Marketers have already discovered the power of chick flicks, and among the more intellectual crowd there's always chick lit, each designed to appeal to women. There's also cable TV networks--like
Lifetime--that cater to women, but now there's something new--a chick car. For the past year, Ford Motor Co. has been reinventing its premium Mercury label as a youthful brand and marketing the
66-year-old nameplate alongside independent films and high-end fashion venues targeted to women. Mercury has been sponsoring films for a
Glamour magazine contest, makeovers during Fashion Week
in New York City and a random Make Your Day giveaway of haircuts, manicures and coffee. Mercury arranged for Ellen DeGeneres to give away a Mariner hybrid on her talk show last week. Mercury execs
claim the car is also being marketed to men; they balk at the suggestion that they're purposely and consciously targeting women. But observers disagree and cite a number of factors to support their
claims.
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