USA - Ford Motor will forego their tradition of unveiling new models at trade shows, opting instead to reveal the new Ford Explorer on a Facebook page.
“Assuming this is the tip of the iceberg, what is the role for exhibitions?” asks president and founder of the International Training and Management Company, Barry Siskind, on a blog for international exhibitions industry association, UFI. “I suggest a very large one. Exhibitions are a place where companies like Ford can engage customers, to make them part of the Ford community, to introduce them to the Ford experience and so on.
“Companies like Ford are moving quickly in this unprecedented direction. Are we, the exhibition industry, ready?” he asks.
“The auto industry is so closely tied to reviews and news form traditional media outlets that I think it is a risky move to eliminate an autoshow announcement,” says VP of media research for PR company Cision, Heidi Sullivan. “But the buzz created could far outweigh any negative reactions.”
Ford’s Facebook advertising campaign included ‘teaser’ pictures of the new model partially hidden from view.
