DEARBORN, Michigan — All that hoopla with social media appears to be paying off for the launch of the 2011 Ford Fiesta. The Dearborn automaker said on Wednesday that more than 1,000 reservations have been placed for the small car in just six days, a tangible sign that American consumers are drawn to the fuel-efficient compact with European roots.
"The new Ford Fiesta is off to a very fast start," said Ford in a statement.
Consumers are placing Fiesta reservations online or texting "reserve" to 4Ford on a smart phone to price and reserve the car.
The marketing of the Fiesta is proving to be an intriguing case study in how to market a vehicle through social media such as Facebook. Ford says that when a Fiesta is purchased, consumers will be able to share their vehicle information through Facebook and other social media sites. Ford has adopted so-called "viral" or "guerrilla" marketing for the car's launch, deploying younger consumers in Fiestas to travel the U.S. and get out the word about the car. It is miles away from traditional launches, which depended on print media and such old-fashioned tactics as covering the car with a sheet on the showroom floor.
Inside Line says: Pretty soon we'll see legions of consumers driving all sorts of new vehicles around the country in an effort to get us to buy them as other automakers copy the Fiesta's playbook. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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firstclass says:
12:47 PM, 12/10/2009
Sorry it's not... just read the comparison test. I thought that Honda would have perfected it by now. and yes just becuse its a honda. Please note I'm not a fan of the fit or of honda but there was a time when they Honda wouldnt alow this.
bodyblue says:
10:25 AM, 12/10/2009
Jeeeze you can smell the panic in Honda owners! The Fit finally has some competition and Fit fanboys hate it! The Ford is by far the better looking as they know. The Ford is far sleeker and more interesting than the funky/boxy Fit. People get some free equipment that one cant even get on the Fit for ordering sooner.......if you want one why not order now? I am not worried about reliability since Ford is doing really well lately and remember it was the LT Fit that the tranny went out on, not the Focus. Why do you think it is likely the Fit is a better car? Just because it is a Honda?
felonious says:
09:41 AM, 12/10/2009
Who needs government bailouts?? Build quality cars that people want and the rest will take care of itself. Go Ford!
firstclass says:
08:31 PM, 12/09/2009
The hysteria over this car may be hilarious but obviously viral marketing is working. I got a chance to see the new Fiesta while on vacation in Pacifica California. Ford had a hundred of these cars loaned to Californians and made sure to give everyone of them unique decals on the side to draw attention to the cars. It certainly caught my interest and the interest of others. Two strangers and I quickly found ourselves exchanging comments to one another about the little Fiesta.
The fit is a great car and likely a better car. But I have to hand it to ford for their guerilla marketing. They deserve all the buzz their Fiestas is getting. The cars may not be equal in comparison but both Honda and Ford had the same opportunity to market their cars in exciting ways. Honda stuck with its old "fit is go" slogan and ford chose to take advantage of untapped advertising potential of real people. The reservations don't surprise me.
dgs4 says:
07:49 PM, 12/09/2009
And people rag on the 2009/2010 Honda Fit for being "ugly." If that is a picture of the North American Fiesta Honda corp and Honda Fit owners have absolutely nothing to worry about in a comparison of looks. While a lot of people hate Honda and would love nothing more than to see the Honda Fit "fail" I bet the Fit also has better performance than the North American Fiesta too.
The hysteria over this car is hilarious. Why in the world would anyone want to put in a "reservation" for this car? It is not some limited edition exotic super car, it's going to be a mass produced econobox made in Mexico. Plus who in their right mind would want to get this car in the first year of production? I guess someone has to be the guinnea pig. I wouldn't touch this car until I had three years of reliability data on it. You can't compare the European to the North American Fiesta either, they are two completely different cars and using the history of the Fiesta in Europe to predict reliability is worthless.
bodyblue says:
04:18 PM, 12/09/2009
That spec in the rearview mirror is the Honda Fit.
unclebrud says:
03:12 PM, 12/09/2009
I am one of the 1000 who have reserved a Fiesta. However, I'm wondering if Ford (and car enthusiasts) might be better served by placing one of these cars at each dealer and allowing short test drives. Why not use the dealer base? Trendy marketing is all well and good, but I happen to think the demographic will be much older than Ford think it will be. Many of us would prefer the 'old-fashioned', yet hands-on approach.
Plus, the Fiesta (with decent equipment) seems to be priced in-line with the current Focus, lower-level Mazda3's, etc. Ford should use every marketing available to convince people that such a small car is worth the money.
I've been following the protracted launch of the Fiesta and have found it frustratingly out-of-reach. There was even an 'Agent' in the town I live in. It was fun to see the car, but, by now, I've become so familiar with it (yet cannot buy it), that I'm starting to consider other cars (Honda Fit, VW Golf/GTI) as a replacement for my Focus. I attended the Boston auto show last weekend and found a Euro-spec Fiesta there, though it was locked...ugh. I'm still anxious to drive one; it does seem almost perfect. However, if it isn't out by April/May, they will have lost a buyer.