1. Ford: Social Media
Strategy
“What’s the ROI of putting your pants on in the morning?” – Scott Monty,
Ford's global digital/multimedia communications manager
Arun Abraham, Marta Karolak, Tarak Parekh

2. Arun Abraham, Marta Karolak, Tarak Parekh
Overview
Ford was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford. The company manufactures automobiles and
commercial vehicles under the Ford brand and luxury cars under the Lincoln brand. It is the 2nd
largest U.S based automaker and the 5th largest in the world based on 2010 sales. Ford has
become a pioneer among auto manufacturers by integrating social media (SM) into its marketing
strategy as well its internal culture. Via its SM efforts, Ford has worked to humanize the brand
and has become the most followed and influential auto brand on various SM channels.
Ford’s Social Media Strategy
Ford’s social media strategy can be analyzed using the traditional Sales/Marketing funnel. A car
purchase can be broken down into the following categories: Trigger, Consider, Evaluate, Buy,
Use/Post-Use. Ford engages potential customers through all the stages of the funnel using
various tactics as shown in the diagram below. A majority of their effort appears to increase their
presence at Trigger stage (given the conversion rate applicable to the funnel). They achieve this
by a) Being present on all the social media platforms where customers might expect them to be
and b) Allowing users to share their experiences about Ford readily. Engaging customers later in
the funnel is ineffective - a view espoused on several occasions by Mr. Monty. Ford needs to be
top of mind for people and have been placed there by individuals they trust – those in their own
social networks. This idea is supported by recent research in a paper titled “First is Best” (by
Prof. Dana Carney et al). Their study finds people consistently prefer the options that come first1
.
1
“First is Best”: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0035088

3. Arun Abraham, Marta Karolak, Tarak Parekh
Additionally, there is focus on the Use/Post-Use stage for community creation via channels such
as the Ford Mustang Facebook page or the Your Stories section of the social.ford.com site. This
serves 2 purposes – 1) The creation of a Loyalty loop where existing Ford customers purchase
Ford again, 2) Leveraging social networks to spread Word-of-Mouth.
Finally, Ford has recognized the importance of presenting its dealers in a consistent manner on
Social Media channels. To that effect, it has started a program – Ford Direct, which allows
inventory management (online) as well as reputation/review management for the dealers.
Ford’s presence in the Automotive Purchase Funnel
•Replace Old Car
•New Funds
•Family Growing
•Ad-hoc triggers
Trigger
•Budget
•Features
•Brand
Consider
•Reviews
•Enjoyable driving
•Good looking
•Service
Evaluate
• Dealer Selection
• Financing
Buy
•Rave/Rant
•Service
•Maintenance/Repair
•Share
Use/Post-Use
(Durable good)
Ford Social Media
- Events, partnerships
- WOM from
Use/Post-Use
- Friends/Family
- Friends/Family
recommendations
- Pictures/Sentiment
- Celebrity
Endorsements
- Facebook Community
- @FordService
- Idea crowdsourcing
- Social.ford.com
- Badges
- Friends/Family FB
Raves
- Ford Dealer Direct
Connection
Metrics
The table in Appendix 1 documents Ford’s considerable presence across the major SM channels.
Ford seems to have a far larger presence on Facebook (12m followers) than on Twitter (500K

4. Arun Abraham, Marta Karolak, Tarak Parekh
followers), YouTube (100K), Flickr (2K) or other networking sites. This presence is nuanced in
that their engagement on various social networking sites seems to align with the target
demographic2
for the social networking sites. For example: SUVs (geared towards families) have
more engagement on Facebook, whereas compacts seem to have more engagement on Twitter
(which resonates highly with millennials). Additionally, communities & fan circles around a
brand such as Mustang that resonates well with its owners’ stand out regardless of the channel
and enables expression of the owners’ love for their Mustangs.
Ford’s relatively new website FordSocial attempts to aggregate all social interactions across
multiple social platforms in one place – a one-stop shop for all that is social about Ford. Ford
seems to have capitalized on its lead in social media by having the largest number of followers
among the major auto manufacturer brands. Comparisons of Ford’s twitter presence with that of
GM and Chrysler are summarized (via Twitonomy) in Appendix 2.
Social Media Timeline
Some of the major milestones of Ford’s Social media strategy are shown on the timeline below.
2
http://www.ignitesocialmedia.com/social-media-stats/2012-social-network-analysis-report/
2007
• Started Facebook
page
2008
• Scott Monty joins
Ford
• (July) Joined Twitter
2009
• Ford Fiesta
movement
2010
• Launch of the
explorer.
2011
• Launch of
social.ford.com
2012
• Plug N Play in Electric
City with the 2012
Focus Electric.
• Random Acts of
Fusion

