Ford Plans Fall Ad Blitz For F-150 And Super Duty

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Ford Motor Company Press Release

2007 Ford F150 Ford Plans Fall Ad Blutz For F-150 And Super Duty

Ford plans F-Series marketing blitz to leverage Toby Keith concert tour, NFL season and NASCAR “Chase for the Cup” as 30th anniversary of truck leadership approaches.
New TV ads carry F-Series leadership in design, capability, durability and loyalty to the widest-ever audience, including Asian-American, African-American and Hispanic consumers.
Ford expands four-year-old partnership with country music superstar Toby Keith as Keith begins his “Hookin’ Up and Hangin’ Out” concert tour and prepares for his big screen movie debut in the Paramount Pictures film, Broken Bridges, which opens Sept. 8.

DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 17, 2006 – The 2007 Ford F-150 and Super Duty pick up trucks will be fixtures on the football, racing and country music scenes this fall as the Ford brand launches an onslaught of new advertising and marketing initiatives to cement its 30th consecutive year as the full-size pick up truck leader.

Ford is scheduling a total of six truck ads – including new spots featuring Asian-American, African-American and Hispanic consumers – for heavy rotation during the NFL season, which kicks off on Sept. 7 and the NASCAR Nextel Cup “Chase for the Cup,” which begins Sept. 17. Ford trucks will also be prominently featured on-stage during country music superstar Toby Keith’s “Hookin Up and Hangin’ Out” concert tour, which began Aug. 11, and his newest venture co-starring with Kelly Preston and Burt Reynolds in the Paramount Classics and CMT Films release, Broken Bridges, which opens Sept. 8.

“We are playing offense with Ford Trucks,” says John Felice, Ford general marketing manager, Marketing, Sales and Service. “We created more Ford Truck ads targeted at more diverse audiences than ever to continue increasing leadership by solidifying our base and going after new customers.”

The new ads will build upon the Ford Bold Moves marketing communications platform and the foundation of Built Ford Tough – bold design, outstanding capability, unmatched durability and exceptional customer loyalty.

For example, several spots will showcase the fact that more Ford trucks have reached 250,000 than any other brand. Another Super Duty spot introduces the concept of “heroic toughness.” In addition, Ford has created unique ads to reach Hispanic, African-American and Asian-American consumers.

“The truck market is very diverse from a cultural standpoint but they all value the same attributes in their F-Series, and those are bold design, durability and capability,” says Felice.

“Ford Truck customers are the ‘go-to guys’ – they take action and do the right thing in everyday situations, and use their F-Series truck to get the job done,” says Brian Rathsburg, Ford Truck communications manager. “In ‘Tunnel’, the Super Duty customer is tested in a dramatic situation to demonstrate the extreme acts of helpfulness we call heroic toughness that can only be performed with F-Series Trucks.”

The new truck ads will leverage the Bold Moves platform and introduce several new themes that reinforce the Built Ford Tough brand positioning. For example, several new Ford Truck ads will showcase for the first time on television the F-Series’ leading number of high-mileage trucks – those with 250,000 miles or more – in service compared to any other brand.

For the first time ever, Ford will communicate truck messages across all media platforms and key audiences at the same time. This strategy is designed to expand Ford’s leading share in traditional truck segments while simultaneously expanding in Hispanic, African American and Asian segments where Ford also already leads in truck sales.

The ads include:

2007 F-150 “Vintage” : Highlighting the Ford Truck emphasis on family and good deeds, this ad includes Ford’s 250,000-mile truck leadership message. A proud, second-generation Ford truck customer locates a vintage Ford F100 truck, restores it and delivers it to his father’s home. Dad reflects that it looks like his old truck and his son replies, “Well, now it’s your new truck.”

2007 Super Duty – “Tunnel” : Introduces the idea of “heroic toughness.” A Super Duty driver demonstrates the truck’s best-in-class maximum tow rating by freeing a tractor-trailer that has become wedged in a tunnel and blocked an ambulance on an emergency run.

2007 F-150 – “Lee and Lee” : A Japanese father and son who own a landscaping business are featured. The father hands the keys to a “new” truck to his eager son who soon learns they’re not for the new 2007 F-150, but rather a still hard working1980’s-era F-150.

2007 F-150 – “Barbershop” : Set in an African-American neighborhood, an F-150 owner is the “go-to-guy” who helps restore the barbershop he has patronized since childhood.

Toby Keith Concert Tour – Began Aug. 11: F-Series will present superstar Toby Keith’s much-anticipated “Hookin’ Up and Hangin’ Out Tour” in the United States which began August 11 in Cleveland, with 60 tour dates planned. Ford Truck enters its fourth straight year sponsoring Keith in his wildly successful concerts, including the 2003 “Shock N’Y’All Tour” as well as the “Big Throwdown Tours” in 2004 and 2005. Ford’s tour sponsorship integration – including dramatic entrances and on-stage appearances that kick off each performance – is the product of creative collaboration between Keith and Ford.

Ford Truck also launched the new “Hang With Toby” website promotion at www.HangWithToby.com. One lucky entrant will win a 2007 Ford F-150 FX4 pickup and the opportunity to meet Toby Keith and appear in an upcoming video. In the Ford Truck tradition of offering once-in-a-lifetime experiences, the winner also will earn a spot in the actual video.

Paramount Pictures Broken Bridges Movie Trailers – Sept. 8: Toby Keith will cross entertainment mediums yet again when his new feature film, Broken Bridges co-starring Kelly Preston and Burt Reynolds, makes its theatrical release on Sept. 8. Ford trucks will again be paired with Keith, including truck product placements in the movie and the lead sponsorship of movie trailers in theaters now, in this Paramount Classics and CMT Films release.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With nearly 325,000 employees and 110 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include Ford Motor Credit Company and Hertz. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.fordvehicles.com.