I wonder what effect, if any, this would have on Yahoo! - who earlier this year said spending from financial and car advertisers would slow down.

Although calling increased marketing investment “counterintuitive” while in recovery mode, John Felice, the general marketing manager on the Ford brand, said Tuesday that the company will continue to spend “heavily” in the area–although it will be “placing more bets on emerging technology.”

“When business gets tough, typically in some places [advertising is] viewed as a variable expense,” Felice said. “We have continued to invest.” In 2005, Ford Motor Co. was the country’s sixth-biggest advertiser, spending $2.4 billion–a .6% increase over 2004, according to Ad Age figures. Felice did not disclose how much Ford would boost spending in 2007.

Read our “Silver Lining in Yahoo!’s 2006 Q3 Warning” here.

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