5. Arun Abraham, Marta Karolak, Tarak Parekh
Ford’s first foray onto the major social networks involved creating a Facebook page in 2007.
Until 2009, most of the interaction on Facebook was primarily between Consumers. Post 2009,
which coincides with Mr. Monty’s hiring, Ford has actively participated conversations on
Facebook & Twitter, working to humanize the brand. In addition to customer engagement, Ford
has effectively used SM for exclusive digital-launch events for some its new models. For
example, Ford launched Fiesta (a sub-compact car) in the USA via a social media event,
providing Fiestas to 100 drivers who blogged, tweeted and posted about their experiences with
the car for six months. The Fiesta movement cost around $5 Million for a net effect of the
campaign close to $100 million.
Encouraged by the success of their first campaign, Ford then launched the Explorer in 2011
through an online event, and is now engaging potential customers through its “Random Acts of
Fusion” campaign for the 2013 Ford Fusion release. The campaign is driven through a dedicated
website and encourages customer to check out the new model and provide their views on the car.
Their recent introduction of Badges ties in a social element with visual expression, allowing
owners to express their achievements as well as allowing Ford to tailor content to the customers.
Designing and Realizing Marketing Objectives
There are three main objectives to Ford’s SM strategy. We analyzed them in terms of approach
to reaching the target audience and how appropriate the communications are for the segments.
1) Awareness & Education
Conversations: Ford creates awareness and education among potential and current customers
through three main channels: 1) Twitter and Facebook when new products are launched or when
features are upgraded, 2) Through videos and celebrity endorsements to create buzz about

6. Arun Abraham, Marta Karolak, Tarak Parekh
products, 3) Facebook apps such as the Mustang customizer, which has been successful in both
engaging users and creating awareness about Ford among the friend circles of customers.
Appropriateness: Ford has used the social media channels both from a traditional marketing
perspective in educating the existing Ford customers about upcoming Ford events, models and
changes to its lineup. By being present on all the possible social media channels, they rely on
word-of-mouth, as well as participating/sponsoring events (such as the joint event with Pandora,
where Ford donated to charities chosen by music artistes3
that could potentially serve to
introduce the brand to potential customers.
2) Humanizing and Credibility
Conversations: Ford’s social website aims to engage customers with Ford employees. The ideas
section encourages users to post new features for future Ford products. Dedicated staff monitors
and updates social media to ensure that Ford knows when people are talking about the brand and
contact them as soon such as possible regarding customer service issue reported via the
@FordService handle. Approximately 2000 requests/week are handled via this medium.
Appropriateness: Humanizing the brand is at the core of Ford's stated social media strategy.
This helps people get past the 'Big bad corporation' issue and allows Ford to tap into and respond
to comments, suggestions, and complaints directly. Customers find it convenient and feel heard
which builds credibility. Ford also “follows” many of their customers rather than just monitoring
them, which aims to further show that they care about their users.
3) Loyalty and Community building
Conversations: One of the major initiatives for community building is the social.ford.com
3
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=33310

7. Arun Abraham, Marta Karolak, Tarak Parekh
website where customers share stories about their Ford automobiles. As one could expect, we
didn’t find it very effective as we see that there are very few comments/likes on the user posts.
The Ford Facebook page and apps seem much more engaging. They manage several campaigns
such as Ford Driving Skills for Life where users share their driving experiences. Ford also
features several photographs shared by users on their Facebook page which engage customers to
share their experiences with each other and create a positive vibe.
Appropriateness: Ford believes that a car is an emotional purchase for people. Ford leverages
this to enhance consumer-consumer interaction by providing a social board (such as Ford's
Mustang page on Facebook) for people to share & express their love as well as connect with
other enthusiasts. They use their Facebook page to run contests (such as the Mustang
Customizer) to involve people to create as well as engage people to vote. They "reward" winners
by providing prime web estate on Ford's FB page (such as Mustang's cover photo, which features
the current winner). They have also leveraged enthusiasm by starting a Badge program that
allows people to display their brand loyalty. To date, their 6 most popular badges have been
downloaded approximately 750K times4
.
Resources Estimate
Analyzing information gathered from various interviews with Scott Monty, we estimate Ford’s
annual social media marketing budget to be between $100-$125 million. Based on our
conversations with people with similar responsibilities, we list down some of the main cost
drivers of Ford’s social media campaign. Detailed estimates of these costs are in Appendix 3.
4
http://www.joakimnilsson.com/case-studies/how-ford-social-energized-their-core-
customer-base-with-badges/

8. Arun Abraham, Marta Karolak, Tarak Parekh
 Social Media staff – Between 30-35 employees. Mr. Monty alludes to a staff of 40
employees who work on social media strategy (Not all of them full-time) – $4-5 million.
 Website (FordSocial, Events), Facebook & Mobile applications - $1 million.
 External branding/social-media firm (Team Detroit)
 Celebrity endorsements, Content partnerships, donation to charities.
 Events (including car giveaways, community involvement), Audio/Video creation.
Recommendations/Critique
Ford has come to be regarded as one of the top companies (see Appendix 2) in terms of social
media given their steadfast focus and deep understanding of the utility of the various social
media platforms. They continue to evolve and utilize social media to engage and build
relationships with their existing and potential customers.
There are several areas we believe where Ford could improve their social media approach:
1. FordSocial (social.ford.com): The site does not seem to have considerable activity - nor does
it seem thoroughly streamlined with other SM platforms – So better awareness and ease of
use would help drive traffic.
2. Ford should also consider the potential pitfalls of Scott Monty’s personal interests vs the
Ford brand. This might lead to some potential conflicts of interest. For example, the @Ford
Twitter handle links back to @ScottMonty, where Mr. Monty posts his personal views.
3. Increase resources during “Buy/Purchase” phase: Improve ways to help customers choose
dealers based on word-of-mouth recommendations.

