Ford Trucks Blaze Concert Trail To Share Stage, Big Screen With Country Superstar Toby Keith

* Ford’s Bold Moves marketing campaign pairs best-selling truck lineup with the summer’s boldest, hottest performer, Toby Keith – the professed “Ford Truck Man.”
* Keith’s “Hookin’ Up and Hangin’ Out” concert tour will once again feature an innovative Ford Truck presence, continuing strategy of going where truck customers live and play.
* Ford Truck launches new “Hang with Toby” online promotion at www.HangWithToby.com offering fans the chance to meet Toby Keith, appear in an upcoming video and drive off in a new Ford F-150.
* Ford Trucks also will co-star in new Paramount Classics and CMT Films release, Broken Bridges, that pairs Toby Keith in his first movie with actress Kelly Preston.

CLEVELAND, Ohio, August 17, 2006 – Two bold, all-American legends will team up again as “Built Ford Tough” trucks hook up onstage with one of Hollywood’s top entertainers. F-Series will present superstar Toby Keith’s much-anticipated “Hookin’ Up and Hangin’ Out Tour” in the United States which began August 11 in Cleveland, with 60 tour dates planned.

Keith will again headline national and regional Ford Truck ads that will bow this fall. And Ford is also working with the singer-songwriter, actor and entertainer on his newest venture co-starring with Kelly Preston in the Paramount Classics and CMT Films release, Broken Bridges, that hits theaters Sept. 8.

“We’re very excited to be working with Toby again this year. There’s no better partner for America’s Best Selling Trucks than country music’s best selling artist,“ says Todd Eckert Ford Truck Marketing Manager. ”Toby Keith definitely personifies Built Ford Tough and, working with him, we capture that in concert videos, ads and music that deeply connect with our customers. This is a great relationship and example of how we plan to reach our customers through our Bold Moves marketing efforts.”

This customer focus results from internal company research that indicates country music is one of the top three activities that Ford Truck customers participate in during their free time. These customers also are very highly involved in racing and outdoors activities such as hunting and fishing.

Ford Truck also launched today the new “Hang With Toby” website promotion at www.HangWithToby.com that will combine these customers’ shared passion for trucks and Toby Keith. One lucky entrant will win a 2007 Ford F-150 FX4 pickup and the opportunity to meet Toby Keith and appear in an upcoming video. In the Ford Truck tradition of offering once-in-a-lifetime experiences, the winner also will earn a spot in the actual video.

“Ford Truck promotions such as ‘Hang With Toby’ go beyond parking a truck in front of a concert venue,” says Eckert. “Only Ford and Toby Keith could offer customers the chance to win the country’s number one truck and a spot in a video by country music’s most popular performer.”

Ford trucks power Keith family

Toby Keith is a third-generation Ford truck owner following in his dad and grandpa’s footsteps. Ford Truck enters its fourth straight year sponsoring Keith in his wildly successful concerts, including the 2003 “Shock N’Y’All Tour” as well as the “Big Throwdown Tours” in 2004 and 2005. Ford’s tour sponsorship integration – including dramatic entrances and on-stage appearances that kick off each performance – is the product of creative collaboration between Keith and Ford.

“Ford has helped us take our concert experience to a whole new level. Each year we do something bigger than the year before, my fans eat it up and go nuts over what me and my F-Series accomplish. It’s challenging to keep out-doing ourselves each year but I think we’ve done it again and I can’t wait for everyone to see what we have in store this year; I’ll give you a hint...audience participation,” Keith added

On the Big Stage and Big Screen

Toby Keith will cross entertainment mediums yet again when his new feature film, Broken Bridges co-starring Kelly Preston, makes its theatrical release on Sept. 8. Ford trucks will again be paired with Keith, including truck product placements in the movie and the lead sponsorship of movie trailers in theaters now, in this Paramount Classics and CMT Films release.

“We expect Toby to do very well on the big screen based on his great performances in recent Ford ads,” says Eckert. “It was very natural for us to place Ford trucks in the movie, in very exciting ways, based on our great relationship with Toby.”

Toby Keith’s April 2006 release of his new album White Trash with Money, the debut release on his own record label - Show Dog Nashville, selling more than one million copies since its release, which places it among the fastest-selling of Keith’s career and has propelled the superstar to new music-industry heights with 25 million CD’s sold this century (30 million in career sales). Overall, his singles have spent an entire year at No. 1 on the charts since 2000. He has won more Country Music Television awards than any other artist and has won the Academy of Country Music “Entertainer of the Year” trophy twice consecutively. He’s been Billboard’s “Top Country Artist, Male” and had the Top Country album twice.

Ford began its relationship with Keith in August 2002 with the “Ford Truck Man” national advertising campaign. Keith continues to appear in the company’s F-Series advertising in a series of humorous commercials that help ‘educate’ naysayers on ‘The Truth About Trucks’ by pointing out Ford’s class-leading advantages over the competition.

Built Ford Tough: A Legacy of Leadership

As the most successful vehicle in the history of automobiles, the Ford F-Series is in a league of its own at the top of the automotive game. It’s been the best-selling truck in America for 29 consecutive years and the best-selling vehicle for 23 years in a row. In 2006, it’s on track to retain truck leadership for a 30 th year. Since its debut in 1948, Ford Motor Company has sold more than 31 million F-Series trucks around the world. Ford sells one F-Series truck every 34 seconds in the U.S.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With nearly 325,000 employees and 110 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include Ford Motor Credit Company and Hertz. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.fordvehicles.com.


Toby Keith’s Hookin’ Up and Hangin’ Out” Tour Presented by Ford F-Series
Upcoming 2006 Concert Dates Include:

Cleveland OH (HOB), August 11

Scranton , PA, August 12

Homdel , NJ, August 13

Darien Lakes , NY, August 18

Boston , MA, August 19

Hartford , CT, August 20

Philadelphia , PA, August 24

Pittsburgh , PA, August 25-26

Hershey , PA, August 27

Syracuse , NY, August 29

West Palm Beach , FL, September 01

Tampa , FL, September 02

Atlanta , GA (HOB), September 03

Fresno , CA, September 14

Mountain View , CA, September 15

San Berardino , CA, September 16

San Diego , CA (HOB), September 17

Phoenix , AZ, September 22

Las Vegas , NV, September 23

Sacramento , CA, September 24

Denver , CO, September 27

St. Louis , MO, September 29

Chicago , IL, September 30

Indianapolis , IN, October 01

Cincinnati , OH, October 05

Columbus , OH, October 06

Washington , DC, October 07

Virginia Beach , VA, October 13

Raleigh , NC, October 14

Charlotte , NC, October 15

*** More dates to be announced later at www.TobyKeith.com

Contact Information

Jim Cain

Manager, North American Marketing and Sales Communications

Ford Motor Company

Contact via E-mail