FORD MARKETERS are trying to alter prevailing impressions of the Taurus as cheap, no-frills transportation. They want people to take another look at the vehicle based on its quieter ride and simple luxury improvements like wood paneling and softer seat leather. Ford will tout the vehicle in television commercials on widely viewed programs such as NBCs Friends and CBSs Everybody Loves Raymond, and in magazines such as Time and Newsweek.
The ad work, by WPP Group PLCs J. Walter Thompson, is Fords first national campaign for the car in two years. Ford had been spreading out the majority of the Taurus ad dollars among regional dealer groups.
