Students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to turn a Ford test drive into a social media competition.

The Ford Focus Target Hunt will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday at the Convocation Center’s parking lot.

Participants will drive a 2012 Ford Focus around a short test track as they try to hit road markers to earn points which are recorded by the car’s lasers. Two in-car cameras will record a video showing the driver and vehicle.

“You will have the ability to put the video on social media sites,” said Corey Kravitz, president for NIU’s chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA). “You can compare it with friends and turn it into a competition if you want.”

Jordan St. Clair, director of information systems for NIU’s AMA chapter, said Ford will send each participant a link to its video.

Kravitz said over 400 people had registered for the free event as of Tuesday. Participants can register the day of the event and walk-ins are also accepted, Kravitz said. To register go to www.focustargethunt.com.

Ford asked NIU’s AMA chapter to sponsor the test drive event, which inspired AMA to network with local business like Enterprise Rent-A-Car, 1810 Sycamore Road and Toppers Pizza, 1015 W. Lincoln Highway,, St. Clair said.

“This event gave our members real-life event-planning and marketing experience,” Kravitz said.

Toppers Pizza will offer free food and there will be NIU T-shirt, sweatshirt and cup giveaways, St. Clair said.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car will have a free bus shuttle from Barsema Hall and The Holmes Student Center to the Convocation Center.