The Fiesta Movement campaign was a resounding success for Ford, one that enthusiastically introduced to Americans the Fiesta and a new wave of global platform and design collaboration. So what does its social media manager do to highlight this success? He jumps ship to General Motors.

Jon Beebe, the man who was in charge of the Fiesta Movement, has recently been hired (some would say “poached”) by GM to be their new chief of digital strategy. Given how social-media-intensive the Fiesta Movement was, it seems Beebe was well-qualified. An award from Ad Age for Marketer of the Year doesn’t hurt, either.

GM has been hiring marketers away from other companies for some time now, most notably Joel Ewanick—of El Camino infamy—from Hyundai. The first rule of automotive marketing: there’s no loyalty in the business.

[Source: Left Lane News]

If you “like” electric vehicles, you’ll want to check out Ford‘s new electrified Facebook Fanpage. Dedicated to educate enthusiasts and curious consumers, fans will be able to find and share information about Ford’s electric vehicles.

If you’re already a fan of this page, you’ll know that it’s where Ford first revealed the information about the all-new Focus Electric. Now, you can use the page to discover what electric choices are available and how to make the switch to the electric lifestyle.

If you’re thinking about making the switch to a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or all-electric vehicle, the Ford Electrified Vehicle Facebook page is a great tool to use to help you understand the differences between electrified vehicle technologies. The page is also an outlet where fans can interact with Ford, post questions and leave comments about the company’s electric vehicles.

The page offers links to videos and photos of Ford’s electrified vehicles, and provides information about the powertrains in each vehicle. There are areas for discussion between fans, user polls, a place where fans can direct questions to Ford’s electric vehicles team, and a calendar for upcoming events.

“We’re committed to engaging in an ongoing dialogue with our fans in a way that provides value for the time they choose to spend with Ford online,” said Scott Monty, Ford digital and multimedia communications manager. “As we’ve proven with Fiesta Movement and the Explorer reveal on Facebook, it’s important to pay attention to what people are saying, and for us to be able to respond and provide a unique experience for them as well.”

To become a fan of Ford’s Electrified Vehicle, click here.

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As Ford Racing just announced, they will be supplying 43 Fiestas to the Team O’Neil Rally School in New Hampshire in order to create the Fiesta Rally School. The O’Neil Rally School will outfit each Fiesta with a roll bar, rally suspension, and off-road tires so that aspiring rally drivers can safely learn the Scandinavian flick and other sideways rally driving techniques.

This partnership further solidifies Ford‘s commitment to using the new Fiesta as their global rally car in 2011 and beyond, where it’ll be seen running in the FIA World Rally Championship and in Rally America with highly skilled hoonage provided by the likes of DC Shoes headman and rallying driver extraordinaire Ken Block.

The 43 donor Fiestas are being repurposed from the 100 European-spec versions that arrived in North America for the Fiesta Movement. The Ford Racing Fiesta Rally Experience will be the only rally experience offered by a manufacturer in North America, which combined with the Ford Racing School of High Performance Driving at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah gives the blue oval an impressive motorsports presence on both sides of the country.

“Ford Racing Fiesta Rally Experience will provide consumers with the opportunity to experience Fiesta in a true rally environment,” said John Felice, general manager, Ford and Lincoln Marketing. “From learning how to drive high-performance Mustangs on the track at Miller Motorsports to driving a Fiesta on a rally road course at Team O’Neil, these driving schools allow consumers to experience our products in unique and different environments.”

“The opportunity to find a second life for nearly half of the cars from the Fiesta Movement is a way to keep alive the legacy these cars have brought to the Fiesta launch in North America,” said Jamie Allison, director, Ford North America Motorsports. “Fiesta’s nimble driving dynamics and precise handling attributes make it a perfect fit to serve as a rally school car at Team ONeil.”

“Our philosophy at Team O’Neil is to teach drivers how to master front-wheel drive in order to keep speed in the corners, accelerate through the corners, and use the brake to make a turn,” said Tim O’Neil, five-time U.S. and North America rally racing champion. “Fiesta is a strong, light, front-wheel-drive car. The addition of Ford Racing-developed performance parts including an rally suspension, underbody protection and roll bar gives us a great future with these cars.”

For more information on Ford Racing Fiesta Rally Experience and to register, go to www.teamoneil.com

Ford‘s marketing campaign for the upcoming Fiesta compact has gone on for just over a year, and consumers are getting anxious about having to wait for the car to hit showrooms.

Anyone waiting with bated breath for the new Fiesta will have to prepare for further disappointment, as the launch has been delayed, this time to due a hurricane that damaged rail road tracks near Ford’s Mexico City assembly plant.

Ford claims that it has 2,000 deposits for the Fiesta already, and we can be sure that they’re getting just a little impatient. On the other hand, it’s hard to argue with Mother Nature.

[Source: Autoblog]

Social media has infiltrated every facet of life, and it has been a big part of Ford’s 2011 Fiesta marketing launch. Ford is promising new Fiesta owners an experience unlike any other when they take delivery of their new car.

The experience starts in the showroom, where kiosks play Fiesta Movement videos and act as photo booths for new owners. But it doesn’t end there. New owners will get an interactive USB that is pre-loaded with an audio tutorial explaining the Fiesta’s features and how to use them.

