Car manufacturers Ford have teamed up with digital radio service Pandora to support national charities through sharing songs
. The advertising campaign allows Pandora visitors to use a social feature to share a mix-tape from playlists compiled by Jewel or John Legend. Every time a song is shared, both companies will make a donation to the artist's charity of choice.
Jewel's chosen charity is the National Breast Cancer Foundation while John Legend is choosing to support the Show Me Campaign, an organisation that promotes equal access to good education. The programme features radio station mix options and original video content.
This is not the first time Ford has worked alongside Pandora; earlier this year, the motor company integrated the radio service into its SYNC experience through AppLink, software that lets drivers access and control selected smartphone apps through voice command. The latest collaboration is part of a bigger trend at Ford to use a marketing strategy that engages digital content creators in telling the Ford Birmingham story.
Matt Van Dyke, director of Ford US marketing communications said, "By partnering with content creators, we're able to support niche programs that audiences truly enjoy. That helps Ford spend its marketing dollars more wisely, while creating user-advocates, rather than just bombarding potential customers with banner ads and 30-second spots."
Ford is also currently working with content creators such as Podtrac and Revision3 Internet TV to expand its strategy. The ultimate goal is to weave Ford products and services into the world of the viewers.