ST's Show Of 'Endurance'

These shots may look like extracts from extreme Japanese game show Endurance - and that's exactly what Ford wants you to think. Amazingly, the pictures are actually part of an Internet-based marketing campaign for the new Fiesta ST.

Auto Express Car Reviews

20th December 2004

The blue oval sent out 2,000 anonymous Emails to potential buyers, containing a spoof film of people performing wacky stunts in the back of the sporty supermini while being driven round a race track. In the first clip, a karaoke singer struggles to stay in tune, while the next sees a couple attempting to hold a tea party with disastrous consequences. The third - and most amusing - involves a high-speed dental procedure.

A Ford spokeswoman explained: "The idea is people find the clips funny and Email them on to like-minded friends. This type of 'viral' advertising is really cheap as we can target the right kind of customers for the product directly and they distribute the ad for us for free over the Internet."