Chevy gears up for revolution
Ad blitz kicks off effort to introduce 10 new vehicles in 20 months and boost annual sales
By Ed Garsten / The Detroit News
Selling Chevys
Past Chevrolet advertising slogans:
"See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet" (1954)
"Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet" (1975)
"The Heartbeat of America, Today's Chevrolet" (1986)
"Like a Rock" Chevy Truck (1991)
"Genuine Chevrolet" (1994)
"We'll Be There" (1999)
Source: General Motors Corp.
FARMINGTON HILLS — “We’ll be there” won’t be there much longer and the “Like a Rock” will roll off to the side in a supporting role as General Motors Corp.’s Chevrolet division launches a new TV advertising campaign on New Year’s Eve with the tagline “An American Revolution.”
The new slogan replaces “We’ll Be There,” and the catchy “Like a Rock” will be used only in advertising for the Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickup, GM announced Thursday.
The major shift in marketing and advertising comes as Chevrolet gears up for a crucial period — the introduction of 10 new vehicles in the next 20 months and an ambitious plan to boost annual U.S. sales to more than 3 million units.
Chevrolet has sold 2.4 million vehicles this year in the United States, up 1.3 percent from 2002 in a flat market. Only Ford Motor Co.’s Ford brand sells more cars and trucks in the United States.
“Our new Chevy lineup brings us to a critical crossroad,” Gary Cowger, president of GM’s North America operations, said Thursday.
“Do we stay the course with the way we go to market or do we break with the status quo with new advertising? We’re going to break the rules and polish the golden bow tie,” Cowger said.
Outdoor advertising with the new slogan starts today, and the first commercial in the “An American Revolution” campaign hits the airwaves Jan. 31 during the television broadcast of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” in New York City.
The first commercial — titled “The Car Carrier” — shows several new Chevys driving onto a moving car carrier truck as it travels across the country. The spot features Steppenwolf’s midtempo classic track “Magic Carpet Ride” from 1968.
In the latest effort by an automaker to tap the talents of Hollywood, the commercial was directed by Michael Bay, whose latest feature film credits include “Pearl Harbor,” “The Rock” and the “Bad Boys” series.
“It’s a bold, confident, clean approach that lets the vehicle dominate the message,” said Kim Kosak, general director for Chevrolet advertising and sales promotion.
Subsequent commercials will feature the Colorado midsize pickup and the Malibu Maxx.
If successful, the new ad campaign could provide Chevy with some momentum to regain long-lost superiority in the U.S. car market and a new entree into other market segments.
“The combination of awareness and strong product is what’s going to drive consumers back into Chevy seats,” said Michael Robinet, vice president of forecasting at Farmington Hills-based CSM Worldwide, a consulting firm.
Relegating “Like a Rock,” one of the most recognized advertising slogans for any product, to a secondary role may not be as risky as it sounds, analysts say.
“Keeping it attached to a pickup like the Silverado is fitting, but getting a fresh ad campaign in there with all the fresh product is logical if consumers embrace it,” said Jeffrey Schuster, director of North American forecasting for J.D. Power and Associates.
Dealers still will have access to the “Like a Rock” slogan for use in local advertising, but the 13-year-old tagline will only be used nationally by GM for the Silverado, Kosak said.
“If you remember, full-size pickups was the only place we ever used it,” Kosak said. “So we’re really bringing it back to where we started. It’s still going to have a major presence.”
The latest vehicles in Chevrolet’s roster include the Aveo, an entry-level, small car built in Korea; the Cobalt, a planned replacement for the Cavalier; the Equinox, a small SUV; the HHR crossover vehicle; the Malibu Maxx hatchback; and an all-new Corvette sports car. This fall, Chevrolet started selling the SSR, a roadster pickup. A new minivan, the Uplander, will go on sale next fall.
GM plans to replace 90 percent of its car lineup over the next four years, while dropping some car brands, Cowger said.
Chevrolet accounts for 56 percent of GM’s car and truck sales, and the automaker wants the division eventually to sell at least 3 million units a year, a feat last accomplished in 1979.
On a retail basis, Chevrolet is within 40,000 units of the best-selling brand, Ford, said Chevrolet general manager Brent Dewar. Cowger expects Chevy to overtake Ford at some point, but didn’t specify when.
Surpassing Ford next year doesn’t seem likely, and 2005 doesn’t look promising either, according to Schuster.
“The gap continues to close,” Schuster said, “but 2005 looks like more of a Ford year than ’04 when Ford will have some new product out.”
Separately, Chevrolet announced that pricing for the Equinox, which arrives in mid-March, will run from $21,560 to $23,275.
