If you own a 2010 Fusion or Fusion Hybrid, Ford wants to hear from you. Fusion 41 is an automotive relay race designed to build awareness and excitement around the Fusion. For enticement, the Fusion owner of the winning team will have their vehicle paid off, and team members will win free gas for one year.

Interested applicants must be passionate about their Fusion and have a compelling desire and ability to spread the word about it on social media sites. If we have your attention, click here to visit www.fusion41.com for more information and to apply.

The Fusion 41 program – named for the unsurpassed 41-mpg city fuel economy (EPA estiamte) that makes Fusion America’s most fuel-efficient midsize sedan, and the 41 participants – builds on the success of the “Drive One” advertising campaign, which focuses on actual customers experiencing new Ford vehicles and sharing their stories with others.  Click here to learn more about this campaign, and to see the latest videos produced for it. The Fusion 41 consumer story will come to life on the Internet, through social networking sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

How Fusion 41 works

Eight 2010 Fusion owners from throughout the country will be selected to participate in the Fusion 41 program. They will be chosen based on their passion for Fusion and their ability to share compelling information about the vehicle on the Internet.  Applicants must have a current Facebook profile with a minimum of 100 friends and an active photo collection.

Each of the eight Fusion owners will then choose four friends or family members to join their team, and each team will be given a 2010 Ford Fusion or Fusion Hybrid to drive in an automotive relay race. To complete the relay, each team member must fulfill an assigned task within 41 hours, tracking competitive variables such as miles driven, stops made or the number of passengers picked up.

The winning team will be chosen based on its ability to complete the activities and provide proof by uploading photos and videos to various social media sites, including Facebook.

The Fusion owner of the winning team will have their vehicle paid off, and team members will win free gas for one year.

“Fusion 41 is a fun way to engage customers and get them talking about the all-new 2010 Fusion,” said Jeff Eggen, Ford Car Experiential Marketing manager. “There’s no better way to spread the word about our new products than by putting them into the hands of prospective customers and enabling them to experience our vehicles firsthand.”

Owners of a 2010 Fusion or Fusion Hybrid who are interested in competing in Fusion 41 may apply at fusion41.com between now and November 6, 2009.

Ford fuels social media

Research shows that social media sites are increasingly one of the best ways to reach out to consumers. Prior to the development of the Fusion 41 program, Ford expanded its presence on Facebook with a new application for its “Fusion + Hybrid” profile called “You Speak Green” that lets visitors share their sustainable lifestyle suggestions.  Since its launch in mid-July, more than 104,000 Facebook users have downloaded the application to their profile pages and 15,000 have posted tips.

Another example of Ford’s groundbreaking social media outreach is its support of the Fiesta Movement campaign to promote the company’s sporty, savvy new small car through social media agents. Agent postings have garnered significant numbers on social media sites, including more than 4.8 million YouTube views (fiestamovement.com), more than 600,000 Flickr views and more than 3.2 million Twitter impressions. Click here to view Ford’s social media channels.