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Ford C-MAX Goes Social with a Live Animation on Instagram (Sponsored Post)

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Recently, the latest stage of the Ford C-MAX promotional campaign, C-MAX Live, was revealed at the 2013 New York International Auto Show. Its crux: Imagine yourself part of a live crowd-sourced animation on Instagram—that’s C-MAX Live.

So how did this unique social idea begin? It started this past fall with the 2013 Ford C-MAX launch. The advertising reintroduced the world to La Linea, a simple line-drawn character many may remember from the original cartoons. Run in TV, print, digital and out of home ads, the campaign was in need of a social component that could familiarize people with this fun character and the C-MAX brand.

And what better way to do that than literally invite users into this character’s world?

Marrying traditional and social media in a totally new way, the idea was to design a story centered on real people helping La Linea. Sixty-eight individual frames would then be pulled from the animation to create single out of home boards in the 10 major C-MAX markets. These placements would include wild postings, mall kiosks, movie theatres and events. Passersby would then be invited to line up their bodies in front of dotted lines and have a friend take their pic with Instagram with the hashtag C-MAX Live. Those photos would then be stitched back together to form a live crowd-sourced animation populated with people all over the country, available to be seen right away on the site cmaxlive.com.

CMAX Image 1

The brainchild of Ford’s advertising agency, Team Detroit, the concept was exciting, the storyboard solid and the basic proportions easy for people to participate in, but they needed a strong partner. Enter the filmmakers from Shilo to finesse the actions and pinpoint frame rates in order to ensure the still images moved at the same speed as the character. Add that to some major math and Shilo’s animation expertise … and it was time for the digital build.

Rehabstudios was brought in to design the back end. Through the use of object recognition bar codes, Rehab was able to mark each board in order to make sure every Instagram image would be pulled into the right place within the animation. Users would then be directed to go to a landing page to not only check themselves out, but see any of their friends who had also joined in the fun. In addition, users could find other boards in their area, as well as share their animation with friends.

Thanks to a constant stream of new photos coming in, the animation will always be dynamic—so it’s never the same twice. Which means all the more reason to see it, share it, and enjoy it again and again.

The excitement began May 1. So, keep your eyes open for C-MAX boards in the wild or search for a board near you (or a friend) at cmaxlive.com. Fans at home can watch in real time as the animation populates with real people from across the country.

And remember: If you snap a pic with La Linea, don’t forget to smile.

Join Us for the Fiesta Movement: A Social Remix (Sponsored Post)

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fiesta movement a social remix

By all measures, the original Fiesta Movement in 2009 was a huge success. 100 Fiesta Agents helped us introduce a new vehicle to the U.S., break a Guinness Book of World Records record, travel more than 1.4 million miles and generate more than 3.7 million Twitter impressions.

However, the world has changed since 2009 and social media has advanced tremendously in the interim. New platforms have been developed, existing platforms have grown in reach and impact, and our stylish and fuel efficient Fiesta has evolved, as well. Since the Fiesta attracts more Millennials than any other Ford vehicle, we have to tell its story in a way that is different from other models.

That being said, we are so excited to announce the launch of Fiesta Movement: A Social Remix.

Unlike other campaigns, Ford will use content created only by selected influencers – “agents” – through multiple media channels and partners. This will be our first-ever entirely user-generated campaign. Once again, 100 passionate and socially connected people will be selected and given a new Fiesta and become stars in front of and behind the camera.

Ford’s CMO, Jim Farley, summed up our objective: “Fiesta was designed to reflect the individuality of the customer, so we feel the marketing efforts should give the reins to the people who will be driving it. We have a fuel-efficient, tech-savvy and stylish car that doesn’t sacrifice on performance – it truly has its own personality. That personality will come through in the stories and experiences of real people.”

Agents will debut the content they create on their own social pages and as it gains popularity, we will feature it on www.fiestamovement.com and amplify the best of the best across digital, print, broadcast and outdoor advertising. Any and all content can become part of the living, breathing story of the new Ford Fiesta.

That’s right, every advertisement you see, hear, and read for the upcoming 2014 Fiesta will come from the program. A Fiesta Agent-created YouTube video could end up as a nationally-run TV commercial or Instagram photos could be turned into print ads.

