For many people, a road trip is the ultimate car-based vacation. The Focus Rally: America took the road trip concept and made it viral. People could join the event while sitting at home, interacting through social media to help the six teams of two in the cars make their way through the challenges in the rally. In fact, more than 30,000 followers at home joined in Focus Rally as a “Focus Follower” by supporting and assisting a team to complete tasks and challenges while covering more than 6,000 miles and 10 states.

Focus Rally: America is celebrating the conclusion of its live interactive road rally March 17, 2011, on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

“Focus Rally: America was the ultimate experience for both the teams and the people following the adventure at home,” said Jeff Eggen, Ford experiential marketing manager. “The fans tuning in at home got to take part in every bit of the action. Even with an under-12-hour turnaround, the Hulu episodes capture the essence of the program and the experiences of the teams on the road.”

Some of the challenges along the way included:

• End of Your Rope:The teams wrapped their adventure in Big Sur, Calif., where they participated in a high ropes course in a redwood forest. The challenge tested their physical and mental skills by having them answer questions about the rally throughout the course
• A Picture Is Worth 100 Rally Points:The teams headed to Navajo Bridge in Arizona, where they were walked out onto a suspended plank over the Colorado River to pick up puzzle pieces
• A Wing with a View: The teams visited Nevada where one team member stood on the wing of an airplane in flight, all while looking for a clue on the plane to help them answer a riddle on the ground

More than 8.1 million minutes of live-streaming video was viewed during Focus Rally: America, which amounts to 5,625 days of footage. The live video was streamed from inside each team’s Focus, capturing them in between challenges. Additionally, there were more than 300,000 episode views on Hulu, where episodes continue to live (www.Hulu.com/focusrally).

“We have been pleased with the depth of engagement from the people who became followers,” said Eggen. “It wasn’t simply about the size of the group but more important was how involved they were, in every part of the website. The real-time element of rally took social gaming to a whole new level.”

Throughout the experience, eight all-new Ford Focus vehicles were given away to followers. Several Focus Rally: America followers also won trips to check out some of the most unique challenges and to cheer on their chosen teams.

Tune into “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” March 17, 2011, to see the conclusion of Focus Rally: America.

Click here to visit the Ford Focus Facebook page and become a fan. This is where you will find the latest news and conversation about the all-new Ford Focus.