Social Media Campaign Review: Ford Entices Auto Enthusiasts with #FordAE2014 to Promote its Instagram Channel

Introduction

In order to welcome the company's Instagram channel and create a buzz around the upcoming Auto Expo, Ford India has launched #FordAE2014 across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The week long campaign asks people to submit a photograph according to a new theme everyday. The winner of the contest will get Business Hour passes to Auto Expo 2014.

Execution

In a week long campaign Ford India aims to garner consumer engagement by making them share photos under themes like #style, #efficient, and #music. The campaign uses different social media platforms. While on Facebook it uses an application, on Twitter and Instagram it is driven by hashtags.

Facebook

In the Facebook application, people submit a photograph in sync with the day's theme. In a "like" driven game, the entry with the most number of likes gets an edge over the competitor.

Outside the app, Ford India has customised the cover photo of the page for the contest. There are also posts declaring the daily themes. Overall, the hashtag search shows a decent response to the contest on Facebook.

Twitter

Similar to Facebook, Ford has customised the cover on Twitter as well. In a hashtag driven engagement on the platform, there is a low level of retweets from Ford India's end. Even otherwise, the frequency of tweets from Ford's end are erratic and not spread out evenly throughout the day.

In terms of the participation coming in for the contest, again the numbers are decent.

Instagram

Instagram is a special one in the campaign since the entire idea was to also bring the brand's Instagram channel in the public domain. With a total of 12 posts spanning 6 days and 140+ followers, perhaps, the contest has not done wonders. The kind of posts made range from call out for contest entries along with picturesque shots of Ford cars.

Positives

The cross platform approach and the timing is the key strength of the campaign. The Auto Expo is an event that most auto lovers are enthusiastic about. Using the same for engagement with its community is good strategy. The hashtag and the branding of the contest also reiterate the Auto Expo bit over and over again. There is sufficient visibility for the campaign across all platforms, they have made a point that every person visiting Ford's Timeline does not miss the contest.

Scope for Improvement

There is low participation on a few levels for the campaign. One reason for the same could also be the one sided nature of most conversations emerging in the contest. Instead of simply calling for entries, another way might also be to retweet, share or "regram" interesting entries. The contest severely lacks threads of conversation.

Conclusion

In terms of timing and branding, Ford's #FordAE2014 does a good job. However, with the participation rates flickering at the lower side of the graph, the campaign lacks engagement from Ford's end.