Ford Uses Million Dollar Commercials To Promote Ultra Limited Edition GT

DETROIT January 22, 2004; Sharon Silke Carty writing for Dow Jones reported that Ford Motor Co. is launching a series of commercials during the Super Bowl touting the performance capabilities of its ultra-luxury sports car, the Ford GT.

Ford starts production on the GT, which will sell for $139,995, early this summer, and the cars won't need much help being sold. Dealers are already taking names of potential buyers, even though two-thirds of Ford's dealers still don't know if they will have one to sell.

Some dealers can earn the honor of selling the GT by winning a customer service satisfaction survey, and other GTs will go to the highest-volume dealers. The rest of the nearly 800 GTs that will be sold this year will go to dealers chosen from a "sophisticated" lottery system, according to Ford division President Steve Lyons.

"There isn't enough to go around," he told reporters at a conference announcing the GT commercial campaign Thursday. The company plans on making around 3,500 over the course of 2 1/2 years.

Which leads one to wonder why Ford is spending top dollar to advertise during the Super Bowl for a car few will be able to buy.

"The answer is - this car is a testament to the capabilities of Ford Motor Co.," said Rich Stoddart, Ford Division marketing communications manager. "This is a car no one else can build. It's the perfect car to launch 'The Year of the Car.'"

Ford is relying on an advertising strategy it developed this fall with the rollout of the newly redesigned F-series pickup truck. The company ran a few commercials before the launch of the football season, as well as during the season premiere of the television show "24" and then continued running the ads throughout the season.

Stoddart said viewers were able to recall the F-series ads at a higher rate than any other auto ad running at the time.

Ford expects to sell more than 912,000 F-series pickup trucks in 2004, reaching record levels for the brand.

The automaker has said that 2004 will be the year it shows it is again focusing on car production. Ford has spent much of the last 10 years focusing on its better-selling sport utility vehicles, such as the Ford Explorer, and pickup trucks, while its cars suffered.

In 2004, the company is launching the Ford 500, a newly redesigned Ford Mustang, the Freestar minivan and a crossover utility vehicle called the Freestyle.

Ford is running the commercials - one 30-second spot and a 60-second spot - during the pre-game Superbowl show. While CBS expects 130 million U.S. viewers during the game, Stoddart said studies have shown that interest in the game can wane by the second half.

"Attention usually builds until the moment of the kickoff," he said.

The GT commercial will be show again during the Ford Championship at Doral, which will be broadcast on NBC in March. It will also air during the American Idol finals, set for May on the Fox network.