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Lincoln unveils its Black Label Collection at Pebble Beach

With the posh surroundings of Monterey, CA during the Pebble Beach week as a backdrop, Lincoln has unveiled is new personalization and luxury service brand, called Lincoln Black Label. Following in the footsteps of programs like BMW Individual, Range Rover Autobiography, and many more, Black Label is strategic strike, aimed at upping Lincoln's brand cachet while luring new customers into the fold. Speaking about this at the Black Label's introduction in California Thursday, Jim Farley, Ford's executive vice president of Global Marketing, Sales and Service and Lincoln, told members of the media that "At Lincoln, our flagship is, you get to choose. That's our flagship."
While Black Label customers will benefit from concierge-like service from their dealers - both during the sale process and throughout ownership - the focus of the introduction is strongly focused on interior design.
Lincoln chose its current MKZ sedan and its MKC Concept crossover (seen in the inset image) as the debutants for Black Label treatment for good reason: the well-received MKC points the way forward for Lincoln styling as a whole, and the MKZ will be the first production vehicle to receive the option of the high-zoot interior design. We're told that eventually, Black Label treatment will be available for the full Lincoln lineup, but the MKZ will be the initial recipient, and not until late in 2014 according to the company's current projections.

Lincoln dealers frustrated over slow MKZ production ramp-up

Lincoln has clearly been working hard to get the word out about its 2013 MKZ sedan. The Dearborn automaker has taken out lavish spreads to trumpet its boldly styled new model in magazines of every description, along with placing commercials for both the vehicle and the reborn brand behind it on all manner of television programs, including the super-costly Super Bowl earlier this month.
Pity, then, that Lincoln dealers don't have enough MKZs to sell. According to The Detroit News, parent company Ford has spent a good portion of its time at this week's National Automobile Dealers Association meeting in Florida attempting to pacify upset dealers who don't have enough examples of the pivotal new vehicle in stock.
As the DetNews notes, Lincoln only sold 453 MKZs last month, a whopping 73-percent decrease over the same period last year when the sedan's predecessor was on sale. In fact, the stunted supply had enough impact that Lincoln's January figures worked out to a 32-year low for the brand, just as it's trying to get back on its feet. This, despite the fact that the MKZ is said to have the biggest number of pre-orders in the marque's history.

Lincoln taps Serena Williams to pitch all-new Navigator

Lincoln is turning to a new star to help it pitch the hot-selling Navigator SUV alongside Matthew McConaughey: Tennis megastar and businesswoman Serena Williams. She'll help pitch the Navigator in a social media campaign that launched Thursday. Lincoln released four short spots that will appear on Lincoln and Williams' social channels. In one, the longest at 41 seconds, Williams recalls buying her first Navigator as a teen and says she's come full circle as a mother. She dubbed the vehicle "Ginger." "Ginger was all white, she had 22s and she had rims," she says in the spot. "I felt like, you know, I was kind of balling in a way. It was like my first huge purchase." Another shows Williams talking on a tennis court about being a mother and how the vehicle functions as a kind of bedroom for her daughter, Olympia, who was born last September. "For me that's what's most important." Like the McConaughey spots before them, the new spots hew to the Lincoln script of mostly not focusing on the vehicle but rather on experiences. (Williams' experiences seem a lot less ethereal than McConaughey's.) View 4 Photos Williams is known for her tennis exploits, having won a record 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals. She has fashion deals with Puma and Home Shopping Network and launched her own fashion brand called Aneres. And she operates the Serena Williams Fund to emphasize education and help victims of gun and domestic violence, plus the Williams Sisters Fund, which she launched in 2016 with her sister, Venus. Serena Williams is also a member of the Oath Board of Advisors. Oath is the parent company of Autoblog. "Serena is an amazing athlete who has won 23 Grand Slams, but she also has a family, she has her own clothing line, she sits on major boards, she's philanthropic — she has all these competing demands on her time," Lincoln Group Marketing Manager John Emmert said in a statement. "We know that time is our Navigator client's ultimate luxury as they balance everything in their busy lives, and Serena exemplifies that balance with poise and grace." It's not the first time Williams has endorsed an automotive brand, notes AdAge. Mini featured the tennis star in a Super Bowl ad in 2016. The Navigator is all-new for 2018. It won North American Truck of the Year last month at the Detroit Auto Show. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.