Excitement filled the air at the Ford booth during the 2018 Essence Festival in New Orleans! This was the 10th year Ford served as the festival’s official automotive sponsor, and the brand brought some serious star power to the stage, including Mary J. Blige, Ne-Yo, Bobby Brown, Erica Campbell, V. Bozeman, Marsha Ambrosius, Teddy Riley and Daly who talked music, upcoming projects and life in front of a packed audience. No one was ready for the final guests who almost caused a riot in the booth: the cast of the hit Starz show Power.
Ford celebrated sisterhood all week as well as a celebration of cancer survivors with a Warriors in Pink fashion show, Boss Women entrepreneurship panel, pitch contest, and a special appearance by Yvonne Orji. Ford Warriors in Pink Model of Courage and fashion designer Tracy Nicole showcased her collection along with special edition Warriors in Pink scarves. Raj Register, Manager of Cross Brand Strategy and Growth Audiences at Ford Motor Company, joined Tracy Nicole on stage in a piece from her collection.
Ford also had a strong presence at the Mercedes Benz Superdome with their Ford Good Vibes Lounge. Actor and DJ Idris Elba got the fans going with a special Bad Boy set while MC Lyte DJ’ed a hot 90s set. In addition, singer and actor Jussie Smollett performed and Big Freedia literally shut the Ford booth down with his performance. Throughout the night, fans had the opportunity to visit the Ford lounge and take pictures on the oversized swing or get all the red carpet feels with the rotating selfie stand. Simply put, there was nothing but good music and good vibes at the Ford lounge.
Festival-goers also had the opportunity to help Ford celebrate boss women who are forging a path as new and established entrepreneurs. These entrepreneurs included Keisha Smith-Jeremie (founder of Sanaia Applesauce), Tiffany Hall (founder of Empowerher Cocktails), Tara Purnell (founder of Blind Seed), Beatrice Feliu-Espada (founder of The Honey Pot), Lola Okanlawon (CEO of Lola’s Beauty Mark), Melissa Butler (founder of The Lip Bar), Melissa Mitchell (Abeille Creations), Arsha Jones (owner of Capital City LLC), Kya Johnson (founder and CEO of RainbowMe Incorporated) and celebrity Chef Sepsenahki, aka Chef Ahki. All of these folks gave a 60-second pitch in the hopes of receiving a Ford Explorer under a two-year lease to help them “Go Further” in their business ventures.
More on Ford’s presence at the Essence Festival 2018 can be found online at www.essence.com/festival/ford.
