Friday, May 24, 2013

a few FiestaMovement refelctions

A few people are now announcing that they have been selected in the last group of 50 agents and our name not yet called, or interviewed, it appears we haven’t made the cut for the new and improved FiestaMovement. Obviously when all of the names are posted, and if indeed our team is missing, we will be saddened to not once again take to the roads in a Fiesta (or even the FiestaST!)

Our time with the first FiestaMovement was fantastic. We not only had a wonderful experience with missions and adventures but with meeting new people and friends. What a great opportunity it was to see the amazing things all over our country. To us, this is what will last long after even this Movement ends. Naturally we felt we contributed greatly to the FM and wanted to showcase our skills once again. However, we are not YouTube celebs, nor are we internet superstars. We are hard working, dedicated ‘civilians’ of the American way. I think our adventures and contributions from the first FM showed that the common person could compete with the so-called superstars and web celebs. FollowtheFiesta was one of a handful of teams/agents that was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, one of a few that made the Fiesta dealer brochure, and one of a few selected to have a winning mission video. We always pushed ourselves with new adventures, like our trip to the Las Vegas Speedway, a self-created mission, and of course our trip to touch all 48 states with the Fiesta in a single month. Not only did we create strong content, but we also cared about the realities of the car. What’s the biggest concern to those buying a car? To us, gas mileage was a huge one. So, for 90+ fill-ups we tracked the gas mileage on Fuelly. Actually, we still continue to this day tracking gas mileage in both my Ford Escape, and Emma’s Honda CRV. We would have loved a chance to compare the two models and to see how this car could stack up in the long run. I think what America wants to see is how a car will hold up over time, how it will maintain it's re-sale value, does it live up to the specs of what the manufacturers claim?

When we turned in our car, Vortex, we rolled into the hotel (a second time) with exactly 25,000 miles. It was a bittersweet moment. And years later, we discussed the pros and cons of even auditioning for this new FM after receiving the invitation from Mission Control. A decision we did not take lightly. We understood the time commitment, the hard work, and the dedication needed to be successful with something like this. Of course, success is rated by your own standards and we constantly push ourselves. Both Emma and I believe that if you are going to do something and put your name on a project you must do it as well as you can. Don’t get me wrong…it was a blast and we wouldn’t trade our time with the Fiesta, Mission Control, or Ford -- it was a huge time commitment, and one we were willing to make again.

It will be hard to follow the excitement and energy of the new agents as they travel the country to go on missions that we wish we were on. And, if our name is not in the final list of the 100 we wish each and everyone of them great success in the program. It will be an adventure you will never forget. Good luck to everyone on your, trainings, adventures, and your missions.

We hope to see you on the road!

 -Brad (and Emma ☺)