9. Arun Abraham, Marta Karolak, Tarak Parekh
Appendix
1. Highlights of Ford’s Social Media Presence
Facebook
(Likes/Discus
sions)
Twitters
(Followers/Following/Tweets
)
Youtube
(Subscribers/Videos/Views
)
Corporate 1,654,101/
36,241
161,199/
33,186/
9,871
82,072/
360/
5,347,583
Fiesta 260,918/
2993
20,419/
8,899/
2,751
1,587/
60/
2,964,382
Fusion 245,908/
17,629
2416/
12/
173
130/
531/
449,595
Mustang 4,537,489/
110,905
54,110/
8,618/
617
10,583/
108/
7,352,763
Ford Trucks 674,448/
8,847
43,686/
6,214/
562
6,458/
65/
4,238,389
Ford Focus 510,572/
6,523
12,972/
4,275/
479
Ford Explorer 223,944/
679
0 2,068/
XX/
4,502,538
Ford Escape 103,327/
14,136
3442/
1612/
686
Ford Edge 56,881/
728
0
Ford Flex 48,847/
401
0
Ford UK 112,181/
990
23485/
3043/
2841

10. Arun Abraham, Marta Karolak, Tarak Parekh
Ford Brasil 147,870/
3644
0
Ford Mexico 140,660/
5130
10303/
5659/
11772
2. Twitter comparison between Auto Manufacturers

11. Arun Abraham, Marta Karolak, Tarak Parekh

12. Arun Abraham, Marta Karolak, Tarak Parekh
3. Cost Breakdown
Scott Monty has said in an interview (Business Insider) that Social media and digital
marketing efforts come up to about 25% of the total marketing budget. 80% of is online paid
ads (digital marketing) which means social media is roughly 5% of the annual budget..
Annual marketing budget is $2.5 Billion. $2.5 Billion * 25% * 4% = $125 Million is the annual
marketing budget.
An estimate of the break-up of this figure is shown below:
 Mr. Monty has stated that around the world, 40 people are working on social media,
but not solely dedicated to it. Assuming a 50% utilization of their efforts and an
average salary of $100,000, the spend on labor for social media is around $2 Million
a year.

13. Arun Abraham, Marta Karolak, Tarak Parekh
 20 Assets * $3000 = $60k
 Photoshoots = $50k * 20 = $1 M
 Facebook application development = $100K
 Website development and maintenance = $5 Million
 Ford also contracts an agency to oversee its social media campaign which we
estimate for be around $10 Milllion
 For the Fusion launch, Ford has tied up with 3 celebrities. Estimating this costs to be
around $10 Million.
 They are also rolling out 100 sedans. Assuming a cost of $25k, this comes to $2.5
million.
 Social media events such as “Random acts of Fusion” - around $10 Million using the
2009 ford fiesta movement ($5 Million) as a reference.
 Ad spending on social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter - $5 Milllion.
4. Sample of Tweets
Tweet Retweets Inference
Retweet if you've driven a @Ford truck this
week! /via@raymotorco (CC @FordTrucks)
164 trying to engage the users and
making them retweet
Happy Birthday Henry Ford! It’s hard to
believe you’re turning
149!http://t.co/BjZNFrUl
121 remind people about Ford’s history
As of today, we've produced 350M cars! See
what that means
to:@Oreo, @McDonalds, @CocaCola, @Yopl
ait & @GeneralMills http://t.co/3GbXdjRH
82 Comparing the company to other
well-known brands
Urgent safety news for owners of the 2013
Escape with 1.6 liter
engines: http://t.co/PFJ138cI
64 Trying to show that they care for
customer. Also inviting customers
to follow them to get quick updates
Ford uses recycled blue jeans to absorb sound 63 Portraying a green and caring face

14. Arun Abraham, Marta Karolak, Tarak Parekh
to make your ride extra quiet. Where do you
spend time that you wish could be just as
quiet?
of the company
Today we announced Q2 results: pre-tax
operating profit of $1.8 billion, $0.30 per
share,driven by N. America & Ford Credit. $F
44 Targeting investors and show the
company’s healthy state. Could
also be a signal to the customers
indicating that the company is
doing well and is reliable in the
long term.
Best New Car Feature Currently On the
Market? We'll take it! Vote for us in
.@ebaymotors' People's Picks. bit.ly/PHTAiD
Getting suggestions and votes from
users – Engagement
5. Purchase-Intent Tweets