Ford turned the traditional approach to product launches on its head when it unveiled the Fiesta Movement in April of last year. Nearly one year later, Ford is continuing where it left off by launching Fiesta Movement Chapter 2, and Leftlane had the opportunity to speak in length with the mastermind behind the Fiesta Movement – Connie Fontaine, Ford brand content and alliances manager.
As a former Fiesta Agent myself, I was able to experience the creative influences of Connie Fontaine first hand. At the start of the Fiesta Movement I had virtually zero social media experience, let alone social media expertise. I lacked the cult following some agents brought to the table with over 80,000 followers on sites such as YouTube or Twitter, but I had a passion for the automotive world and Ford decided to take a gamble on me.
The end result was a social media campaign that reached astounding milestones, such as 6.2 million YouTube views, 750,000 Flickr views, four million Twitter impressions, over 100,000 hand-raisers and countless radio, newspaper and television appearances. Personally, I went from having zero social media knowledge, to being invited to speak as an expert at the largest annual convention for direct marketing (social media), Direct Marketing Association 2009, or DMA09. A major university and book publisher have also contacted me in regards to creating content for business colleges nationwide. Accomplishments like these only begin to highlight the magnitude and excellence of the work Connie Fontaine has done, so we decided to speak with her directly about her role with the Fiesta Movement, her job at Ford Motor Company and what she has in store for the future.
What will be the major difference between Fiesta Movement (1.0) and the freshly launched Fiesta Movement Chapter Two?
What will be very important for us in chapter two is starting to drive from awareness to consideration. So, some of the content and the challenges moving forward are going to be driven a little more towards coverage of the vehicle then lifestyle – and how we drive the kind of consideration we want around this product.
Did Fiesta Movement 1.0 hit the goals in terms of a balanced ratio of lifestyle content versus coverage of the car and its features?
I would be kidding if I didn’t say that everyone exceeded our expectations. We were very happy with the enthusiasm and the passion that came out of this great group of people. We expected, based on our recruitment process, really great content. We didn’t believe we would have trouble getting missions and content uploaded – but the sheer volume of content far exceeded our expectations.
The FiestaMovement.com also brought in high levels of repeat visitors – also exceeding expectations.
Was there any specific type or piece of content that went above and beyond expectations?
On a couple of levels – there was a lot of fun and entertaining content that we couldn’t help but enjoy and be thoroughly entertained by. But beyond that, the level of video production in some cases was mind boggling. The level of production put into some of the videos was far beyond what we expected.
On a personal level, I was mesmerized by a lot of the photography. We saw it as very inspirational in terms of how we can shoot it ourselves for advertising. I think you will see some of that – with our designers and others who have great perspective on how to present the vehicle. That goes beyond just the background and setting, but how it was actually shot as well.
Do you think Ford will change its focus from traditional to social media, and if so, how much of that can be attributed to the Fiesta Movement’s success?
The push for social media advertising was in the pipeline before the Fiesta Movement – it really stemmed from an event we used where we filmed consumers experiencing the new Fusion and it was a great success – especially in areas like California with strong competition.
The move really evolved from a series of events – with the Fiesta Movement being part of that evolution – but again it was just part of a series of steps.
Which program that you have been involved with has been the most significant to you?
Can I pick two? I really do have two for two very different reasons.
First is Warriors in Pink, which I have been involved with for several years. I’m really proud of it because here is a company [Ford Motor Company] that went through some very tough times, and yet they stuck by this very important cause throughout those tough times. I have seen how well we have rallied with this marketing platform, and I feel good about the fact that we are making a difference in so many women’s lives…and hopefully saving lives by constantly pushing the message of early detection.
The second is the Fiesta Movement because it has been a movement in and of itself. I’ve enjoyed it because it has been such a truly bold undertaking, by a really bold and passionate team, and it took a lot to first sell the program, and then to allow so much freedom for the customer [agents] to speak their minds about the products and create their own messaging without censorship. I think that we have learned so much, and we were on the cusp of something that was very important and it has evolved into something that is very successful, and for that reason it is probably the most impactful thing I have ever worked on.
Have you had the opportunity to read and learn about the way critics outside of the automotive industry, particularly those within social media and education view the Fiesta Movement as a literal text-book case in social media and marketing?
Believe it or not, because we have had recognition and awards from groups such as AdAge, we have been told that this will be a true text-book case…something that will be used as an example for companies looking to make the transition from traditional media into the social media realm. I’ve stopped to consider that some day my children could read about the success of this business case in one of their high school or college textbooks and it really is something to be proud of.
We also know that if you don’t stick by your principals, it can go very wrong at a moment’s notice, too.
Beyond Fiesta Movement Chapter 2, will Ford attempt to replicate the Fiesta Movement with future products such as the global 2012 Focus?
I don’t know if there is a company policy on this, but I personally wouldn’t recommend it just because it’s not the same… this was the first bold opportunity to do something like this, and it could very well have some wear-out if we try the same thing again.
It’s important that we at Ford understand the principals of where social media is, and where we play along in that space.
If Henry Ford himself walked into your office right now and you had the chance to either ask one question, or tell him one thing, which would it be? What would you say or ask?
(Laughs…) Oh my, let’s see, I think – and this is not indicative of me because I like to ask a lot of questions – I think I would tell him that I think it is truly amazing that what Ford Motor Company has stood for in terms of innovation and passion has remained unchanged after all of these years. So many things in the world have changed, but Ford Motor Company is still based strongly on many of its founding principals.
