Ford Canada is lending a helping hand to bloggers looking for an escape. Last weekend the auto-maker held its fourth “Back to Basics” blogger event at the Fraser River Lodge an hour outside of Vancouver.
Eight guests were invited to spend the weekend fishing with the brand, which also offered test drives in its Ford Escape, Fusion and Focus cars as part of the event. The guests – a mix of bloggers and traditional media – were split up into pairs and given a Ford vehicle to drive from Vancouver to the lodge.
Michelle Lee-Gracey, Ford Canada’s manager of communications, explained the “Back to Basics” event series was inspired by the brand’s annual trend report by its “in-house futurist” Sheryl Connelly, head of global trends and futuring at Ford. Connelly identified escapism as a key trend for 2015.
According to the report, many consumers are looking for ways to disconnect from technology and Ford wanted to insert itself into that trend and show how its vehicles can assist consumers looking for an escape. For example, one feature the brand showcased to the bloggers was its “do not disturb” function on its Ford Sync system, which connects a driver’s car to the phone. Using the function, drivers can maintain the safety of being able to make 911 calls without accepting any other communications while they’re in the car.
The idea of escapism informed the back to basics theme of all four events, which took place in scenic, outdoor areas near Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. At the Vancouver event, Ford arranged for an artist to teach guests the art of totem pole carving, while guests at the Toronto event were taught the basics of canning and given outdoor survival tips by David Arama, a survivalist who starred in the Canadian TV series Survive This.
During the events, Ford also gave the bloggers tours of the features of all its cars and taught them the ‘basics’ of auto maintenance, like how to check oil and change a tire.
According to Lee-Gracey, the aim of the initiative was to gain earned media online — none of the bloggers were paid for their participation or given any direction for coverage. The guests were chosen based on their reach and the fit with the event, meaning, Lee-Gracey said, the brand was looking for adventurous bloggers. Once the guest list was confirmed for each event, she said the brand specially curated activities based on what might interest that group.
The event series was planned in collaboration with Ford’s PR agency of record, National PR.
Here are a few of the tweets from the events:
Heading to Harrison Hot Springs for a weekend of fly fishing #FordBacktoBasics pic.twitter.com/cz3OrKVHjk
— John Biehler (@JohnBiehler) February 28, 2015
Learning to check the oil + change a flat tire with #FordBackToBasics in my stylin new hat. #toque pic.twitter.com/AlKE6RCwra — Modern Mama (@modern_mama) February 28, 2015
Ready for a fun #FordBackToBasics weekend with a fun bunch of bloggers! Cc: @FordCanada #yvr #adventures pic.twitter.com/xPfCb1luPX
— Judy Hsu (@JudyYTHsu) February 28, 2015
A pictorial summary of my #FordBacktoBasics Weekend at #Tremblant via Flickr http://t.co/AdH5d5L2GP
— andrea tomkins (@missfish) February 6, 2015
Taking time to truly savour this morning’s cuppa. #FordBackToBasics pic.twitter.com/WT57C2aciM
— Paula Roy (@paulajroy) February 3, 2015
