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[01/02/2003] Ford says "Start Me Up!"

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The first musical notes millions of Americans will hear on Jan. 1, 2003, only seconds after "Auld Lang Syne" fades away, are the opening riffs of the Rolling Stones classic "Start Me Up" - the theme song for Ford Division''s first 2003 car, truck and SUV advertising blitz.

"''Start Me Up'' really gets your blood pumping," said Steve Lyons, Ford Division president. "We picked it to send the message that Ford''s back - with a vengeance."

Ford plans to debut a 30-second commercial featuring "Start Me Up" and the brand''s entire car, pickup truck and SUV line up as close to midnight as possible on NBC''s "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and other New Year''s Eve programming around the country. The Ford ads mark the first time "Start Me Up" has been licensed to an automotive company, and only the second time the song has been licensed for commercial use.

During the first two weeks of January, the spot also will air on every major college football bowl game, the NFL playoffs and on highly-rated prime-time television shows, including "NYPD Blue", "The Practice", "60 Minutes", and "The Simpsons".

All of the ads will feature bold visuals of Ford products, colorful graphics, messages about product features and the attractive consumer incentives available.

Six other versions of the ad are planned, and they will air regionally to support the full Ford product line, the company''s SUVs and pickups and individual Ford products, including Focus, Ranger and Taurus. Radio versions of the ads also will be produced.

The timing of the campaign also coincides with the North American International Auto Show in Detroit (Jan. 11 - 20), where Ford will unveil the all-new 2004 Ford F-Series pickup and the most aggressive line up of concept vehicles in the company''s history, and the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles (Jan. 4 - 12), where Ford will unveil its new Partial Zero Emissions (PZEV) 2003 Focus and two new Ford concepts vehicles.

"Ford Division has been on a roll in 2002 - we''ve steadily increased our retail market share on the strength of great new products like Escape, Explorer and Expedition, and we are going to keep the momentum going into 2003," Lyons said.

The Detroit office of J. Walter Thompson U.S.A., Inc. produced the ads. The cost of the campaign, including licensing fees, is not being disclosed.

The Rolling Stones - hailed as the "world''s greatest rock and roll band" by Rolling Stone magazine - first released "Start Me Up" as the opening track of their multi-platinum-selling 1981 album "Tattoo You." The song also is one of the featured tracks on the band''s latest release "Forty Licks," which is a digitally remastered compilation of music covering more than five decades of Rolling Stones hits.

SOURCE: Ford Motor Company

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[01/02/2003] Ford says "Start Me Up!" By: -

[01/02/2003] Ford says "Start Me Up!"

By: -