General Motors and Ford are mining a rich new source of marketing buzz for their vehicles at this year’s Detroit car show.
Between them, the two carmakers have invited more than 120 bloggers and Facebook enthusiasts from around the world to attend the show, and share their impressions through social media. Ford’s guests come from as far afield as New Zealand and South Africa.
“In the past, there was a top-down approach to communications,” says Paul Rand, president of the US Word of Mouth Marketing Association, which represents social media marketers. “Increasingly, there is the ability to get support from a [bottom-up] groundswell.”
Many of the carmakers’ guests have little direct connection to the car industry. Manny Ruiz, from Miami, runs a site devoted to “creative parenting”. Jewel Figueras covers, according to her business card, “celebs, fashion, events and everything fab”.
Read the entire article at Financial Times.