FORD’S “BIG DRIVE” URGES CONSUMERS TO GIVE BACK TO COMMUNITIES DURING OPRAH’S BIG GIVE SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 9/8c ON ABC

 
More than 1,100 viewing parties across the country will take place during ABC’s hit television show Oprah’s Big Give to enable consumers to make a difference in their communities

  • Ford has organized more than 1,100 viewing parties across the nation to gather during ABC’s Oprah’s Big Give on Sunday, April 6 9/8c, to parallel the pay it forward philosophy of the show
  • Recent Ford buyers will host the parties and collaborate with their guests on a competition to benefit their community, “Watch and Give,” which will award 10 parties a new Ford vehicle to give back to the community
  • One lucky host will win two Ford vehicles and $25,000, based on the merit and execution of their plan to “give big”

DEARBORN, Mich., April 4, 2008 – Ford Motor Company is organizing more than 1,100 viewing parties across the nation to gather for “The Big Drive,” during ABC’s hit show Oprah’s Big Give on Sunday, April 6, 9/8c, to parallel the charitable philosophy of the show. Recent Ford buyers will host the parties and collaborate with their guests on a chance to “give big” in their community. Hosts will also introduce their friends and family members to their new Ford vehicle in at-home test drives, which will amount to an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 test drives in one night.

Party hosts were asked to submit their plan via Fords’s “The Big Drive” micro site at www.houseparty.com/fordbigdrive outlining how two new Ford vehicles and $25,000 cash can make a difference in their community. The plan selected will be evaluated on merit of recipient and execution of the idea. In addition, 10 parties have the chance to give a Ford vehicle to a deserving person or organization in “Watch and Give”; entry opens Sunday, April 6 at 10:00 p.m. Hosts and their guests must answer a question about Oprah’s Big Give correctly and then submit who they would award the vehicle to if they are chosen. The selected parties of “The Big Drive” and “Watch and Give” will be announced on Wednesday, April 9.

“Ford and our Ford Dealers are passionate about making a positive impact in local communities and ‘The Big Drive’ enables us to do just that,” said Connie Fontaine, Ford Experiential Marketing Manager. “Ford has a long-standing commitment to providing for local communities through programs like ‘The Big Drive’ and Warriors in Pink, which supports Susan G. Komen for the Cure in the fight to eradicate breast cancer.”

Ford will capture footage of the winning “Big Drive” house party and create a 60-second documentary of the winning viewing party participants including the “give” itself. The video will air during Oprah’s Big Give season finale on Sunday, April 20, 8/7c on ABC.

To help raise awareness of the April 6 house parties, Ford teamed up with House Party, a company that develops and launches a thousand or more highly engaging parties in the homes of consumers, all of which take place on the same day. The parties are attended by the host's friends, families, neighbors and co-workers, and shared by millions more who experience the party via the Internet.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 260,000 employees and about 100 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, 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.fordvehicles.com.

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