Ford's Fiesta Movement - Are You Watching? - Ask Patty

When Ford revealed its Verve concept at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, I fell in love, and thought it had the potential to be a true Civic beater. When they announced they would be naming it Fiesta, I thought they were nuts. But when they revealed the production model at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, all I could think was "Please let my poor old Accord last until this gorgeous car makes it into showrooms!"

Up on the stage was an adorable lime green Fiesta hatchback emblazoned with decals that announced Ford's "Fiesta Movement" contest at FiestaMovement.com, an opportunity for fans (like me and hundreds of others) to enter a short video as an application to be among the first 100 drivers of the Fiesta when it finally arrives in the United States. These specially selected "Agents" will be asked to complete "missions" in their Fiesta on a monthly basis and capture their experiences digitally and share them with Ford and other consumers. The monthly missions - scheduled to begin April 7, 2009 -- will take them to new places, to meet new people and to experience new things in their Fiesta. Agents will be encouraged to take their friends along for the ride and to share their experiences online within their social media network.

At the time, I pouted: "I don't have a video camera, I don't know how to edit, I guess that's a contest I can't enter..." Well, fast forward to this week, and my own entry to the Fiesta Movement, submitted at the very last possible moment, in a flurry of desperate creative energy: (What? You can't tell that I was desperately creative? That's because I also learned that I'm a bit camera shy!)

Thanks to the encouragement of friends, I found a camera, conscripted my 15-year-old son into service to help me edit it, and between us, we learned how to create a video using iMovie on my Mac. Yes, the audio could use some leveling, but due to time constraints made worse by losing three hours (because I was on the West Coast, and the deadline was in Eastern time) and then another two hours (because YouTube was undergoing system maintenance) we didn't have time for fine-tuning.

Have you watched any of the videos? Some amazing entries have been submitted by an assortment of tremendously creative and prolific social media specialists! I wasn't surprised to see entries were created by a few of the other online automotive outlets. I like the one from the editors at Jalopnik, in which they showed they wanted the new Fiesta so badly they're willing to stalk a driver and steal one. The gearheads at Edmunds.com created a fun video demonstrating what they might - or might not - do if they had a Fiesta in their vehicle fleet. The lovely Miss Motor Mouth demonstrated all the tools of her trade in her pitch to obtain the snazzy little coupe for her publishing empire. And finally, AutoblogGreen submitted their own pitch in stop-motion video featuring a green Fiesta built from Legos. (I have a six-year-old, and he thinks that's especially cool.)

Among the more-than-500 entries are a fun selection of some very well produced videos. You can go to YouTube and randomly select from the videos tagged "Fiestamovement" or here's a list of a few of my favorites from better-than-average social media users who want to be picked to be a Fiesta Agent:

Becca from Kansas City, Missouri, explains why she wants to be an official Ford Fiesta test driver. Her video is extremely well produced and she's cute in an extra-perky way. I hope she gets a car!

In a fun and frenetic video, a guy named Hugh asks "Should he be chosen as a social media enthusiast with an uncanny ability to forgo sleep?" "Should he be chosen as a new dad with a story to tell and a reputation for asking the tough questions?" Or, "should he be chosen for being the most courageous, most adventuresome and most "All-American" guy around? Whatever the reason, I vote for Hugh!

Jane is a lifecaster who wants to bring her camera into a Fiesta. She's definitely got the social media credentials and personality to qualify!

Brad and Emma have created their own blog as well as an entire series of videos supporting their endeavor and invite you to follow them on their quest to get picked.

Phil is an Auburn University student who, like me, grasped the Fiesta Movement as a learning opportunity to create his first video. In his words, he wants to be an Agent so he can "see the world."

Scott and Selena Mcatee created an excellent video with great production values showing a talent with the video camera and a great carguy background. He and his wife seem like a great pick!

And of course, ME! A pink-haired automotive journalist willing to change her online identity if Ford will make her a FiestaGrrl.

There are too many videos for me to watch them all to find more recommendations, but I hope you'll browse through the competitors, and be sure to submit comments to the ones you like. And don't forget to view and comment on mine!

In the meantime, while we wait for FiestaMovement.com to announce the winners, their cars are currently being shipped over from Germany. The 100 five-door Fiestas involved in the program have been built at Ford's Cologne plant, alongside European versions of the car. These "Fiesta Movement" cars feature the acclaimed 118-horsepower/1.6-liter Ti-VCT Duratec engine promising 0 to 62 mph speeds in under 10 seconds. Ford has placed a very entertaining video about the construction of these cars at YouTube and on The Fiesta Movement microsite. I hope there is a purple one in there for me!

By Brandy Schaffels
AskPatty.com Editor
aka HondaGrrl and FiestaGrrl