Kermit Debuts as Ford Spokesfrog for Super Bowl Ad Spot

Ford Motor Company is giving other automakers a reason to be green with envy. Ford is teaming up with Kermit the Frog, one of America's most loveable characters, to celebrate the advertising launch of the greenest and most fuel-efficient SUV on the earth, the Escape Hybrid.*

The 30-second spot, developed by Ford's advertising agency, JWT Detroit, features Kermit and his encounter with the Escape Hybrid in the great outdoors. Together, the Escape Hybrid and Kermit will become the ultimate "green team," as Ford continues to make a push toward environmentally-friendly vehicles.

Didn't get to see Kermit promoting the 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid during the Super Bowl? Click to watch Kermit the Spokesfrog.

"The Ford Escape Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient SUV on the road today, making the 'green' connection with Kermit a seamless partnership for this campaign," says Cisco Codina, Group Vice President, North America Marketing, Sales and Service. "The Super Bowl spot establishes Ford's efforts to turn up the volume on its innovative products for consumers in an ever-changing market. This ad campaign demonstrates Ford's increasing emphasis on hybrid technology in our future model lineup."

The Kermit commercial will kick off a broader campaign for the Escape Hybrid, where Kermit will serve as the official spokesfrog. The campaign - which will consist of television, print, digital and outdoor advertising - will showcase Ford's dedication to technological innovation that reflects today's realities. The spot will air once during the second quarter of the 2006 Super Bowl, and will continue to run on highly visibly programming like American Idol, CSI:Miami, and the Barbara Walters Academy Awards Special, throughout the year.

Beginning on Monday after the Super Bowl, Ford will begin a 60-day sweepestakes allowing entrants a chance to win a Ford Escape Hybrid. Enter the Easy Being Green Sweepstakes at www.fordvehicles.com and you could win your own 2006 Escape Hybrid.

"Ford and Kermit are a match made in heaven; they're both American icons, both family-oriented, and they're both green," says George S. Rogers, President and CEO, JWT Detroit. "Kermit the Frog is an absolute celebrity and we're thrilled to have him on board to tell the Escape Hybrid story."

Escape Hybrid was the first full hybrid SUV in the world, and remains the only hybrid in the small SUV segment today. It was named 2005 North American Truck of the Year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit for combining traditional vehicle performance with the efficiency of hybrid technology.