Ford: Strengthening Brand Loyalty, Innovating, and Connecting with Next-Generation Drivers
By Vicki Wray, Author, Communicating Social Impact
As brands deal with changing trends, in terms of sharing and disseminating news, Ford Motor Company was looking for new ways to strengthen brand loyalty, talk about its latest innovations, and connect with the next generation of drivers. Alongside Blue State Digital, the company expanded its social media strategy and partnered on two websites to engage the community: Ford Social (for self-identified loyalists) and ConnectFord (for bloggers and digital influencers). Now, when debuting a new vehicle, announcing sustainability and technology innovations, or celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Mustang, Ford has direct access to advocates who can get the word out online and in their communities.
Each January, for example, at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Ford takes social media seriously. The company creates highly shareable social media content, as well as special programming and access for bloggers and other nonconventional journalists and influencers.
As a result, Ford has dominated social media conversation surrounding one of the industry’s key showcase events in recent years. Its annual burst of social media energy serves to propel social impact stories into the market—stories about sustainable manufacturing, use of ecologically friendly materials, fuel-efficient engine designs, materials innovation, and manufacturing efficiencies, among others. In 2015, Ford hosted 163 digital influencers to Detroit.
These digital influencers didn’t just get the same access as conventional reporters; they were invited to participate in a three-day itinerary that took them to the Ford Rouge Center factory complex (where the all-new Ford F-150 is made) and gave them direct access to the CEO.
Ford releases social media content at NAIAS concurrently with its public unveilings of new models. In 2014 and 2015, the Ford social media team was in the green room below the stage, releasing shareable, informative, and engaging content on social media in real time. Thus, bloggers and online journalists had content to use immediately, propelling shareable content through their highly connected online networks of informal Ford fans.
The 2014 launch of the redesigned Ford F-150 was a particularly effective messaging coup. The new F-150, with its industry-leading EcoBoost engine and an overall weight reduction of hundreds of pounds, represented a significant step forward. Ford took full advantage of its healthy social media channels and the extra promotional opportunities available at NAIAS, pushing out materials/diagrams for engineering enthusiasts and clips of the new F-150 undergoing punishing real-world testing, alongside more conventional shareable content.
The result has been ongoing credibility for Ford’s positioning as an innovator, significant amplification for marquee stories like the F-150 redesign, and a community of more than a million social media followers, who are accustomed to substantive product and story content from Ford and inclined to redistribute it.
About Communicating Social Impact
This case study is taken from Communicating Social Impact, the report of a 12-company research working group convened by The Conference Board that examined how leading organizations have effectively integrated promising communications practices into their corporate social responsibility and social impact work. Available free, the report is one of a range of publications on social impact measurement that The Conference Board has published in the past 12 months. The other publications, including Framing Social Impact Measurement, are available to members here.
About the author:
Vicki Wray
Author
Communicating Social Impact
Vicki Wray is a communications consultant, helping leaders at all levels of an organization engage employees and drive change in support of business goals. She brings over 20 years of employee communications experience to bear on such challenges as executive communications, strategic organizational communications, crisis communications, CSR communications, and large-scale change initiatives, including mergers, acquisitions, and restructurings, in addition to annual reports. You can contact Vicki at [email protected].
