Mustang and the Pony Car Revolution (Images of America)

Introduced at the opening of the New York World�s Fair in April 1964, the Ford Mustang was based on mechanicals from the earlier Ford Falcon compact car. It quickly established a new motorcar category�the �pony car��which was widely copied by domestic and overseas competitors. From the outset, the Mustang represented inspired product planning and design, followed by brilliantly executed marketing. Ford�s Mustang team effort used every tool in the vehicle-marketing toolbox: clever teases long before the new product went on sale, unprecedented publicity, simple but effective advertising, the stage at the World�s Fair, movie placement, distribution of toy plastic models, and even a replica pedal car for the young drivers of the future. With a measure of luck, it became a classic case of releasing the right product at the right time, and Ford sold one million units in less than two years.