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Ford, UniWorld and FunkMaster Flex join forces on '06 Fusion campaign

(November 2, 2005) Ford Motor Co. has joined the growing number of automakers that are forging alliances with hip-hop culture icons to make inroads with African-American consumers. The company unveiled the product of its new partnership with DJ and guru of urban car culture, FunkMaster Flex at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas this week.

His latest vehicle creation is an urban street version of the all new 2006 Ford Fusion. The Flex Fusion was designed specifically to be the centerpiece of a new campaign targeting urban youth. "From the first time I saw the Fusion at Ford's design studios, I liked what I saw, the car looked hot," said FunkMaster Flex. "Being selected as the first customizer to work with an all-new nameplate for Ford was extra special for me."

When FunkMaster Flex became a spokesperson for the Ford brand in May 2005, he had a strong desire to know what the company was doing with the Ford 427 concept car, which was a runaway hit of the 2003 North American International Auto Show.

When he learned that the 427 design characteristics were being implemented into an all-new mid-size sedan, the Ford Fusion, he began making requests to Ford's marketing team to become the first custom builder to modify the all-new sedan.

On July 30th, Flex revealed his first custom 2006 Ford Fusion at his Custom Car and Bike Show in Boston , Mass. It proved to be a popular attraction with show goers as crowds gathered to register to win the car. The car continued to travel with Flex's show tour throughout the summer. To date, the sweepstakes has garnered more than 12,000 entries.

The new Flex Fusion debut at the SEMA Show appeared along side the launch of the "Grown and Sexy" website which features his first online video game, the Flex Fusion Nightclub game.

The Flex Fusion Night Club video game was created to be an integral part of Ford's new Fusion online web destination, www.grownandsexy.com. The concept of "Grown and Sexy" is an urban African-American expression of the Fusion's general market marketing campaign "Life in Drive".

The Web site and the complete "Grown and Sexy" marketing campaign were created by Ford's African-American agency, the Uniworld Group and launched on Oct. 31. The site goes beyond a traditional vehicle launch campaign by serving as a permanent online content portal for the Ford Fusion with content targeted to African-American buyers.

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Click here for free delivery of the Target Market News Bulletin You'll receive news of breaking stories, exclusives, updates and headlines on the latest developments in African American marketing and media Black Stats Frequently requested data on African American consumers Black Buying Power: $679 Billion (2004) Black U.S. Population: 38.3 million Top Five Black Cities - New York - Chicago - Detroit - Philadelphia - Houston Top Five Black Metros: - New York-New Jersey - Washington-Baltimore - Chicago-Gary - Los Angeles - Philadelphia Top Five Expenditures: - Housing 110.2 bil. - Food 53.8 bil. - Cars/Trucks 28.7 bil. - Clothing 22.0 bil. - Health Care 17.9 bil. Click here for more stats from "The Buying Power of Black America." ______________________ Get quick access to key U.S. Census Bureau Data Click here to go to African-American Census Bureau data _____________________ Copyright `© 2005 by Target Market News Inc.` All rights reserved Business address: 228 S. Wabash Ave. Suite 210 Chicago, IL 60604 t. 312-408-1881 f. 312-408-1867 info@targetmarketnews.com	THE LATEST NEWS Ford, UniWorld and FunkMaster Flex join forces on '06 Fusion campaign (November 2, 2005) Ford Motor Co. has joined the growing number of automakers that are forging alliances with hip-hop culture icons to make inroads with African-American consumers. The company unveiled the product of its new partnership with DJ and guru of urban car culture, FunkMaster Flex at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas this week. His latest vehicle creation is an urban street version of the all new 2006 Ford Fusion. The Flex Fusion was designed specifically to be the centerpiece of a new campaign targeting urban youth. "From the first time I saw the Fusion at Ford's design studios, I liked what I saw, the car looked hot," said FunkMaster Flex. "Being selected as the first customizer to work with an all-new nameplate for Ford was extra special for me." When FunkMaster Flex became a spokesperson for the Ford brand in May 2005, he had a strong desire to know what the company was doing with the Ford 427 concept car, which was a runaway hit of the 2003 North American International Auto Show. When he learned that the 427 design characteristics were being implemented into an all-new mid-size sedan, the Ford Fusion, he began making requests to Ford's marketing team to become the first custom builder to modify the all-new sedan. On July 30th, Flex revealed his first custom 2006 Ford Fusion at his Custom Car and Bike Show in Boston , Mass. It proved to be a popular attraction with show goers as crowds gathered to register to win the car. The car continued to travel with Flex's show tour throughout the summer. To date, the sweepstakes has garnered more than 12,000 entries. The new Flex Fusion debut at the SEMA Show appeared along side the launch of the "Grown and Sexy" website which features his first online video game, the Flex Fusion Nightclub game. The Flex Fusion Night Club video game was created to be an integral part of Ford's new Fusion online web destination, www.grownandsexy.com. The concept of "Grown and Sexy" is an urban African-American expression of the Fusion's general market marketing campaign "Life in Drive". The Web site and the complete "Grown and Sexy" marketing campaign were created by Ford's African-American agency, the Uniworld Group and launched on Oct. 31. The site goes beyond a traditional vehicle launch campaign by serving as a permanent online content portal for the Ford Fusion with content targeted to African-American buyers. Go to Target Market News homepage	ONLY 3 WEEKS AWAY! Target Market News Presents The 2005 African- American Magazine Summit November 15th, 2005 Time Warner Inc. 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