Ford Back As Essence Music Fest's Auto Partner

Ford Motor Company is back as the exclusive automotive partner of the 2010 Essence Music Festival being held this July Fourth weekend in New Orleans. The Essence Music Festival is touted as the largest African American music and culture event in the U.S., attracting an estimated 250,000 participants.

Ford's activation includes a chance to win the keys to an all-new 2011 Ford Edge, a scholarship contest exclusive to New Orleans students displaced by Hurricane Katrina, and the chance to take a drive behind the wheel of some of the newest products from both Ford and Lincoln like the 2011 Ford Edge, which features MyFord Touch technology.

As Ford's Multicultural Marketing Manager Shawn Lollie explains, the Essence Music Festival is an opportunity to grow awareness of Ford and Lincoln products within the African American market, particularly African American women.

"We've found that the Essence festival is an excellent opportunity to interact with thousands of individuals from across the country who are opinion leaders and trend-setters. Our interactive and experiential displays will enable these opinion leaders to get close to our products and brand to experience the amazing technology," said Lollie.

Ford also will be partnering with author and actor Hill Harper to present two New Orleans students with scholarship awards as part of the Youth Outreach program. The scholarships are being awarded as part of a poetry slam being hosted by the Ford Motor Company Fund and The Manifest Your Destiny House Program founded by Harper.

"This scholarship presentation will allow us to tap into some of the rich creativity in the New Orleans community while also providing scholarships to deserving students," said Lollie. "We not only get to play a role in educational attainment, but we also get to provide a platform for deserving high school students to share their stories."