Ford Of Britain 100: Image Of The Week - 23/52

BRENTWOOD, UNITED KINGDOM – June 8, 2011: To celebrate the centenary of Ford of Britain in 2011 the company is exploring its photo archive to reveal rarely seen images.

Ford's unique relationship with Britain and its society will be illustrated each week by specially selected pictures.

There was a time when car advertisements consisted of an image of the product, a price and, if you had room, a few details. This week's image illustrates the simplicity of 1930s marketing. Ford advertising emphasised affordability. And never was that more true than in 1935 when Ford became the only manufacturer to offer a full-size four-seater saloon for just £100. Overnight a new Ford car came within the reach of many people and the £100 Model Y is credited with helping to turn the fortunes of Ford Dagenham, which had opened in 1931.

As vehicle design has advanced so has the marketing. Imagination and creativity ensure Ford's products are at the forefront of consideration by prospective customers. For the launch of the 2008 Ford Focus, the UK's best-selling car at the time, traditional advertising was complemented by an orchestra playing instruments created from genuine Ford Focus components.

The advance of the internet and social media invites greater ingenuity and has seen the Ford Explorer being launched via FaceBook and Doug, the Ford spokespuppet, taking to the airwaves via YouTube