You’ll see some other twists with integrations into American Idol, X Games and music festival Bonnaroo. The new Fiesta Movement will bring together alumni from the original Fiesta Movement and will include celebrities, current Fiesta owners and new agents – all carrying out a series of exciting missions with the 2014 Fiesta. Ford will provide agents with gas, insurance coverage, cameras and other tools they need to create content.

Not only that, but you have until April 30, 2013 to apply and we know that the New Media Expo community is full of passionate content creators. Learn more and submit your application at www.fiestamovement.com. 

During the course of the original Fiesta Movement, content from Fiesta Agents produced 4.3 million YouTube views, more than half a million Flickr views and helped identify 50,000 interested potential customers—97 percent of whom didn’t own a Ford. This time around, it’s not just about the likes and shares; it’s about the democratization of media.

Disclosure: This post is from NMX sponsor Ford.

Breaking Through the Noise: Focusing on Relationships

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Twitter users publish more than half a billion tweets per day and Facebook is now integrated with more than 9 million apps and websites. With all of this online volume, it may seem like competing for your consumer’s attention is foolish. However, how much of that volume is from brands and people simply pushing out information without listening? Even though we are communicating with our consumers via a platform that takes away face-to-face communication, we need to be able to engage with them in a meaningful way.

That is exactly what Ford did with the second phase of its Random Acts of Fusion Campaign (or #backatyou).

Simple is better.

Through consumer feedback and program performance, we learned that our first phase of the Random Acts of Fusion program was too complex. With Ryan Seacrest, Joel McHale and Kate Micucci, we set out to surprise and delight fans with opportunities big and small. It included charitable aspects, vehicle giveaways and more, and we created a documentary around it.

However, most people did not discover this program until its completion. There was just too much noise online for us to make a different. In order to cut through all the noise online our message had to be concise and clear. We had to focus on relationships in addition to paid media and content.

People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

Ford’s #backatyou campaign is taking consumer interaction to the next level. Instead of only rewarding select influencers, we are listening when people talk about Fusion and Ford Motor Company and engaging with our consumers directly instead of via a powerful gang of influencers and celebrities. When someone tweets a compliment, we tweet them back, offering a reward for their nice words.

What kind of reward? We’ve setup a multitude:  gift cards, lunch dates with Ford engineers via online hangouts, date nights in a Ford Fusion, and we even hired Reggie Watts to remix certain comments about the Fusion.

We are using #backatyou to celebrate our fans and take the time to say “thank you” to the people who are taking the time to pay attention to us. Ford believes that because they’re taking the time to speak on our behalf they deserve to be rewarded. They are helping us break through the noise, and we are ever so grateful.

Disclosure: This post is from NMX sponsor Ford.

Ford’s Scott Monty Speaks on Community at NMX 2013

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Ranked by Forbes as one of the top 10 influencers in social media, Ford Motor Company’s Scott Monty has been called “an unstoppable force of nature,” “the best corporate social media lead on the planet,” and “a visionary.” We  had the pleasure of seeing Scott’s keynote today at NMX 2013. Here are some of the best quotes from his talk:

  • “We had the ultimate confidence in our product and we had to turn it over to them. And that’s how trust is built. […] If you have a good product let go of your fear and let others tell your story.”

It doesn’t matter how good your marketing is. If you don’t have a good product, you won’t make money. But once you have a good product, as Scott noted, you need to let your fans talk about it online. Word of mouth is still one of the best (if notthe best) forms of marketing out there.

  • “How do we know what they want and value if we don’t listen to them?”

Echoing something Amy Jo Martin said earlier in the day, Scott talked about how important it is to actually engage with your customer, not just broadcast your message. Poll your customers. Ask for their feedback. And above all else, show that you’re listening and that you care.

  • “People want to be part of something bigger than themselves.”

Encouraging your fans to be a part of a bigger community helps to break down those barriers between customer and brand and instead just be on a level playing field, where everyone is just talking about something they love (like cars, in Ford’s case). Scott talked about how important it is to add that element of fun into what you’re doing so you’re not just selling, but also entertaining.

