• by Masha Geller , April 8, 2003

Last week, Ford Motor Co. launched a national centennial ad campaign that focuses on the historical significance of the company's most popular vehicles. The campaign includes TV, print, outdoor and digital elements, all of which tout the automaker's iconic models, such as the Mustang and Thunderbird.

What's interesting about the campaign is the strength of the online component. The centennial theme is carried onto www.fordvehicles.com using flash headers, centennial-edition vehicle images and links to related product specifications, pricing, merchandise and news. Banners will appear on various third party sites as well.

It's no wonder Ford is paying so much attention to the web. According to comScore's automotive website usage data, General Motors leads the auto site pack with 5.7 million unique visitors and Ford holds the number two ranking, with 4.2 million visitors. What's more, comScore Networks on Tuesday released an analysis of February automotive website usage among the fast-growing U.S. Hispanic population and Ford earned the top ranking among major automotive manufacturers based on U.S. Hispanic visitors. According to comScore, in February 2003, more than 1.2 million Hispanics -- fully 10% of the online Hispanic population -- visited at least one automotive manufacturer site.

Auto sites are hugely popular and it's only logical that the Big 3 (Ford, GM and Daimler Chrysler) take advantage of that, especially in this age of slumping sales and increasing competition from imports.

Reportedly, the "Big 3" automakers are continuing to lose share in light vehicle sales, dropping from 62% last year to 60% as of February 2003. Import sales have increased from 19% in 2002 to 22%.