We have a rule in my house: no sugar cereal until you eat your "good" cereal. By the time the girls have inhaled a bowl of non-sweetened Cheerios, Weetabix or Rice Krispies, their appetite for kiddy crack is destroyed or diminished. Of course, that doesn't stop the bun fight over any promotional toy that dares hide at the bottom of the box. I reckon a Ford marketing maven saw his kids ripping apart a box of Sky High Blood Sugar Flakes to get at a wind-up plastic spaceship and thought "Why can't adults display the same animal enthusiasm for a Ford Fusion?" A promotion was born. On Sunday, parents who buy their Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks, Frosted Flakes or Cocoa Krispies from Target will find a free Ford Fusion Hot Wheels model inside. I rang up FoMoCo's point man Monte Doran to get the skinny on childhood obesity– I mean whether Ford will slap cash on the hood if the models don't move by September. No seriously, I wanted to know if this was the beginning of a shift away from traditional marketing. Hey, if you don't ask…
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That's not even a Ford in the picture, let alone a Fusion… sheesh.
The model won't be of a closed wheel race car will it?
Also, does Ford really think that parents are going to buy a Fusion becaue little Billy got one in his Fruity Crunch? I doubt Billy can afford a Fusion and I doubt he has ANY say in what mommy and daddy buy otherwise they would buy a space ship or a Formula 1 car… or a dinosour!
Click on the image.
Daddy, Daddy! I want a fire truck!
See? I was worried for nothing. Great interveiw. What a maroon. Comparing frosted flakes to a morning commute in a ford four-bore. The most complimentary thing I could say about the car is that, maybe in a different universe, the fusion could be an auto-bot. Maybe name him "NineToFive".
Maybe next Ford should try a marketing tie-in with the Gillette Fusion razor. They even look alike – 5 silvery colored bars surrounded by plastic.
Well, that explains it. I just bought a Ford Fusion yesterday and the damned thing was filled from floor to ceiling with Apple Jacks.
I was hoping he'd say the Fusion is more than a sugar high, more of a protein-infused, non-stop thrill ride. That would have been hilarious. But hey, its hard to think these things up when Farago puts you on the spot.
Look for Ford truck commercials specifically made for the new TV Show (September) "Friday Night Lights."
However, Friday Night Lights will be on Tuesday nights (8 pm est). Not a bad move since High School Football is so big in Texas not many are home on Friday Night.
As a former Taurus SHO owner (and lover) I would congratulate Ford and encourage them to expand the program. They should put promotional toy Ford Five Hundreds into Cream of Wheat and Fibre1 cereal boxes. Build the cars to build the brand – cars first.
Frank.
Putting Ford themed razor blades in cereal boxes!!! That is just plain wronk!!!
I thought you guys were working on fixing the audio levels in the podcasts? It seems to be getting worse before it's getting better…
Why not put the Hot Wheels in bags of Tostitos?
This is an interesting site, but you know what I think of when I think of this site? NEGATIVITY. When I click on the bookmark I wonder "what car are they going to bash next? How badly is GM or Ford going to get raped in this article?" (even if they deserve it). I have been visiting this site fairly regularly for nearly a year now and although I understand you are just trying to "tell it like it is", I always come away from this site with a bad feeling about the car industry in general. You guy's don't make cars a fun thing to talk about, which they should be, since we all enjoy driving them.
Try replacing some of the "doom & gloom" with some interesting, fun articles from time to time.
So, um. Tell me again why I shouldn't buy a Mazda6? Isn't that the "car with personality" that hasn't been stripped of personality to become the Ford with personality?Oh, right. Not in NASCAR. Got it.Your pal,bobP.S. Can I get a Mercury Milan Hot Wheels car at Pottery Barn in a box of Sage and Patchouli-Os?
I wonder if the advertising genius who thought up this idea realizes Target sponsors the #41 DODGE in NASCAR – and Kellogg's sponsors the #5 CHEVY. They're both strange partners for a Ford promotion.
Well, to 12voltguy, maybe you should get your money back.
In regard to negativity, Mr Doran actually held up really well to the interview. R. Farago is a good interviewer, asks all the good questions, keeps his interviewee on his toes.
Where else can you get the marketing guy's interview? They usually hide behind their advertizing dollars used to soften the big car mag's reviews.
It's the truth about cars. Truth hurts, get over it.
I'm actually looking forward to more material from R. Farago, he's the one with the most bite.
Hmmm, perhaps they'll get luckier than with the Fusion speed dating event they held a while back. Notice there was no mention of it in the "cars you'd be most likely to…" discussion?
Maybe it should be ‘Ford’s Boweled Moves’…