Ford to tout redesigned 2011 Explorer during Grammy Awards

Jamie LaReau
Automotive News -- February 10, 2011 - 2:32 pm ET

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Ford Motor Co. will air a 60-second TV spot starring hip-hop recording star Nelly during Sunday's Grammy Awards broadcast to show off the Explorer's new Sony audio system.

“The Grammys provide an opportunity to reach a broad audience with our message,” Matt VanDyke, Ford's director of U.S. marketing, said in a statement.

Ford bucked tradition with the Explorer in July when it unveiled the redesigned crossover on Facebook instead of at an auto show.

Since then, Ford has been interacting with consumers on Facebook and posting videos that feature engineers and several celebrities answering people's questions about the crossover. The Explorer has more than 138,000 Facebook fans.

One of the celebrity videos stars Nelly. It has been modified into a 60-second spot featuring the entertainer interacting with a TV director about the best way to tout the Explorer's sound system. The director wants to use a lot of theatrics, but Nelly wants to “keep it real,” Ford said. Nelly's new song, “Gone,” is playing as the two debate in the spot.

The Explorer will be featured in three other commercials during the Grammys that “lean heavily on music to tell the Explorer story,” Ford said.

Ford started building the redesigned 2011 Explorer in early December. Its price starts at $28,995, including shipping, or about $1,100 less than the outgoing model.

In January, Explorer sales rose 73 percent to 7,351 units compared with a year ago, despite lean inventory. At the end of February, Ford expects to have about 10,000 2011 Explorers on the ground.

Explorer sales peaked in 2000, when Ford sold 445,157. But sales have fallen steadily for a decade.


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Ford to tout redesigned 2011 Explorer during Grammy Awards

Ford to tout redesigned 2011 Explorer during Grammy Awards

FORD TO SHOWCASE ADS FOR ALL-

NEW EXPLORER DURING GRAMMY

AWARDS, INCLUDING UNIQUE SPOT

FEATURING NELLY

• Ford Explorer’s heavy presence during this Sunday’s 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards® will showcase the SUV’s reinvention to millions; the GRAMMY awards air Sunday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m. EST on CBS
• Ford will air three Explorer ads, including the premiere of a unique 60-second television commercial featuring hip hop recording artist Nelly and the Audio System from Sony in the new Ford Explorer
• All the ads lean heavily on music to tell the Explorer story; they are part of an integrated campaign designed to help people reconnect with Explorer and the shared adventures an SUV can deliver
• Since the July reveal of the reinvented Explorer, Ford has been engaging with consumers in one-on-one conversations on Facebook using text, videos and images; Nelly is one of a number of celebrities – including Bret Michaels, Snoop Dogg and professional pool player Jeanette Lee – who have appeared in Explorer Facebook videos

CHICAGO, Feb. 10, 2011 – Ford’s hot-selling Ford Explorer will make some waves during the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards this Sunday in a 60-second television spot that will feature hip hop recording artist Nelly and the Explorer’s new Audio System from Sony.

“The GRAMMY’s provide an opportunity to reach a broad audience with our message, and we want to make sure everyone knows about the new, totally reinvented Explorer,” said Matt VanDyke, Ford’s director of U.S. Marketing.

Since the launch of the reinvented 2011 Ford Explorer, Ford has been interacting with consumers on Facebook – more than 138,000 fans to date – posting videos featuring engineers and a variety of celebrities answering questions people have about the popular SUV.

One of those celebrity videos with Nelly has been modified into a 60-second television spot featuring Nelly interacting with a television director about the “best” way to tell people about the Explorer’s cool sound system. The director wants to use a lot of theatrics, and Nelly wants to keep it real. Nelly’s new song “Gone” is playing as the two go back and forth about which approach is best.

The unique ad featuring Nelly is one of three commercials that will run during the GRAMMY’s. Explorer also will be seen in three other ads that lean heavily on music to tell the Explorer story.

“We are always looking for relevant opportunities to get our messaging out there, and this really came together in an interesting and timely way for the GRAMMY’s,” said Eric Peterson, Explorer communications manager. “The GRAMMY’s are about music and personalities, and these ads fit in that setting.”

