Investor News

DEARBORN, Mich., July 30, 2008 – “LVNLRG” from Tennessee, “ZPDUDA” from Delaware and “KPASA” from New York want you to guess their digital license plate nicknames as part of Ford Motor Company Fund’s new, interactive Facebook contest – one of two Ford promotions on the popular social networking site.

The Driving Skills for Life “application” promotes teen safe driving in a fun way as teenagers can customize vanity plates and compete with friends by deciphering other plates.

The quiz, a popular way applications are shared across Facebook, allows users to challenge friends to earn the most points by guessing names on other plates. The quiz includes multiple choice questions about safe driving techniques.

“Teens are the biggest influencers of other teens, so Ford’s new Driving Skills for Life Facebook contest is another way for us to engage youngsters in promoting safety,” said James Graham, community relations manager of Ford Motor Company Fund and current leader in the vanity plate competition. “We think this also will appeal to the many parents and educators who use Facebook.”

Approximately 68 percent of the visitors to DSFL’s Facebook page, which launched in May, are between the ages of 13 and 17. According to Facebook, an estimated 4.4 million American high school students use the site. Facebook users can add the application by visiting http://apps.facebook.com/vanity_plates/.

The most avid Facebook user group may be college students, 85 percent of whom use the networking site, according to TechCrunch.com. Ford is engaging this huge demographic group with a “Ford Drives U” page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pages/Ford-Drives-U/24859795081?ref=s) that supports a $500 incentive on their purchase or lease of an eligible new 2007 or 2008 Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle. Nearly 190,000 visitors to the page have clicked through to www.forddrivesu.com since the micro-site’s launch in August 2007, which makes Facebook its No. 1 referrer.

The “Ford Drives U” Facebook page also promotes contests including the “Reel” World Sweepstakes, the Ford Movie Mogul Challenge and a chance to appear on the new mtvU reality show “College 500: Driven by Ford.”

Numbering more than 17 million, the college student market is bigger than ever, and it continues to grow in size and importance, said Sara Barton, Ford Marketing Communications sponsorships and alliances specialist.

Collegiate consumers between the ages of 18 and 30 (“Millennials” or “Generation Y”) represent a record $182 billion in spending power. They have considerable influence in the marketplace, because they are early adopters of technology and new media including social networking sites like Facebook.

“It’s important for Ford to connect with consumers in the social media space,” Barton said. ”We’re communicating with them in a place where they are comfortable developing new relationships instead of just talking at them.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 229,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.