Want to see Scott’s entire session? All of our keynotes are being live-streamed and archived. Head over to NMX University to see our keynotes and additional bonus content live from the show.

About Scott:

At Ford, Scott heads up the social media function and holds the title Global Digital &Multimedia Communications Manager. He is a strategic adviser on all social media activities across the company, from blogger relations to marketing support, customer service to internal communications and more, as social media is being integrated into many facets of Ford business. Prior to joining Ford in 2008, Scott served as Consigliere for crayon, a strategic marketing firm,and with PJA Advertising + Marketing, a boutique BtoB agency. In addition to his professional responsibilities, Scott is an active blogger and podcaster.

He writes about the intersection of advertising, marketing and PR at The Social Media Marketing Blog (www.scottmonty.com) and also writes The Baker Street Blog and I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, two literary undertakings. Scott has been featured in hundreds of news and business publications in print and on the web, in dozens of books, and on a variety of mainstream media, including NBC, NPR, CNN and The Wall Street Journal.

Scott is a recognized thought leader in the social media industry and frequently speaks at industry events. Scott received his Master’s in Medical Science from Boston University’s School of Medicine concurrently with his MBA from BU’s Graduate School of Management. He lives in Michigan with his wife and two young sons, golfs all too infrequently, and has a hidden talent for voiceover work.Oh, and one last little-known fact: Scott coined the Oxford Dictionary of English-accepted term “tweetup.”

Ford’s Exclusive Invitation to #BWELA Attendees

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In conjunction with BlogWorld and Ford Motor Company, the Los Angeles Auto Show would like to cordially invite you to attend the exclusive Auto Show Press Days Nov 16 & 17.  The LA Auto Show is one of the top automotive industry events worldwide and will host more than 50 significant World and North American vehicle debuts.  As the first major auto show of the new model season, thousands of media will gather with top industry executives to learn what is in store for the future of the automotive industry.

  • Witness 25 press conferences featuring more than 50 World and North American Debuts
  • Learn about the latest in-car technology and see how cars are rapidly becoming the ultimate personal assistant
  • Drive 30 of the latest electric and alt fuel vehicles from 16 different brands during the Green Car LA Auto Show Ride on Nov 17
  • See a dozen concept cars offering a glimpse into the future of transportation

To qualify for Press days please visit the Ford Exhibit at Blog World and either have your photo taken and share it online or download and share Ford’s mobile app in and around the show.   Ask someone at the desk in the Ford booth to take your contact information and Ford will submit it to the LA Auto Show Press Days registration department.

‘The QR Code Trip’ @BlogWorld

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… by Tom Hoehn – Director, Worldwide Interactive Marketing/Kodak

Bring your QR code game face to BlogWorld because we have cooked up some fun for you.

The social media team’s at Ford, Kodak and PepsiCo have banded together to bring an interesting activity to BlogWorld called ‘The QR Code Trip.’ Attendees will be able to enter a contest by activating QR codes to find the answers to questions from the three brands. Entrants will also be asked to Follow/Like the companyís sites on Twitter and Facebook. There will be two daily prizes and one grand prize chosen from the pool of entries.

We thought that this would be a fun way for BWE’ers to use new media to engage with our brands. Entry forms will be available in each of our booths; Ford #127, Kodak #301, and PepsiCo #101.

I know the Kodak team is looking forward to coming back to BlogWorld. It is always nice to meet people IRL that we interact with throughout the year. Make sure you stop in to say; ‘Hi’ to @KodakCB (Jenny Cisney), @KodakEvents (Tina Clark), and me (@TomHoehn). See you in Vegas!

Media Is Not Objective

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As I was reading this post by Paul Carr at TechCrunch this morning it occurred to me that if you substituted the word “Obama” for the word “Apple” Paul would have just written a post that could have been seen on any given conservative political blog any day of the week.

That inspired me to hop on a very old and familiar soap box of mine. But I haven’t been on this particular soap box in quite a while so maybe I can fool you into thinking its new =p.

I agree with Paul, Apple fan boys make me crazy. Particularly when they are supposed to be journalists, even worse when they are supposed to be new media journalists fighting against what we all see as old media biases and bad journalism.