Nelly is one of a number of celebrities who have appeared in videos on Explorer’s Facebook page. Others include Bret Michaels, professional pool player Jeanette Lee, Snoop Dogg and reality stars from the History Channel television program Pawn Stars.

Ever since the new Explorer was revealed on Facebook last summer, Ford has been using Facebook as a forum to engage fans and prospective Explorer customers in one-on-one conversations using text, videos and images.

“The nature of social media changes so rapidly that you have to reinvent yourself every time you go to market,” said Peterson. “If your content is not engaging, informative and authentic, customers will tire of you quickly. They won’t wait for you, and they will go somewhere else.”

To learn more about the reinvented Ford Explorer and find out what consumers are saying about it, log on to www.ford.com/explorer or www.facebook.com/fordexplorer.

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Ken Block 's Ford Fiesta under the spotlight and the Monster World Rally...

Ken Block's New Ride

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8lSbpAHRnk&feature=player_embedded

FOCUS RALLY: AMERICA JUMP-STARTS THE ACTION TODAY IN MIAMI; SUPER BOWL PRE-KICK SHOW INVITES FANS TO JOIN

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 4, 2011 – Ford is taking its groundbreaking interactive road rally – Focus Rally: America, launching today in Miami – to one of the biggest stages in the world Sunday on the “Focus Rally: America Pre-Kick” at 6 p.m. EST on FOX, immediately preceding Super Bowl XLV.

“Raising consumer awareness about the new 2012 Focus via Focus Rally: America is our top priority right now,” said Matt VanDyke, Ford’s director of U.S. Marketing Communications. “That is why we jumped at the opportunity to get the Focus rally into the Super Bowl Pre-Kick show.”

Three unique spots will run during the show, including two for Focus Rally: America. A 30-second and 60-second ad will introduce the rally teams and will also offer a call to action for viewers to get engaged with the interactive social media program online at www.focusrally.com. A third ad during Pre-Kick will feature the Ford F-150 with the new EcoBoost^™ engine.

Ford’s unique approach to promoting this social media campaign is a top priority, and follows the special announcement on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last night, when the participating teams found out where their adventure would begin.

Viewers can join in the fun

During Focus Rally: America, teams will rely on friends, fans and followers to help complete challenges during the cross-country road rally. World Cup and Olympic gold medal winner Jonny Moseley will serve as the host of the show, which will run for five weeks.

Fans of Focus Rally: America can get involved in several ways. They can view the nightly video webisodes on www.Hulu.com beginning Saturday evening to see highlights of that day’s rally. At www.focusrally.com, they can follow the rally live and interact with rally teams while on the road. Additionally, they can join in the rally competition by registering as a supporter of one of the teams and then assisting that team to complete tasks and challenges throughout the rally.

These registered “virtual team members” will earn points through daily interaction on www.focusrally.com, with some fans being rewarded with experiences to join in the rally personally along the way, similar to the six that were chosen to head to Miami. Additionally, eight 2012 Ford Focus vehicleswill be awarded to fans and followers through the rally.

More than 10,000 people have already signed up to support their favorite team. Early data on these registered participants show that the program is drawing a diverse group of fans from both an age and geographic perspective. The top three markets generating followers are California, Illinois and New York.

Introducing the cast

Six teams will compete against each other to win the title of Focus Rally: America champion. The winning team will receive a grand prize of $100,000, and both team members will receive a new 2012 Ford Focus. The teams, named after the color of the Focus they will be driving, are:

• Team Ingot Silver: Jeff Nash, 29, and Margot Baill, 27, both from Chicago; dating. Margo is a product development manager and Jeff owns his own bar
  
• Team Yellow Blaze: Bryn Drescher, 33, originally from Essex, U.K., and Donna Ruko, 33, both now residing in Los Angeles; friends. Bryn is a life coach and Donna is a lounge host/supervisor
  
• Team Red Candy: Brittany Boddington, 25, from Northridge, Calif., and Matt Farah, 28, from Redondo Beach, Calif.; friends. Brittany is a writer, model and bartender and Matt is an automotive video host
  
• Team Blue Candy: Adam Lustick, 27, and Clayton Early, 28, both from Brooklyn, N.Y.; friends. Adam is a comedian and caterer and Clayton is a director of student affairs
  
