Ford Escape Routes Competition expands use of Social Media & Gaming. Ford is looking for a few

Ford is looking for a few dynamic, fun-loving individuals ready to compete in real-world challenges with the help of online followers – all while experiencing the all-new Ford Escape. Having no idea where the Escape will take them, the two-person teams will use their ingenuity and creativity to reach their goal and spread the word about their adventures. Ford kicked off Escape Routes in Los Angeles with actress Jenny McCarthy competing against the entire country in the world’s largest “Words With Friends” game. Ford partnered with Zynga, the world’s largest social game developer, to reveal the Escape through social gaming. Escape Routes is a new online, interactive reality series featuring the all-new Ford Escape that will continue into 2012.

“Escape Routes takes the success of Ford’s previous social engagement programs – Fiesta Movement and Focus Rally America – and overlays a new, innovative way to utilize social gaming in the real world,” said Matt VanDyke, director, U.S. Marketing Communications for Ford. “This makes Escape Routes the first program to recognize participants’ social influence as part of the game.” Ford and Zynga, the maker of Words With Friends and the world’s largest social game developer, collaborated to reveal the all-new Escape in a novel integration of social platforms and mobile gaming. The use of mobile devices has grown, with nearly 33 percent of Americans owning smartphones and one out of three mobile phone users playing mobile games on their devices.