Mercury Struts Onto Catwalk, Taps Silver Screen to Introduce Nuevo Latinos to Mariner and Milan

Mercury Struts Onto Catwalk, Taps Silver Screen to Introduce Nuevo Latinos to Mariner and Milan

* Mercury-sponsored Miami Fashion Week(R) debuts a customized one-of-a- kind 2006 Mercury Milan Voga, to be auctioned to benefit MANA, A National Latina Organization. * Mercury-sponsored 'Solamente Salma' art exhibition is on display until June 18 in San Antonio, featuring a series of paintings of actress Salma Hayek by renowned film director Robert Rodriguez and accomplished muralist George Yepes. * Mercury-sponsored AOL Latino Short Film Festival includes a campaign designed to discover and showcase up-and-coming Hispanic filmmakers. * Mercury Milan sales to Hispanic buyers are growing twice as fast as overall mid-size sedan sales to this group of customers. * Miami Auto Show to host world debut of 2008 Mercury Mariner and Mariner Hybrid in October 2006.

MIAMI, May 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Style-savvy Hispanic consumers looking to express their individuality are learning there's much to discover in today's Mercury brand. As sophisticated, hot-selling products like the Mariner SUV and new Milan sedan continue to build momentum, Mercury is connecting with Hispanic consumers by leveraging two core "passion points" for the Nuevo Latino consumer: fashion and film.

"Mercury is bringing a distinct voice into the Hispanic marketplace and introducing great new products that offer a smart, sophisticated alternative to the competition," said Cisco Codina, Ford Motor Company vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service.

Great Products Building Momentum

The Mariner and Milan have helped introduce a new generation of consumers -- including Hispanic buyers -- to Mercury. Nearly fifty percent of Mariner customers are new to the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands. Milan continues the trend, attracting more than 40 percent conquest sales. Additionally, nearly half of Milan's customers are female. Consistent with its general market advertising, Mercury's Spanish-language ads for each of these products emphasize style.

To debut the new Milan to Hispanic consumers in Miami, San Antonio and Los Angeles last fall, Mercury visited venues such as nightclubs and outdoor malls -- both very popular with this consumer base -- in two-day "invasions," offering complimentary treats as part of a program called "Mercury Milan Hace la Diferencia" ("Mercury Milan Makes the Difference").

Among Hispanic consumers, Milan is now Mercury's top-selling car. Mercury Milan sales to Hispanic buyers are growing twice as fast as overall mid-size sedan sales to this group of customers.

Mariner also continues to be a top Mercury seller among Latino buyers. The all-new 2008 version of this popular premium SUV will make its world premiere at the 2006 Miami Auto Show.

Mucho Por Descubrir

As the fastest growing segment of the U.S., Hispanics also are among the top tastemakers and trendsetters in the marketplace. Nuevo Latinos and Latinas -- 18 to 49-year-old, upwardly mobile, image-conscious consumers -- express their distinctive bicultural identities through every aspect of their lives. More individualistic than their parents, these Hispanic consumers are motivated by the discovery of new and better ideas.

"Our involvement with fashion and film brings Mercury into the lifestyle of Hispanic consumers who appreciate new discoveries," said Mercury Brand Manager Kim Irwin. "As they learn about our brand, they find that getting behind the wheel of a Mariner or Milan offers another great way for them to express their own personal style -- just like they do through their clothes, music, art and other aspects of their lives."

As more Hispanics go online to seek out the latest trends in fashion, technology and music, Mercury is harnessing the explosive growth of the Internet to connect with this hip young audience. Nearly 3.7 million unique Hispanic visitors browsed retail apparel sites in February 2006 -- a 16 percent increase over last year, according to Web monitoring experts comScore Media Metrix. This season, top online style destinations Terra.com and PlanetaTV will feature stylish Mercury products alongside the latest in fashion news.

Miami Fashion Week(R)

Mercury is the official automotive sponsor of the 8th annual Miami Fashion Week. The premier fashion event brings top designers from Latin America to Florida to preview their spring 2007 collections. Mercury's sponsorship includes hosting tonight's kick-off event and fashion show with Harper's Bazaar en Espanol at The Fifth in South Beach.

Mercury also has teamed with Terra.com to sponsor the official website for Miami Fashion Week. Fashion fans can visit http://www.terra.com/mujer/miamifashionweek2006/ for a close-up look at the week's events. The event runs from May 6 through May 9.

Miami Fashion Week marks the debut of a customized 2006 Mercury Milan Voga, designed with the Nuevo Latino in mind, by Ford GT supercar designer Camilo Pardo. Pardo also will be among the featured clothing designers at the event, showing his Mercury line of fashions. Actress Roselyn Sanchez will help introduce the one-of-a-kind Milan Voga and kick off its online auction to benefit MANA, A National Latina Organization. Consumers can pre-qualify for the online auction of Milan Voga by visiting http://www.ebay.com/milan . The auction will officially commence on June 13 and will run for 10 days.

Estilo Mall Tours

Mercury is bringing fashion to the community with its Estilo Mall Tour, giving consumers a chance to walk the red carpet at their local mall. The tours include a Mercury vehicle display, with product specialists on hand to discuss the features of the Milan and Mariner. Shoppers also can enjoy a complimentary fashion makeover.

The Mercury Estilo Mall Tour events will take place in Houston on June 10 and in Los Angeles on June 17. The events also will promote the Milan Voga online charity auction.

"Solamente Salma"

Mercury is the exclusive sponsor of "Terra Nostra: Solamente Salma," a series of paintings by renowned film director Robert Rodriguez and accomplished Mexican American muralist George Yepes. The exhibition includes 14 acrylic on canvas paintings featuring actress Salma Hayek, each 8 by 5 feet in size. Rodriguez, Yepes and other celebrities arrived at the exhibit's opening event in a caravan of Mercury Mariners.

Though Hayek, Rodriguez and Yepes have been friends for several years, the "Solamente Salma" art series marks the premier exhibition of their work together. The exhibition will be on display at the Blue Star Contemporary Art Center in San Antonio, TX through June 18, 2006.

Lights, Camera, Action!

In the youth-oriented film industry, Hispanics represent the fastest- growing segment of the moviegoing audience, averaging 7.6 films annually according to a recent Nielsen Ratings Group study. As the Latino film industry continues to grow, Mercury is building on its past sponsorships of local Latin film festivals as well as its ties to independent film with an upcoming online film opportunity.

Mercury will be the exclusive sponsor of the AOL Latino Short Film Festival, Festival Cine Corto, which includes a sweepstakes designed to discover and showcase up-and-coming Hispanic filmmakers.

Filmmakers who enter the competition will create a short film featuring a Mercury vehicle. Film director Robert Rodriguez will be among the judges identifying the winning entries. Rodriguez has directed such movies as "Desperado" (1995), "From Dusk Till Dawn" (1996), "Spy Kids" (2001) and "Sin City" (2004).

Source: Mercury

CONTACT: Alvaro Cabal of Ford & Mercury Public Affairs, +1-972-334-1875,
acabal@ford.com ; Lydia Cisaruk of Lincoln Mercury Public Affairs,
+1-313-337-8299, lcisaruk@ford.com ; or Eddy Davis of Conexion PR,
+1-305-913-2416, eddy@prconexion.com

Web site: http://www.ford.com/
http://www.terra.com/mujer/miamifashionweek2006

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