Ford Will Give Facebook Fans The First Look At The 2011 Explorer
The Ford Motor Company has chosen the Ford Explorer Facebook page to give the public a first glimpse of the totally redesigned 2011 model. This breaks from the usual debut of a new model, which traditionally is made at large auto shows, and shows the auto company’s commitment to its social media marketing efforts. There is no set date for a full unveil, but teaser photos are already up on the site, as well as video of a cloaked 2011 Explorer in action.
Ford launched a dedicated Explorer fan page in mid March, at the time focused on the 2010 model. The page’s focus quickly shifted and became a source of info on the 2011 model, which has received a complete redesign, and appears to be evolving with its target market.
The Explorer became the must-have vehicle for the original soccer moms of the early 90s, but has fallen behind as other crossover vehicles have moved in to provide the space and ride height that moms loved about the Explorer without the low gas mileage and rough ride of a 4×4 truck. The 2011 model will be the first Explorer built on a car frame, giving it better fuel economy, and will feature improved safety features and incorporate touches that are more in line with the way consumers are actually using the vehicles. A video posted to the Explorer fan page shows a veiled vehicle being put through tests for the new traction system, and it’s evident that the Explorer will be much less of a truck and more of a van/crossover.
The director of Ford’s US Marketing Communication said in a recent USA Today article that we won’t be seeing images of the new Explorer parked on a cliff, yet the few teaser photos that were released today on the Facebook page give us glimpses of the 2011 Explorer dashing through forests, snowy lanes and a rocky road. Nothing too extreme, but this could be a little off-target based on the information given in the article.
While some say that revealing the new Explorer on Facebook rather than at an auto show is risky, Ford has had a lot of success with its social media endeavors in the past. The launch of the new Ford Fiesta has received a lot of buzz, with much of the online chatter generated by the Fiesta Movement, which Ford launched last year almost exclusively through a number of social networks. Ford also used Facebook and other networks to generate interest in their Fusion Hybrid with last year’s Fusion 41 challenge, and benefited from leaked information about the 2011 Mustang late last year. However, at just over 3,000 fans, the Explorer Facebook page is lagging behind many of Ford’s other model-specific pages.
The company could also be going after a chunk of the market currently held by competitors that were not previously in the same class as the Explorer, but now share similar features. Toyota’s Sienna wagon will now be more of a competitor to the new Explorer, and is an excellent example of how social network marketing is successfully reaching target demographics. The Sienna’s Facebook page enjoys a loyal and vocal following, and Toyota has scored big with the Sienna Family campaign and the recent Swagger Wagon YouTube video that has been viewed more than 3 million times since its release last month.
June 9th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
What’s that? Still building monstrosities this country does not now, and never needed? Idiots.
You see there’s this more appealing vehicle called a STATION WAGON, that seems to be very popular in Europe. But hey, what does the nation who invented the car and continues to modernize them with technology not found on ANY U.S. automobile know about anything automotive?
June 9th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
@Guestg, why not wait until it’s launched to weigh in. The fact is, the new Explorer will have at least 25% better fuel economy and will completely change the way we think about the SUV market.
We’re bringing a lot of our European technology and heritage to the U.S. through our ONE Ford plan. But the U.S. is not Europe. Believe it or not, there are plenty of customers who need the additional space, and we’ve got a full line of vehicles for our customers to choose from: cars, utilities and trucks; small, medium and large.
Scott Monty
Global Digital Communications
Ford Motor Company
June 9th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
This is a very clever strategy Ford has chosen. Before the big traditional launch they can now use the info from the Facebook page and attend to any problems or questions that should arise. As you can see Facebook can be used as a tool for test marketing as well.
Kris Olin
MSc econ.)
June 10th, 2010 at 10:02 am
Good stuff Scott. Keep up the good work, best of luck with the launch and I will definitely keep an eye on the campaign. @chrisbrashear
June 10th, 2010 at 10:34 am
@Scott-
Do you know when those shakira tickets will be available on the South Fordia page??
Http://www.facebook.com/southfordia
Also thank you very much for sponsoring the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, I am glad the original godfather of automobiles sees House Music as the “Ultimate” cultural movement!!
PS I LOVE YOUR FORD FIESTA!!
June 11th, 2010 at 9:05 am
Lenny – no idea. That’s a dealer page. All of our 3,7000 dealers are independently owned and operated.
We’re absolutely delighted to be able to sponsor music-related events. It’s such a key element to people’s lives, and since our customers get to choose any kind of music they want in our vehicles, we thought it’s important to be present at a variety of music events as well.
June 11th, 2010 at 10:45 am
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June 18th, 2010 at 6:53 am
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July 2nd, 2010 at 4:02 pm
[...] Ford to launch new 2011 Explorer on their Facebook Page. [...]