• Team Black: Benjamin Kemp, 28, from Philadelphia, and Michael Pericolosi, 25, from Lumberton, N.J.; friends and band members. Benjamin is in marketing and event planning and Michael is a bartender and trainer
  
• Team Sterling Grey: John Jung, 28, and Carolyn Bee, 24, both from Seattle; co-workers. John and Carolyn are both advertising account managers

FORD INVESTS ADDITIONAL $1 MILLION TO SAVE TEEN LIVES, LAUNCHES NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL SAFE DRIVING TOUR

The Ford Motor Company Fund is investing another $1 million to fight the No. 1-killer of American teens, working with the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) to expand Ford’s free driving skills program to high schools in 15 states.

Starting this month, the Ford Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) National Tour takes free driving exercises, web-based training and materials on driving safety to 30 high schools nationwide to augment its community driving clinics and web-based training.

“Inexperience is the leading cause of crashes in young drivers, and this program delivers the key skill sets that will increase their knowledge, confidence and, ultimately, their safety,” said Sue Cischke, group vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “Ford is passionate about helping young drivers learn the rules of the road, better manage distractions behind the wheel and help make America’s roads safer for all of us.”

More than 3,000 teens, ages 15-19, are killed on American roads each year, according to government statistics.

Ford developed Driving Skills for Life in 2003 in partnership with GHSA, delivering one of the nation’s most comprehensive teen driver safety programs.

This year, the expanded Ford program will reach high schools in these market areas: Birmingham, Ala.; Little Rock, Ark.; Hartford, Conn.; Orlando and Tallahassee, Fla.; Atlanta; Shreveport, La.; Portland, Maine; Boston; Jackson, Miss.; Manchester, N.H.; Albany, N.Y.; Raleigh/Durham, N.C.; Providence, R.I.; Charleston, S.C.; and Burlington, Vt.

Ford DSFL builds young drivers’ skills in four key areas: driver distraction, speed space management and vehicle handling and hazard recognition. These four areas are contributors to more than 60 percent of teen crashes.

In addition to hands-on events, the program offers learning tools such as an interactive website (www.drivingskillsforlife.com) with learning modules, quizzes, car care and driving tip videos and games. Free educator packets are available for students, parents, educators and community organizations.

“This new commitment will bring Ford DSFL into many more communities. State highway safety offices will be able to use this program to complement ongoing laws and programs,” said GHSA Chairman Vernon F. Betkey Jr. “While teen driving safety is a key priority, too often our communities lack the resources to conduct these types of hands-on, high-tech trainings. We are grateful to Ford for helping fill these critical gaps.”

SYNC WITH MYFORD TOUCH LEADS FOUR TECHNOLOGIES FROM FORD NAMED AS FINALISTS FOR 2011 EDISON BEST NEW PRODUCT AWARDS

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 8, 2011 – Four of Ford Motor Company’s innovative new technologies that have helped draw new customers have now been named finalists by the internationally known 2011 Edison Best New Product Awards™.

Ford’s MyFord Touch, MyKey, SYNC AppLink and rear inflatable seat belts – each an industry-first innovation – are finalists in three categories honored by the Edison Awards.

MyFord Touch and SYNC AppLink are finalists in the Transportation – In-Car Driving Aids Category. MyKey is a finalist in the Transportation – Remote Driving Aids category. The rear inflatable seat belt system is a finalist in the Applied Technology category.

The distinguished awards symbolize the persistence and excellence personified by Thomas Alva Edison, inspiring America’s drive to remain in the forefront of innovation, creativity and ingenuity in the global economy.

“This year’s awards recognize a broad array of innovations including far-reaching products, services and technologies that impact daily life,” said Sarah Miller Caldicott, a great grandniece of Thomas Edison and Edison Awards Steering Committee chair.

“The awards applaud the forward-thinking innovations for which Thomas Edison remains internationally admired. It’s exciting to see companies like Ford continuing his legacy of challenging conventional thinking,” Caldicott said.

“We are pleased that four Ford technologies could win Edison Awards, which are well-respected achievements,” said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Global Product Development. “We see in Ford showrooms every day that our connectivity technologies such as SYNC and industry-first safety innovations such as MyKey are helping us win over more customers.”

