Ford Giving Free Fiestas to People 30-and-under

Tough economic times require new innovative forms of marketing, and that’s exactly what Ford Motor Company is doing by shipping 100 European Ford Fiestas to young Americans throughout the country and soliciting their feedback about the vehicle.

That’s right—FREE cars! Why didn’t they do things like this when I was young? (about 25 years ago!)

The promotion is part of Ford’s mission to appeal to “Millennials”–people ages 14-30, who represent the future buying power of not just the United States, but the world.

The 14-year-olds in this group won’t be able to drive for a couple of years, but when they do, Ford wants to be there with the Fiesta in the forefront of their growing minds. It’s a smart move—getting into this age group early on helps build brand awareness that the carmaker hopes will last a lifetime.

But, like everything else—they’re not going to give you the vehicle without expecting something in return. Millennials lucky enough to get a Fiesta will be called “agents.” These agents will be given missions with vehicles every month and will use social media networks such as Facebook, MySpace and FlickR to share their experiences.

It might end up being a lot of work getting a free Ford Fiesta and then holding up your end of the bargain. I’ve had friends who tried to make some extra cash getting their cars painted with company logos like Sprite, Tide, Red Bull and other nationally known brands. The only problem came when they had to drive around certain areas in mostly heavy traffic to advertise the brand as well as go to weekend events all the time. In the end, it turned out to be too much work for too little pay, so they re-painted their cars and got out of the programs.

If that’s the case with Ford, there could be a bunch of backlash surrounding these supposed “free” cars. My advice to Ford is this—let the Millennials drive the vehicles and just let them be. Don’t make them become amateur salespeople for the brand, because it’s tacky and forced. If you just give them the cars, they’ll become great spokespeople for the Fiesta all on their own.