Ford Explores Widget Advertising

Ford is getting into the widget advertising game, as starting next week the company is planning to run “grab-able” ads on AOL promoting the Sync voice interface system in its Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles. The automaker tapped Interpolls to create the widgets, which include rich media features like video advertisements and a link to download songs from Ford’s Web site. The widget is part of a larger advertising campaign Ford is running with AOL for the Sync feature, along with television, radio and print ads.

The widget is being distributed like a rich media ad via an ad server, but it can also be copied and embedded in an individual’s Web page or social network page like Facebook or MySpace. As Sync is a Microsoft powered voice activation system, the idea of sharing widgets should actually appeal to the more tech minded consumers using AOL, said Peter Kim, president of Interpolls.

“They are probably more likely the types that will know how to grab a widget for their page,” he said. “If you happen to own a Sync product in your car, and you like it, you grab this and put it on your MySpace page.”