Movie Legend Steve McQueen Drives Sales for Ford and Ferrari

Beverly Hills, CA (PRWEB) October 29, 2004

One of the boldest, toughest, sexiest leading men in cinema history, Steve McQueen’s classic action films and passion for motorsports continue to reverberate around the world. McQueen’s iconic status makes him the perfect vehicle for Ferrari to accelerate awareness of their new men’s cologne, “Passion”, and Ford to test drive the newly redesigned 2005 Mustang, announced The Roger Richman Agency, Inc., an exclusive licensing agency promoting the personas of world-renowned entertainment and historical figures.

McQueen Makes “Great Escape” in 2005 Ford Mustang

Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you – that is Steve McQueen making a “Getaway” in the newly redesigned Ford Mustang. Mustang enthusiasts have been buzzing for days on Internet chat rooms about the high-concept 60-second commercial. In the ad, a farmer builds a racetrack on his cornfield and pulls a silver 2005 Mustang up to the starting line. In a nod to the 1989 film, “Field of Dreams,” a steely-eyed Steve McQueen emerges from the rustling corn. The digitally recreated action star takes the keys and burns up the track, faster than a speeding “Bullitt,” as only Steve McQueen could.

The ad will appropriately debut in movie theatres on October 29th and begin a North American television run in November, 2004, as a key part of Ford’s $ 150 – $ 200 million 3rd quarter advertising budget, Ford’s highest quarterly spend ever.

“It takes a legend to introduce a legend,” says Roger Richman, President of The Roger Richman Agency, Inc., “The chase scene in the classic film, ‘Bullitt,’ where Steve McQueen speeds through the hills of San Francisco in a Mustang fastback, is considered one of the best action sequences in cinema history. We’re happy to continue the winning association between Steve McQueen and Ford’s premier automotive brand.”

This is not the first time that the two American icons have appeared in a successful marketing campaign together. In 2001, Ford produced a Steve McQueen “Bullitt” Mustang special edition series, which promptly sold out.

McQueen Steers New Brand for Ferrari

Steve McQueen’s passion for life and racing make him the perfect figure to drive Ferrari’s new cologne, “Passion,” out of the starting line. Manufactured and distributed by Schwarzkopf & Henkel Italia srl, the cologne is a first-time brand extension for the premier Italian automobile manufacturer and you can fasten your seatbelt as McQueen’s icy blue gaze accelerates awareness of the fragrance through advertising and point-of-purchase displays worldwide outside of North America.

Marketing experts have commented that the McQueen mystique appeals not only to cinema buffs, but motoring enthusiasts as well.

The Legend Continues in Advertising, Books and Music

Other media featuring Steve McQueen include an advertising campaign for TagHeuer timepieces, now in it’s sixth year, and a 2004 Grammy Award for Sheryl Crow’s song, “Steve McQueen” (“… the coolest man you’ve ever seen”) which appears on “The Very Best of Sheryl Crow” CD and scores a new North American television commercial for Wrangler jeans.

Be on the look out for November and December 2004 book signings at Lucky Brand Jean’s flagship stores in Los Angeles and New York for “40 Summers Ago: Hollywood Behind the Iron Curtain,” by Sean Kelly and Rin Tanaka. The 96-page, limited-edition hard cover book features rarely seen photographs of Steve McQueen’s participation in the 1964 ISDT, “the Olympics of off road motorcycle racing,” in East Germany as part of the American team. The signing events will be a first of their kind for Lucky Brand. The book’s debut at Johnson Motors in Pasadena attracted over 1,000 people and included a 90-minute wait.

Now in its 26th year, The Roger Richman Agency, Inc., is the exclusive licensing agency protecting and promoting the personas of world-renowned entertainment and historical personalities, including Albert Einstein, Gene Kelly, The Wright Brothers, W.C. Fields and Mae West.

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