Yesterday, Ford revealed their new Explorer model exclusively on their Facebook page, and then followed up with live events in North America. The reveal on Facebook was followed by other events, including an online chat with CEO Alan Mulally, among others. How has the use of social media impacted the Explorer launch? Obviously, it’s a bit too early to tell in terms of sales, but let’s take a look at some initial measures…
Mentions of “explorer” on Twitter skyrocketed yesterday (some due to Ford’s own actions), but have quieted back down to normal levels for today so far.
Searches on Google for “ford explorer 2011” have increased over the past week or so as Ford has ramped up marketing efforts. Unfortunately, data for the past 4 days isn’t yet available.
The video created exclusively for the Facebook reveal only has 32,437 views so far, and certainly hasn’t taken off virally. Some of the comments suggest that people wanted to see more of the car and less about the story and the team. The Explorer is only on screen for the last 20s or so of a 3:48 video.
The video of the reveal in NYC with Mike Rowe and Alan Mulally may only have 3,391 views, but it’s #80 in the top favorited video today in Autos & Vehicles on YouTube.
The video tour of the Ford Explorer has 9,975 views.
I wonder if Ford wouldn’t have done better to have a Mike Rowe reveal on Facebook or a video that people would have been more interested in sharing. The reveal video on Facebook may have gotten 30k views mostly because that was the only way people could see the new vehicle at that point. There hasn’t been much take-up in terms of virally sharing any of the videos — at least so far. Whether social media has been a part of a successful product launch for Ford Explorer will have to wait until the sales numbers come in.
What do you think?