Ford's stall at the recently concluded 2012 Delhi Auto Expo was a big hit among the visitors, with its new EcoSport Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) garnering appreciation from all quarters. In order to increase audience engagement at its stand, the American manufacturer had set up a game, wherein the visitors could use a motion sensing camera for controlling the EcoSport. At each bend of the game, the visitors got to know something new about the vehicle. The new iteration of the Fiesta also gained appreciation for its refreshed looks as well as attractive colours.
Regarding the unique initiatives taken by Ford at this Expo, Nigel Wark, executive director, marketing, sales and service, Ford India, commented, “We wanted to create something engaging with the visitors at the Auto Expo. We did not want to put the car and stop people from touching the car at the zone and so we created an interactive driving game. We wanted to bring together engagement so that there was some memory for people for Ford at the Auto Expo.”
The company made full use of the opportunity to tell the world about the four pillars that support the world renowned Ford brand. It had placed a 'Quality Touch Table' at the stall, where the visitors could touch the material and feel the workmanship that sets Ford vehicles apart from others and makes them worth the price tag. The 'Green Touch Table' shows the advantages of the EcoBoost engine that is used in the EcoSport as well as the long term dividends that the company's green technology offers to the buyers.
The manufacturer also organised the 'Safe Driving Challenge', wherein attendees participated in an interactive safe driving competition and received points for complying with traffic rules, such as driving within the speed limit. A Fiesta body shell was also placed at the stall, so that visitors could see the safety features of the car and how these occupant protection systems come into effect instantly.
Wark said that a study conducted by the company suggested that word of mouth marketing was the most effective for promoting a product. According to the study, apart from telling friends and family, buyers would also mention the car on blogs and social networking sites. Wark said that people who buy Fiesta use the Internet twice as much as TV. Therefore the company has undertaken initiatives to tap into the potential of the digital media for promoting its Fiesta. The initiatives include getting real people who were passionate about Fiesta to launch the prominent aspects of the car.
This is a different route being followed by the company as compared to the launch of the original Fiesta. Rather than real people, Ford had roped in Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan to be the brand ambassador of the first edition of Fiesta in 2005. Talking about the two different modes of promoting the car, Wark commented, "For the time in 2005 our brand was new and it didn’t have the status we have now, so Abhishek Bachchan’s brand tie up really helped. Also, none of these digital options were available back then. If digital was available back then, we may have used it, but you never know what would have happened."
