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Ford France, seeking to counter the home ground advantage of
Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroen, reckons Bruni's improbable
change of career will inspire equally bold decisions by French
car buyers to stray from the fold, in its direction.
It is also taking a bet on the consumer-influencing power of
Bruni. The marriage to Sarkozy of the singer and former model
fueled the perception among many voters that he was an overly
showy leader, known as "president bling bling" during his
2007-12 term.
Ford, whose 4.3 percent share of total car sales in France so
far this year pales beside the 30 percent and 26 percent shares
of PSA Peugeot Citroen and Renault, says what counts is Bruni's
reputation and versatility, not political affiliation.
"She's a woman who went from top model to singer and actress,
and from champagne socialist to wife of a right-wing president,"
Fabrice Devanlay, Ford France's external relections director,
told Reuters.
"Sure there's a risk, because she is marked by the political
side of her marital status, but her international celebrity is
an incredible driver for the visibility of our campaign."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNmAiR4cv-k
(Writing by Brian Love; additional reporting by Gilles Guillaume
and Laurence Frost; editing by Andrew Roche)
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