Ford Plays Reality Card with ‘Focus Rally: America’

Ford has teamed up with Hulu and the creators of The Amazing Race to launch a new reality web series promoting the new 2012 Ford Focus. Focus Rally: America, produced by Betram van Munster and Elise Doganieri of The Amazing Race, will follow six teams of two competitors as they race across the country completing challenges. The series is currently in the midst of casting with a production start date scheduled in February.

“The technology available with the Focus will be demonstrated throughout the course of the rally,” Matt VanDyke, Ford’s Director of U.S. Marketing, told Variety. Ford has relied on web series to promote the Fiesta, and has integrated its products into traditional television shows like American Idol

, 24, and Desperate Housewives. Most recently, Ford backed the Seth Green 24-hour interactive reality web series ControlTV, which launched yesterday.

Hulu, who will no doubt promote Focus Rally: America as it has with reality web series If I Can Dream, will be the show’s main hub, but Ford also plans to partner with other distribution sites. The series will of course utilize Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, as well as the FocusRally.com site.

A $100,000 grand prize is at stake for the winning team, as well as 10 new Ford Focuses for fans.