Lincoln Partners with ESSENCE Magazine on 2nd Annual Black Women in Music Event During 2011 GRAMMY® Week

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2011 Lincoln MKX crossover will hit the red carpet tomorrow as part of Lincoln's sponsorship of the 2nd Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Music event. The event will be held on Wednesday evening, Feb. 9 and marks the second year that Lincoln has partnered with ESSENCE on this invite-only affair.

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"We are thrilled to be back as the automotive exclusive sponsor of the ESSENCE Black Women in Music event," said Shawn Lollie, Lincoln's manager of Multicultural Marketing. "We began our partnership with ESSENCE back in 2009 and since then our relationship has continued to grow. After a stellar event last year, we thought it made perfect sense for us to come back for another year as Lincoln has always looked to associate its brand with lifestyle events that attract a modern luxury consumer."

As part of the partnership Lincoln will not only have its newest crossover, the 2011 Lincoln MKX on the red carpet, but it will also be used to shuttle the evening's Honoree GRAMMY® Nominated Janelle Monae as well as special guest GRAMMY® Nominated Big Boi of OutKast to the event. In addition, Lincoln will be included in an in-book event recap story both inside ESSENCE magazine and online at www.ESSENCE.com.

ESSENCE and Sean "Diddy" Combs will salute GRAMMY® nominated artist and mega-talent Janelle Monae at the event. Hosted by ESSENCE.com Managing Editor Emil Wilbekin, Joy Bryant and Taraji P. Henson, Hollywood and the music industry will celebrate Janelle Monae.

Awareness of the Lincoln brand continues to grow within the African American market, particularly as it relates to African American women. The Lincoln MKX was recently received favorably by African American women as part of qualitative research conducted during the 2009 ESSENCE Music Festival. Reactions to the vehicle were extremely positive with overall appeal of the vehicle being described as stylish, luxurious, elegant and classy. Late last year, Lincoln launched a new ad campaign called "Touch Me All Over" that was designed to highlight the technology, luxury and style found on the 2011 Lincoln MKX.

"Partnering with ESSENCE for this event is just one way that we are able to expose the brand to a group of luxury consumers in an environment that makes sense to them," said Lollie. "We are providing an opportunity for attendees to engage with the product in a way that is unobtrusive and natural. We hope that by giving attendees an opportunity to take a closer look at the brand they will then be encouraged to learn more about our newest vehicle lineup."

Lincoln's partnership of the ESSENCE Black Women in Music event comes on the heels of the brand's sponsorship of the 2010 ESSENCE Music Festival and 2010 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood events.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 164,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.

SOURCE Ford Motor Company