This tool is meant to accompany the owner on the way home, as they can plug the preloaded USB into the Fiesta. It’s kind of like “unwrapping” all the cool new features in the car with infotainment-type audio. The topics range from push button start, to the sound-deadening windshield glass.

Here’s where the social media aspect comes into play. Fiesta owners can use the USB to install a program that lets them access and modify their delivery photos, then share them with other Fiesta owners through social media channels like Facebook. The desktop application also provides a wiki (called Fiestapedia) with tips on how to use the Fiesta, get podcasts and other related information.

The first automaker to create such a program, this Fiesta experience is a new way for Ford and its dealers to interact with customers. It’s an innovative step that shows Ford trending towards a customer experience that does more than deliver a car.

“The Fiesta Movement has taught us that consumers want to continue the dialogue with Ford Motor Company and other Fiesta owners,” said Paul Anderson, Ford small car marketing manager. “Fiesta continues to push the boundaries of how we launch products and how we interact with our customers.”

In an all-new approach to vehicle launching, Ford is choosing to reveal their hotly anticipated Explorer on Facebook, rather than at a traditional public launch. Ford has already shown a few teaser shots of the car on the popular social networking site, but nothing substantial has been leaked- expect a full reveal next month.

Unveiling a car on a social networking site is a new direction for a vehicle launch, but Ford has already used social media tools to help build buzz for new products. The Fiesta Movement, an online social media campaign designed to build buzz for their new subcompact, was launched over a year in advance of the vehicle’s on-sale date, and was wildly successful among young buyers who were previously unaware of Ford products.

With the move to a car-based Explorer possibly alienating longtime fans of the truck-based SUV, perhaps Ford is hoping to go after  a new segment that wants a less rugged, more “lifestyle” oriented SUV.

[Source: USA Today]

Anyone who grew up playing the Resident Evil games on Playstation knows that the best way to stop a zombie attack is with a large caliber firearm. For those who believe in non-violent resistance, Ford‘s new Fiesta commercial will show you away to make a clean getaway using features like the Fiesta’s keyless entry and push button starter. Jonathan, the ad’s protagonist, is able to escape a certain death at the hands of the undead, but his Yaris and Fit driving friends are not so lucky.

Rather than the typical “car porn” commercial favored by automakers, the Fiesta ad is shot in an informal, conversational style, almost like a Jackass stunt, but with much higher production values. Ford has already made huge strides with the Fiesta’s online social media campaign, with company executives claiming that 60% of the car buying public are aware of the vehicle already.

Hit the jump to see the ad for yourself.

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Ford is patting itself on the back today, claiming a tremendous success for its Fiesta Movement social media marketing initiative. According to the American automaker, the Fiesta movement helped drum up interest for the new sub-compact with 6.2 million YouTube views, 750,000 Flickr views and almost 4 million Twitter impressions. In total, Ford claims this results in 125,000 people interested in the new Fiesta.

Exactly how many of those 125,000 will actually purchase a Fiesta remains to be seen, but we have to admit Ford is doing an incredible job on the marketing side these days, from the EcoBoost to the Fiesta.

The Fiesta goes on sale this summer starting from $13,320 for the sedan and $15,120 for the hatch. All models come equipped with a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine with 120-hp. Ford rates the car’s fuel economy a 29/38-mpg (city/hwy) for the manual, and 30/40-mpg for the six-speed automatic.

See AutoGuide’s review of the new Fiesta at the link below

2010 Ford Fiesta: First Drive

Official release after the jump:

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Ford kicked-off what it calls the “Fiesta Movement” yesterday when 140 new European-built Ford Fiestas were unloaded at ports in Baltimore and Oxnard, Calif.

The vehicles will be loaned out to young “trendsetters,” who will report on the vehicles using modern social networking sites like Facebook, Flickr and YouTube. Ford actually used YouTube to select the winners, asking those born between 1979 and 1985 to submit a video of why they should be chosen.

580,000 videos were submitted with 3,300 being reviews by Ford.

This bold marketing strategy is aimed at promoting the Festiva, which will go on sale in North American in 2010, by using younger buyers to speak to younger buyers (the Festiva’s target market).

“We’re really excited to be able to get our U.S. customers behind the wheel and experience this car,” said Sam De La Garza, Ford’s small car marketing manager. “It’s all part of a plan to build excitement about the new Fiesta with the next generation of Ford customers.”

The Fiesta is Ford’s first global car. It went on sale in Europe and Asia last year and is the second-best selling vehicle for Ford in Europe.

“In the midst of the toughest economy many of us have ever seen, the Fiesta is becoming a legitimate global success story,” said Jim Farley, Ford Group Vice President of Marketing and Communications. “The Fiesta Movement is all about introducing a new kind of small car to a new generation of buyers.”

The Fiesta models that hit U.S.-shores yesterday were built in Cologne, Germany (although North American vehicles will be manufactured in Ford’s Cuautitlan, Mexico plant), and have been modified with English instrumentation and include readouts in mph. All Fiesta Movement vehicles come with keyless entry with a push-button start, Ford’s EasyFuel Capless Fuel-Filler System and either 16- or 17-inch wheels.

Let the marketing onslaught begin. Or as they say at Ford, Viva La Revolution!

GALLERY: Fiesta Movement Begins

More on the Fiesta Movement after the jump

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