Mercury Debuts 'Meet The Lucky Ones' Unprecedented Interactive Website Experience With An Independent Film Flair

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 1, 2004 -- Today, Mercury debuts "Meet The Lucky Ones," an interactive website experience (meettheluckyones.com) that extends the storytelling potential of the web in unprecedented ways. As the latest expression of Mercury's New Doors Opened marketing campaign, "Meet The Lucky Ones" is further evidence of Mercury's pursuit of new ways to connect with consumers and is one of the leading innovations on the recently re-launched Mercury website, mercuryvehicles.com.

"Meet The Lucky Ones" is a story written and produced with an independent film sensibility about the often-comic misadventures of a quirky, slightly dysfunctional family. The story unfolds over a five-week period and is expressed via an interlocking combination of Internet-delivered short films, coupled with interactive elements that reveal significantly more details about the characters and the plot than you get from the films themselves.

"Meet The Lucky Ones" is a breakthrough undertaking for Mercury -- a major automotive brand -- because vehicles are not the main focus of the project. "Meet The Lucky Ones" will appeal to a wide range of consumers, especially those enamored of character-driven material, such as "Six Feet Under" and the new ABC smash hit, "Desperate Housewives."

Mercury's perseverance in reaching its target audience is illustrated with today's strategic placement on Yahoo's premiere advertising position over the "In the News" summary -- a pivotal news day, twenty-four hours before the presidential election. A Mariner sweepstakes will be a further incentive to stimulate and sustain interest in the series.

"Meet The Lucky Ones" was created to make a statement to a group of primarily younger consumers by virtue of commissioning and presenting content such as this, with the goal being an immediate impact on how these prospective car buyers perceive Mercury. With more than two thirds of new car purchases researched on the Internet, Mercury understands this is an essential channel to communicate with its target consumers.

"The project will be backed by a significant online campaign aimed at generating millions of impressions and driving traffic to the 'Meet The Lucky Ones' site," said John Fitzpatrick, Lincoln Mercury general marketing manager. "We have dedicated nearly 25 percent of the New Doors Opened total marketing communications budget to digital and customer relationship events, which is a substantial commitment when compared to prior launches."

Mercury's recently re-launched website, mercuryvehicles.com, centers on the sense of discovery and treats viewers to a journey of exploration and story telling. The site includes virtual 3D tours and video demonstrations of the new 2005 Mercury Mariner and Montego as well as a Mercury Montego "Capacity Challenge" web game and a desktop application highlighting Mercury's 66-year-old history. In addition, four "experiential modules" will also be created for Mariner, Montego, Mountaineer and Monterey. In much the same spirit as "Meet The Lucky Ones," these experientials will be an engaging and powerful way to communicate product innovations and strengthen brand image with consumers.

Entertainment Industry Notables Take on the Automotive World

For the New Doors Opened campaign, Mercury formed collaborative relationships with best-in-class creative talents from the entertainment industry to bring a new point of view to automotive consumers. Grammy winners, artist Paula Cole and producer Don Was were given creative freedom in crafting the musical component of the recently released New Doors Opened ads.

For this ambitious project, "Meet The Lucky Ones," Mercury and its agency, Wunderman Detroit, again turned to entertainment industry innovators. Creator Kirt Gunn brought together a team of top talent, including: Director, Derek Cianfrance -- 2003 Sundance Film Festival Award Winner for Best Cinematography, Quattro Noza; Executive Producers Jon Kamen and Greg Schultz of @radical media -- Producer of the 2004 Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary Feature, Fog of War and of Fade to Black; Writer, Ed Herbstman -- Da Ali G Show, Creative Consultants, Mother New York, and Musical Composer, Stephin Merritt -- The Magnetic Fields.

To meet the creative forces behind "Meet The Lucky Ones" and take an in- depth tour of the series, journalists are invited to join a Web conference at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 4 for a discussion about the consumer reaction thus far to this ambitious project.

   The dial-in phone number is:  800-367-3840
   The telephone passcode is: 8312 6112
   The URL to log onto the Web conference is:
    http://btconferencing.webex.com/
   The meeting ID for the Web conference is: 7362 72911

  About Mercury

Mercury is a brand of the Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., which manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With more than 328,000 employees worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive- related services include Ford Credit, Quality Care and Hertz. Ford Motor Company celebrated its 100th anniversary on June 16, 2003.

Go to http://media.ford.com/ for news releases and high-resolution photographs.