Social vehicle launches a worthy ice breaker with the consumer

A few weeks ago I wrote about the growing use of social media in launching new vehicles and challenged that its benefits–mainly in cost and targeting–when measured against traditional vehicle launches could tip this burgeoning launch methodology into the predominant mechanism for launching a new vehicle.  With the recent launch of the 2011 Ford Explorer on Facebook one thing is certain –  we’ve had an excellent opportunity to take a look at how social launches have evolved into a rich and engaging experience for fans.  I’ve taken note of some of the most engaging and interesting moves Ford has made with this launch:

• Live chat with Chief Engineer, Jim Holland
• Mike Rowe (of Dirty Jobs fame) and Alan Mulally had a candid interview in Time Square that paints Mr. Mulally as one of the most accessible CEOs of recent times.  In fact, one woman posted the following on her attendance of the NY City debut:

“I was one of the five women that were introduced to Mr. Mulally by Mike Rowe at the unveiling of the new Explorer in NYC on Monday. This was my first experience meeting a CEO, and I have to comment on how down to earth and personable Alan (may I call you Alan? ) was. Even though only one of the five of us actually… owns a Ford vehicle, he graciously took time to share with us the details of the new Explorer, as well as giving his reasons as to why he declined to take the bailout money last year. And he made us feel that our opinions on both subjects were of importance to him.
Thank you, Alan, for spending time with us! It was an incredible day!”

• The nature of the Facebook reveals prompted people to check back in, mention it to their friends, and post pictures/stories about their Explorer’s durability and longevity.

201,398 miles on odometer
199,999 miles on odometer

In my opinion, Ford provided a downright neighborly experience throughout this launch.  They provided a space to engage consumers on a very personal level, but they did so with class.  What makes this social launch different from the ones we’ve seen in the past is the sheer volume of exposure.  Ford Motor Co. reported the following numbers to Automotive News (August 2, 2010) in response to the Facebook unveiling of the redesigned Explorer on Monday, July 26:

• “The 2011 Explorer site had more than 500,000 visits, compared with about 7,000 a day for the 2010 Explorer.
• The number of Facebook Explorer page fans grew to 54,000 from 30,000 two days before the launch.
• Users completed 48,600 price-and-build forms for the 2011 Explorer on the Ford Web Site, compared with about 700 on an average day for the 2010 Explorer.”

Ford has taken the traditional launch paradigm and turned it on its head.  Jim Farley Ford’s new approach in a speech at the 2010 Ad Age Digital Conference (excerpt runs 4:33).  Mr. Farley challenges the old vehicle launch marketing pattern where there is a huge inflection of targeting taking place at launch followed by a gradual petering out (as seen in Figure 1)

Instead, Mr. Farley favors emphasizing the importance of pre-launch programs (e.g. the Fiesta Movement) with new partners and content while maintaining engagement during post-launch.  It’s about engaging  the right people and focusing on the experience.

What is most interesting about this concept is that if you start serving the potential customer early and stick with them longer, consumer interest seems to steadily increase through and beyond post-launch activity.

I don’t think that Ford will be canceling traditional auto show launches anytime soon, but considering the palpable success of the 2011 Explorer Facebook Launch, I think we’ll see many more of these to come.

Tagged with: Facebook • Manufacturers • Marketing • Social