Ford technologies being honored include:

• MyFord Touch – A simpler, safer and smarter way for drivers to interface with their car using voice commands to control the use of audio, climate control, navigation and phone
• MyKey – Allows parents to preset limits on vehicle speed and audio system volume levels. MyKey also will mute the audio system if front occupants do not buckle their seat belts
• SYNC AppLink – A free software program that gives SYNC users smarter, safer voice control of smartphone apps. The first SYNC-enabled apps are Pandora internet radio, Stitcher news radio and OpenBeak for Twitter
• Rear inflatable seat belts – The inflatable belts can spread impact forces across five times more area of the chest than conventional seat belts. This reduces pressure from crashes on the chest while helping to control head and neck motion

The ballot of nominees for the Edison Best New Product Awards is judged by roughly 2,000 members of the not-for-profit Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG), an organization comprising America’s top marketing professionals and academics. In a comprehensive peer-review process, the nominees are judged on marketplace innovation, marketplace success, technological innovation, market structure innovation, societal impact and design innovation.

Winners of the gold, silver and bronze awards will be announced April 5 at the historic Capitale ballroom in New York. In addition to announcing this year’s Best New Product Awards recipients, the evening will feature the presentation of the prestigious Edison Achievement Award to Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford Motor Company, and to John Hendricks, founder and chairman of Discovery Communications, who both have made a significant and lasting contribution to innovation throughout their careers.

The Edison Awards Steering Committee is comprised of senior executives with diverse marketing, scientific and business backgrounds who monitor the development and successful launch of innovative products each year. The committee is responsible for bestowing the annual Edison Achievement Awards and serves as a guidepost in developing the list of nominees that is presented to the Edison Best New Product Awards judges.

The 2011 Edison Awards are sponsored by The Nielsen Company, Discovery Channel, Science Channel, Spencer Trask and Bzz Agent. The Edison Awards are granted under the aegis of the Thomas A. Edison Papers at Rutgers University, a globally recognized research network dedicated to the study of innovation and its application in the 21 century. For more information about the Edison Awards finalists, please visitwww.edisonawards.com.

Ford Explorer Terrain Management System

FORD EXPLORER USES TEETER-TOTTER TO DEMONSTRATE TERRAIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN WINDY CITy

The Ford Explorer ride experience at the Chicago Auto Show takes the simple concept of a playground teeter-totter and transforms it into an exciting and compelling demonstration of Explorer’s exclusive Terrain Management System™.

The footprint of the teeter-totter ride experience at the Chicago Auto Show is approximately 5,000 square feet. Operated by a professional driver, with show-goers as passengers, the Explorer starts out driving through sand to demonstrate how it easily handles loose surfaces before beginning to ascend the teeter-totter ramp.

The teeter-totter itself, taking two full weeks to construct within the Ford exhibit, is a steel structure 30 feet long and standing four feet tall. This dramatic demonstration will provide a memorable experience for riders and onlookers alike, as the vehicle drives up the ramp at an angle approaching 22 degrees. Onboard passengers will be gazing at the ceiling as Explorer continues its steep ascent.

Once at the teeter-totter’s apex, Explorer will begin to descend the ramp. This is where the Terrain Management System’s Hill Descent Control™ activates to control speed and slippage, simulating the capability, control and driver confidence the all-new Explorer enables when drivers encounter steep downhill grades.

Explorer’s Intelligent 4WD with Terrain Management eliminates guesswork by employing simple icons to help determine the appropriate setting. All a driver needs to do is turn the dial to match the system to actual driving conditions, choosing between snow, sand, mud, hill descent and normal settings. The system then adjusts engine and transmission behavior, shift schedules and braking force to increase driver confidence and control.

Intelligent 4WD with Terrain Management allows the vehicle to deliver the “any road, anytime” capabilities SUV buyers expect, while eliminating weight. Less mass helps the all-new Explorer to deliver up to 30 percent better fuel economy than the previous model.

Ford invites visitors to enjoy the Explorer ride experience at the Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place, Feb. 11-20. The all-new Ford Explorer is assembled at the company’s Chicago manufacturing plant.