Lincolnlounge.com will provide a highly personalized, unique gateway to the Lincoln brand allowing target users to experience "Lincoln luxury."
* The new website is designed to be a destination space to communicate
major Lincoln marketing initiatives, showcase new vehicles, capture
user information and engage the user in a community-centered
environment.
* Magic Johnson helps guide visitors through the newest Lincoln cars and
trucks.
* As Lincolnlounge.com officially launches, visitors are invited to
participate in a sweepstakes for a chance to win a fully customized
edition of the 2006 Lincoln Mark LT.
Ford Motor Company's automotive luxury brand Lincoln is launching a new lifestyle-oriented custom website, http://www.lincolnlounge.com. The website will debut officially on Monday
December 19, with a sweepstakes offer for site visitors to win a unique Mark LT luxury pick up, customized by auto industry experts DUB under the personal direction of Magic Johnson.
Lincolnlounge.com will be an on-line destination for urban consumers,letting them experience the Lincoln brand in a manner distinctive to their
individual taste and style. The site is engaging, showcasing Lincoln's major marketing activities, programs and promotions, new vehicles, as well as serve as a secondary research channel to gain additional insights from consumers about their perspectives on the brand.
"Lincoln's marketing efforts in the urban environment have worked well for the brand and we will continue pushing ahead with unique, innovative, targeted initiatives such as lincolnlounge.com," says Darryl Hazel, vice president, Marketing. "This new website is another way Lincoln is engaging the consumer
in a more personal and relevant manner."
Lincolnlounge.com will feature various channels with lifestyle-oriented content and vehicle spotlights. The site opens with the site tour ambassador, NBA legend and entrepreneur Earvin "Magic" Johnson, who provides the user a
personal, guided introduction. The various site channels include:
* "Spotlight" -- The channel will feature Lincoln advertising activities
and major events.
* "Magic Johnson" -- The channel will spotlight Lincoln's growing
marketing and community-based partnership with NBA legend and
entrepreneur Magic Johnson. There will be links to the Magic Johnson
properties including the charitable arm of his enterprise, the Magic
Johnson Foundation.
* "Old School, New School" -- a signature channel taking a look at
Lincoln history, past and present, with respect to both iconic and new
cars celebrated in urban communities.
* "Sounds of Lincoln" -- The channel showcases urban, contemporary music
and allows users to experience the music even after they have left the
site.
* "Holla Back" -- The interactive component of the site that invites user
feedback on vehicles, the brand, and programs and other industry
happenings.
* "Reader Columns" -- The channel includes editorial content such as auto
reviews and articles on after-market auto customization, all penned by
today's hottest urban auto industry experts inclusive of DUB,
Automotive Rhythms, and AboutCar.com.
"Urban customers are savvy about purchases, particularly vehicles, and they are very fickle about what they want," says Kimatni Rawlins, president, Automotive Rhythms, an urban automotive media and entertainment company. "The
approach consequently would be to offer them stories in their voice, on subject matter important to them."'
Alongside media properties such as the Automotive Rhythms and DUB, content providers will also include fashion, music and retail entities that resonate with the target user, yet appeal to the Lincoln core essence of luxury and
style.
The web site will be launched with online advertising on sites such as bet.com and blackplanet.com. As well, there will be awareness through other brand communication vehicles such as print ads and promotions, and
word-of-mouth awareness through urban on-line community chat rooms.
As part of the launch plans, visitors to the site will be invited to participate in a sweepstakes offer for a chance to win a fully tricked out Magic DUB edition Lincoln Mark LT. Customized by urban auto industry experts
DUB, and under the direction of Magic Johnson, the Magic DUB edition Lincoln Mark LT includes special custom features such as 24" rims, suede and leather interiors, lower grill insert, 7" TV monitors for seats, DVD/LCD in dash head unit, 15" Flip down LCD center, window & tail light tints and amplifiers. The sweepstakes will run from December 15, 2005 through January 31, 2006, 11:59 PM
(ET).
"The 2006 Lincoln Mark LT already has that special style and sophistication unique only to the Lincoln brand," says Magic Johnson. "My
vision was to add that 'magic touch' to something that was already great, and we've scored big with the Magic DUB edition Lincoln Mark LT. It certainly is a great example of all that is Lincoln luxury."