To celebrate the launch of the 2012 Ford Escape, the company, who has a sizable presence at BlogWorld, Ford announced the Escape Routes that will show an entirely new method of vehicular promotion.
While discussing the benefits of the new Escape model — you can apparently open the trunk with your foot — some of the details of the promotional strategy were revealed. In order to promote the vehicle, Ford is having it take part on some global adventures. It appears as if Ford is tapping into the reality television/The Amazing Race model by having teams compete while showing off the new Escape. However, instead of racing to see who comes in first, the winners will be decided by voters.
The teams will be competing in what speaker Jim Farley referred to as a “series of spontaneous adventures.”
Apparently, the social media aspect of the web is going to come into play a great deal as well, because Farley mentions using the “social media graph” in order to win. To facilitate the social aspect of Escape Routes, the teams will make short videos to promote the competition and each team will feature blogger/content creator with them.
As for the QR codes, if BlogWorld attendees activate one on their mobile device, they can track the progress of the vehicle up until its launch in two weeks.
During the presentation, Farley stressed that people are desperate for authentic content, which is what motivated the Escape Routes promotion. Farley also feels that vehicles are social objects, and if you doubt that, ask yourself why people spend so much on stereos and/or chrome rims.
It’s all about getting noticed, as are new approaches to marketing, which is something Ford is clearly committed to.