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SAN FRANCISCO — Usually, revamped or new models are unveiled at auto shows and industry events, but Ford went against the grain recently for one of its vehicles and it paid off in the form of major online traction, according to Jumpstart Automotive Group.

The 2011 model-year Ford Explorer was introduced via Facebook on July 26, and on that day the traffic for Explorer pages in Jumpstart's network of websites climbed 104 percent from what the daily average had been during the month.

The surge kept going the rest of that week. Traffic for Explorer pages on July 27 was up 66 percent from the month average, and on July 28 it was 25 percent higher than the July average. The following two days saw improvements of 13 percent and 8 percent, respectively, compared to the month's daily rate.

In addition to the traffic spike for the vehicle throughout Jumpstart's sites, July 26 saw a 52-percent hike in the proportion of SUV shoppers on the company's sites checking out the Explorer.

"Ford took its digital media prowess to another level when it unveiled the Explorer on Facebook — a first for any vehicle reveal," stated Joe Kyriakoza, Jumpstart's vice president of marketing communications.

"Not only did the campaign demonstrate Ford's confidence in social media to get its message across, it proved extremely successful in encouraging a high volume of in-market shoppers to consider Explorer," he continued.

Kyriakoza went on to add that the Explorer had a smaller SUV shopping share than did the newly launched redesigned 2011 Jeep Cherokee during most of July. However, once the Explorer was introduced on Facebook, it led all SUVs for the rest of the month.

Interestingly enough, the Facebook launch proved to be more effective at generating shopping growth on Jumpstart sites than what auto advertisers gained from the most recent Super Bowl's ads, officials said. Jumpstart found that auto advertisers, on average, saw a 14-percent lift after professional football's biggest game, which didn't even represent a third of the gain the Explorer joined thanks to Facebook.

"While it's unclear what Ford paid for the Facebook reveal, I'm confident it was nowhere near the cost of even one $2.5 million Super Bowl commercial," Kyriakoza commented.

"Ford's campaign clearly demonstrates that while traditional media can be highly effective in driving consideration, a well-executed and deeply influential online program can shift car shopping intent with immediacy and efficacy," he concluded.