ford was on the ropes, seen by many as the weakest of the U.S. automakers. Alan Mulally was hired as CEO from Boeing, Bill Ford assumed the Executive Chairman title. Leadership was rounded out in terms of strategy, operations and vision. My impressions of Ford when approached in 2008: remarkable leadership, product lineup in 2009 and 2010 that would take the world by storm, and intelligent, talented and passionate people. In summary, not the typical Detroit company that people assumed it to be.
In order to get there, we needed a plan. And that plan manifested itself in One Ford One Ford : One Team. One Plan. One Goal. The plan: Aggressively restructure to operate profitably at the current demand and changing model mix Accelerate development of new products our customers want and value Finance our plan and improve our balance sheet Work together effectively as one team
We subscribe to the Woody Allen philosophy of social media: “90% of social media is just showing up.” We also believe in the Yogi Berra corollary: “It’s the other half that’s hard.” You get points for simply having a presence in social media. But it’s more than just registering an account – it’s about participating and making sure you’re an active member of the community. Our presence counts in unexpected places: CES Urban Mobility Project Green Roof Warriors in Pink
Some examples of Ford’s social media presence
And what do we do that makes people sit up and pay attention? We listen. We respond. We demonstrate that we’re different.
They want to be able to speak to people directly at the company, or with someone who represents the company in some fashion. In short, they want to ensure they’ve been heard. This is vastly different for the direct marketer who’s used to replies in the form of BREs, click throughs or data filled out in forms. This is in some cases real-time.
They want to understand the process and be communicated to regularly, to ensure they’re being treated fairly.
Straight, honest answers – no spin You can’t outsource authenticity.
It’s not a new concept, but it’s one that we as marketers and communicators may have forgotten.
First uttered by Cicero, some 2,000 years ago, it’s still as relevant today.
And we’re thinking and speaking like our customers in a number of ways – the Fiesta Movement was a first and very significant step. Real-time updates from real people driving our cars – 100% authentic, not edited/censored/filtered in any way. In addition to buzz, the feedback that our engineers are getting allows them to improve the North American version before it event comes to market . http://chapter1.fiestamovement.com
Success seen from the Fiesta Movement http://chapter1.fiestamovement.com
The reveal of the 2011 Ford Explorer on http://facebook.com/FordExplorer
In addition to the public, the industry pundits took notice.
Better impact than a Super Bowl ad.
Rather than focus on our own content exclusively, we’ve highlighted what others are saying about us.