Since emerging from bankruptcy last year, GM's advertising has been somewhat weak and poorly thought out. However, GM just unveiled a new Americana-themed ad campaign for Chevy that hopes to build on the success of previous ad campaigns with similar themes. You may recall some of Chevy's most famous slogans; for instance "See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet", "Like a Rock", or "An American Revolution". Well, GM is once again barking up the same tree in hopes of finding more fruit, and they're doing it more "American" than ever with their new commercials, which feature Chevy cars and trucks over the years in scenes that evoke nostalgia for America's past, all with voice-overs by actor Tim Allen. Honestly, what good American doesn't love Tim Allen? GM doesn't believe that these ads will be too patriotic however. The newly hired marketing chief executive Joel Ewanick, the former Hyundai Motor Co. ad executive known for helping Hyundai bolster its U.S. sales, said of the campaign: "Are we going to wrap ourselves in the American flag? No, We are going to wrap ourselves in the character of this country".
GM executives estimate that around 70% of their advertising funds will be poured into this Chevy campaign, and they're going to need every penny of it is they have taken the initiative to advertise during some of the highest-rated and most costly events on TV such as the World Series and the Super Bowl.
Personally, I think this is a good idea by the Chevy marketing executives, but they have to be careful in that their ads must differentiate their products from their competitors. Every single US automaker has employed this sort of ad strategy at some point or another, and Chrysler happens to be using the same sort of patriotic appeal strategy right now. Through our discussions of successful marketing in class I see how important it is for GM to strike a different chord with the potential customers to get them to chose their product over their competitors. Hopefully this campaign will work out well for GM and the company can make progress back toward normalcy.
Morgan Duff
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304173704575578073119960604.html?mod=WSJ_auto_IndustryCollection
I mean are we a country driven by the bald eagle and motivated by the beautiful sight in the morning of an American flag dancing in the morning breeze, or are we motivated by the money that drives this nation and its people to actions beyond comprehension? Although GM is touching upon a very intrinsic and American theme, my belief remains that their Marketing campaign will only be effective if they offer the American value they advertise in their commercials while offering vehicles that are able to elicit genuine emotions of true craftsmanship and most importantly the pushing feeling you get against your seat when you put the pedal to metal. You tell me, do you think you'd ever purchase a car in this day and age because it says it's American?
ReplyDeleteChevy accounts for about 70% of FM's sales, so that amount on advertising makes sense.
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