Bold Moves is a GO!

Ford taps two-time Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson to launch a new marketing campaign that puts consumers at the center of all Ford-brand advertising

IRVINE, CA - May 4, 2006: Ford Motor Company used FOX-TV's popular "American Idol," television show to launch "Bold Moves," a new marketing communications platform that will showcase Ford products, customers and employees making bold moves in their lives.

"At the center of Bold Moves are the choices people make every day about how to live their lives – that's what drives the action," says Cisco Codina, group vice president, North America Marketing, Sales and Service.

"What you will see is very original in execution, but very Ford at its heart," adds Mark Fields, Ford Motor Company executive vice president and president, The Americas. "It starts to fulfill the promise we made in January, as part of our Way Forward plan, to think like our customers and see the world through their eyes."

The Way Forward plan, which was unveiled in January, is Ford's roadmap for transforming its business in North America and restoring it to profitability no later than 2008. It includes a huge investment in clarifying the brand identities of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury to better connect with customers.

The research that underpins Bold Moves began in the winter of 2005 and was described by Fields in remarks at the 2006 Los Angeles International Auto Show:

"When we started out on our 'Way Forward' plan, our first step was a reassessment of what people think of us today. What are our weaknesses? What are our strengths? Our research confirmed for us what we knew in our hearts. Ford's strength and identity are defined by three words: bold ... American ... and innovative. Yes, we are a global company. And we proudly sell premium brands like Volvo and Jaguar. But Ford is best in this market when our cars and trucks embody the American spirit."

Bold Moves Ford's Bold Moves initiative will cover both the brand and individual Ford nameplates, and it will provide a new, common creative platform for Internet, broadcast and print advertising at the national, regional and local level.

"It's not business as usual at Ford, and we're playing to win with bold products like the F-Series, the Fusion and the Edge," says Al Giombetti, president, Ford and Lincoln Mercury marketing and sales, and vice president, Ford Motor Company. "Bold Moves underscores those points but says to customers, 'this is about you – not us.' "

"Bold Moves is so much more than a tag line change," says George Rogers, president and CEO of JWT Detroit, which developed the campaign. "It's a new way of thinking at Ford that delivers marketing actions and more brand and customer focus."

Key elements of the Bold Moves launch include:

The Bold Moves Anthem – Bold Moves debuted in a 60-second commercial on "American Idol" featuring people in real life situations that require a bold move. The scenes range from a teenager getting his driver's license to a woman with breast cancer entering the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's Race for the Cure® – a cause Ford has long supported. The song "Go," newly-recorded by two-time Grammy®-winning RCA Records recording artist Kelly Clarkson, provides the musical backdrop.

Bold Product Commercials – Throughout the year, Ford will use high profile television properties, including "American Ido,l" NASCAR Nextel Cup racing, "Monday Night Football" and the "Bowl Championship Series," to air 30- and 60-second commercials for individual products ranging from the Ford Escape to the Ford Fusion that all will feature customers making bold moves in their lives. These will be integrated with print and digital executions. All national Ford product-marketing programs will embrace the Bold Moves creative concept with tailored broadcast and print executions designed for dealer use at the regional and local level. Bold Moves marketing plans are in development for all-new Ford products launching this year, including the 2007 Ford Shelby GT500, the 2007 Ford Fusion with all-wheel drive, the 2007 Ford Expedition and Expedition EL and the 2007 Ford Edge.

Kelly Clarkson Summer Tour – Ford will be the exclusive automotive sponsor of Clarkson's 24-city summer concert tour, which begins in West Palm Beach, Fla., on June 30. At each stop on the tour, a fan will win a new Ford.

Warriors in Pink – Ford has long supported the Susan G. Komen Foundation's Race for the Cure, which benefits breast cancer research, and plans to step up support to increase visibility of the cause. For example, a portion of tickets sold for Kelly Clarkson's summer concert tour will be donated to Ford's Warriors in Pink effort supporting the Susan G. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure.

Bold Moves: The Documentary – Ford is developing an online documentary series that will chronicle the inside-workings of the automaker as it designs, engineers and brings to market new designs to fuel the turnaround in the company's North American automotive business. Viewers can see a new 2-3 minute video each week beginning this summer that will take them behind the scenes of important decisions and events at Ford as they occur. The URL of the Website that will host the vignettes will be announced later.

Original TV Programming – Ford will develop and produce a new reality-driven TV series. The series could provide a behind-the-scenes view of anything from the design of a concept car to the development of a new high performance Mustang, with unlimited opportunities for everyday customers to participate at one level or another.