But the underlying point applies to all forms of media including me; and since you are reading this post most likely you too. Everyone of us  brings some bias to the table every time we write a post, create a podcast, or send out a tweet.

The best thing we can all do and the thing we should do is be honest about our own inherent biases.  In that spirit you can find some of my biases at the bottom of this post. But something else we can all do is attempt to limit the influence of our bias in our content. I know its a hard thing to do sometimes **cough** Jets Suck**cough**. See what I mean? If you want to create great content you need to constantly stay on guard to keep from falling into the fanboy trap.

So if you find yourself writing a post that is arguing whether the iPod or the Macbook is the greatest invention in the history of man kind you just might be a fanboy. If you find yourself writing a post about how every time you see the president on TV the birds around you seem to break into song, you might not be the most objective political observer.

Now back to those biases of mine; I love San Diego, the Chargers, the Padres and even the Soccers (one for the thumb baby!), I hate Los Angeles and all their sports teams and no the Raiders are not an LA team you only rented them for a couple of years so get over it Angelinos.  I don’t like the Jets very much now either. That will most likely pass when we crush them next year like we should have this weekend.  I can’t help liking Rex Ryan even if he is a windbag.  I find myself being much more conservative now than when I was younger even if I’m still a registered Democrat.  I am and was a Ford man before they sponsored BlogWorld. With the exception of my 72 El Camino (great car) and an Oldsmobile Delta88 I drove for a month, every car I have ever owned has been a Ford. I am a PC and damn proud of it.  I have used my iPod less than a dozen times and now its broken. So you could characterize me as an anti-Mac Fanboy.  I am an old metal head and prefer Black Sabbath, Metallica and Megadeath to Nirvana and Pearl Jam.  To clarify that’s old Metallica before they cut their hair and released the Black album.  I used to be a Bud man but now prefer a good Guinness or Augustiner.

What are your biases?

Who are you a fanboy of?

Why Pepsi Is Good For Bloggers

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This is certainly not a “Pepsi is better than Coke” or now begins the cola wars , I am referring to the world of monetizing.  Recently ABC reported, Pepsi announced that it would discontinue spending money on advertising on Super Bowl Sunday.  I have for years thought that the price of advertising on that day is way over priced, unless of course I was the guy getting the commission for that sale.  Millions of dollars being spent to have a slot of 30 seconds for the world to see you and your brand is a big gamble.  I suppose if your 30 seconds was the best or in some cases the worst you would extend your brand to many eyeballs all watching.  This is beginning to change and apparently Pepsi is leading the charge.

Why is this good for bloggers?  Brands like Pepsi and others are going online for their eyeballs.  I am not going to get into the debate in this post about why eyeballs are not the metric I think is for our future, but suffice it to say, eyeballs don’t buy.  Pepsi is also doing something that I believe is a masterful move into also contributing to charity while changing their advertising strategy. Forrester has a great post on its blog discussing the issues of the Pepsi move and its impact on the world of marketing.

Bloggers had a very difficult time selling their content to brands in the beginning. It always went back to eyeballs (perhaps this is the time for that debate). Bloggers that had millions of page views a month, a feat derived only by the top of the top of bloggers, made very little on their content as compared to their traditional media counterparts.  That in itself is supposition with the fact that bloggers were never considered in the same breath as traditional media.  As we all know, this is changing now.  Bloggers are seen as influencers and as people that can vault a brand into rock star fame.  Look at Ford for your example.

We are seeing other areas that are getting the dollars like Facebook for example.  The ABC example of Toys “R” Us building a Facebook page and seeing growth of between 40,000 and 95,000 fans per day after its late November launch is an example of what is catching the attention of those writing checks for marketing campaigns.  Their will be a race to see who can get your attention where you are, and Facebook is getting the attention of every household in America.

As traditional brands such as Pepsi and Ford and others begin to move their war chests of advertising dollars to other areas of the media, meaning bloggers and social networks, we all will have a better chance at a piece of the pie.  Rather than putting millions of dollars into a 30 second spot, brands may even give millions of bloggers that share.  This is only going to mean $2.00 perhaps but it is a huge increase over the .02 I made from Google Adsense last year.  My percentage of increase looks good on a corporate report!

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