As bad commercials go, is there really any bad marketing that involves a Mustang? Well if you ask the Mustang enthusiast you would get a resounding no. Be it a fully loaded Mustang awaiting you on the showroom floor or a model size one neatly packaged in a box of cereal, there is something about the Mustang that is spellbinding. Even in this 1965 Post Rice Krinkles commercial with its less then stellar acting, you can see the beginning of the love of Mustangs that would entrance generations to come. That is if you can get past some of the stereotypes of the day and not cringe too much when you watch this one. This might be the worst ad Ford ever approved involving a Mustang.

Upon its release Mustang was marketed as the secretary’s car. Ford Motor Company recognizing there were more women drivers on the road and more ladies in the work force, took this opportunity to advertise this newly released ride to an untapped genre. So in this commercial it’s no surprise to see mom driving her son around and taking him along to the grocery. We could infer all kinds of things from this.

Within the commercial we see a boy digging for the coveted prize in his cereal box before he and mom ever make it home. The prize is a small plastic car that loosely resembles a Mustang. Hosted by So Hi Marketing, there’s a strong, pretty much racist Asian cartoon character hosting the commercial. Get past that and this is obviously one of those attempts at cross marketing the Mustang that Ford was so successful at.

With the unique combination of marketing, affordability, pricing, and style Ford was able to launch the iconic horse into new realms securely establishing their place for years to come the vehicle of choice. Obviously Ford didn’t rely too heavily on this kind of bad commercial, and it certainly doesn’t conjure up the snazzy images we see portrayed in shows like MadMen, we doubt Don Draper would have approved this one to air.