Chevy’s $200M Advertising Campaign
| Sometimes you don’t really need to create new stuff to make a successful advertising campaign. Two years ago a little billboard at a car show in Detroit reads “they don’t write songs for Volvo,” and that inspired Campbell-Ewald, coz’ Americans do write songs for one of their clients, Chevrolet. So Campbell-Ewald started to research for songs that include the word “Chevrolet” or its vehicle in the lyrics. |
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They didn’t finish the search, because they already saw the opportunity when they found a bit more than 200 related songs. Expanding on a print campaign that started in July, they started a series of six TV commercials with different music – with “Chevrolet” in them, a 2003 calendar with Rolling Stone magazine and a CD.
“The idea seems so obvious, but it takes time and inspiration,” said Jim Jandasek, Chevrolet’s director of car advertising and sales promotion. He said the ads will also feature rap music like “Still a G Thang” by Snoop Dogg. Not only is this campaign a fresh one for Chevrolet, it’s also going to be the most costly one for them ever – an estimated $200 million – since they have to secure the songs and also the lyrics. The campaign will also include some trucks as well, since two-thirds of the market is trucks out there. It gives them a good opportunity to include cars and trucks together as a family, Chevrolet. For the details of the commercials, Bill Ludwig, the chief creative officer, said that the first 60-second commercial will take a trip through rock history, ends with the introduction of the SSR. The remaining five commercials would be 30 seconds each, and they all end with “tell simple stories people do in their cars.” The printed ads were first appeared in the early issues of Rolling Stone, and the magazine approached Chevrolet for the 2003 calendar. It will feature some of the stars and artists in their Chevrolets. It doesn’t stop here, too. Chevrolet is still trying to figure out other possible opportunities with the campaign. For example they are already talking to several artists about writing songs for Chevrolet that will include the brand name or their cars, said Ludwig. “This campaign says Chevrolet is the American brand, the enduring brand that people trust on a very emotional as well as a practical product level.” Source: Autonews |
