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And you thought the Lincoln ads were bad. The video clip is not a fake; it's actually an ad Chevy is running late at night on some cable channels. I could make all kinds of comments here, but I'll leave that to you readers. If anyone could explain to me what it has to do with selling a gas-electric hybrid car, I'd appreciate it.
27 Comments on “Volt Birth Watch 29: A Pretty Re-Volting Ad...”
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I’m not able to see the ad right now (Hertz’ computer system effectively blocks all video), but if it’s the dog licking the guy’s feet, then I’ve seen it, unfortunately.
GM’s released some stinkers for their Volt-pushing “Gas-Friendly-to-Gas-Free” campaign, including the one where the guy saves water by not shaving.
They have absolutely nothing to do with the cars. They don’t even show a single vehicle, hybrid or otherwise.
The sad thing about their “Gas Friendly to Gas Free” tag line is that the only “gas-free” vehicles they have in North America are a few diesel-powered heavy duty pickups. Perhaps they should change it to “Gas Friendly to Gas Free (We Hope, Someday)”
Wow, 40 miles! I might make it home from work with one of those! Looks like I will need two.
Even if i doub chevy will pull it off.. i like the volt concept (not the car.. the driveline). But i think gas is a really dumb choice. Diesel would be better for running a generator
I’ve seen this on Adult Swim. It seems that they’re going for the lot that enjoys quirky, off center niche humor (like myself). However, it just smacks of effort.
Especially when you consider Lutz admitted that the Volt is nothing more than an opportunity for GM to thumb its nose at Toyota/Honda and show that it too can be cutting edge. GM doesn’t care about being enviromental, they just want to beat Toyota at something, anything.
Its even more amusing when GM intends to charge possible Volt consumers at least $40k for the car, before options. Well out of the price range of the audience who have probably seen this commercial on Cartoon Networks’ Adult Swim and are environmentally conscience.
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/27/want-a-volt-in-2010-then-take-40-000-to-your-nearest-chevy-dea/
GM understands that in the court of public opinion, perception trumps reality. I’m just surprised to see it so blatant: “Chevy cares about the environment.”
Well john R, last time I checked GM has been beating Toyota since 1931… at sales, and everything else. What are you talking about Gm doesn’t care about the enviroment??? They donate all kinds of money constanly to helping conserve energy, and they donate to the american red cross, and to the hurricane victims, and charities. I watched the daytona shootout saturday night… anybody catch that toyota commerical that had absolutly nothing to do with cars?? funny how you people can bring up volt commercials but not toyota…funny.. and you know whats more amusing than GM INTENDING to charge 40k???… Tesla charging almost 100k for their electric crap car. Amusing isn’t it
jmack91z28 :
February 12th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Well john R, last time I checked GM has been beating Toyota since 1931… at sales, and everything else. What are you talking about Gm doesn’t care about the enviroment??? They donate all kinds of money constanly to helping conserve energy, and they donate to the american red cross, and to the hurricane victims, and charities. I watched the daytona shootout saturday night… anybody catch that toyota commerical that had absolutly nothing to do with cars?? funny how you people can bring up volt commercials but not toyota…funny.. and you know whats more amusing than GM INTENDING to charge 40k???… Tesla charging almost 100k for their electric crap car. Amusing isn’t it
If you haven’t noticed, Tesla has been panned widely for their vaporware status and high price, as well as the well-known limitations of their electric car, especially on this website.
I wonder if the reVOLTing ad reflects GMs internal disgust at being forced to design a non-traditional vehicle
Guess they hope to position the Volt as cool and hip — do those young coll and hip folks EVER think about buying a Chevy? or lord knows, a $40k electric Chevy?
/p
What a bad commercial, I think I might have seen it on TV and changed the channel before I found out it was a Chevy commercial.
I wish we could find a MOLE on the Volt engineering development team to hear what’s really going on behind the curtain and let people know what kind of pressure they have with the unrealistic timeline, price and probably R&D budget that doesn’t allow them to do what they really need to do. And then crappy ads out on TV for a car they are currently trying to develop.
last time I checked GM has been beating Toyota since 1931… at sales, and everything else.
You need to quit looking at the past and start looking at the present because they are getting their ass beat by just about everyone. You sound like one of the execs. always living in the past.
jmack91z28: …funny how you people can bring up volt commercials but not toyota…
I’m thinking TTAC is an equal-opportunity basher.
From: Toyota’s Image at the Crossroads:
In the first quarter of 2007, Toyota spent over $100m telling Americans that the transplanted Japanese automakers had built a proper, full-sized, all-American truck– deep in the heart of Texas (no less). What they didn’t mention: the most popular version gets a combined EPA average of 15 miles to the gallon.
Perhaps that’s because, at the same time, ToMoCo ran a national TV campaign advertising the fact that its Hybrid Synergy Drive is now available in the Camry. Talk about cognitive dissonance. And when you’re done, consider Toyota’s dirty [not so] little secrets: the FJ Cruiser, Sequoia and Land Cruiser.
what are you talking about living in the past??? they still are beating them aren't they?? Isn't that….the present? Who is beating GM?? nobody
Desperate people. At the end of their ads are little iphone icons that suggest they provide mature versions of these products too.
For some reason, I’m reminded of a commercial where the dog drinks water out of the toilet, then greets an owner by licking her on her face. Tagline was about cleanliness – someone got a link to that one?
jmack91z28 wrote:
Well john R, last time I checked GM has been beating Toyota since 1931… at sales, and everything else.
Are they beating Toyota in profit as well? Over the past decade, GM hasn’t made more profit combined than Toyota’s single worst year over the same period.
Well john R, last time I checked GM has been beating Toyota since 1931… at sales, and everything else.
Not exactly an apples to apples comparison. How about resale, costumer satisfaction, repeat buyers, and market share today, not 1931.
The commercial is designed to provoke a memory. Whether it be a pleasant or a reVOLTing one, that is the point. It’s a good commercial considering there is no shortage of stupid commercials that do nothing more than insult the average consumer’s intelligence.
It’s a juvenile and disgusting commercial. Doesn’t appeal to me. And I might just have the money to spend on the product in question.
#1 rule of marketing: Don’t insult, demean, repulse, or otherwise gross out your target market.
But of course, it’s GM, and since I’ve sworn off all cars from that company, maybe I’m not part of that target market anyhow…
the mind boggles…
Is this representing the Volt owner after walking 40 miles, which doesn’t use any gas, and letting his dog lick his poor tired dawgs?
Is the this dog that is going to be put in to a harness and made to pull you and your Volt branded sled 40 miles?
Is the advertising executive that was paid $50k for this ad sitting at home with a video camera wondering what kind of ad he should deliver to Chevy?
The thing that is most irritating about the Chevy Volt and all this electric car nonsense is… THEY HAD ONE. I’m sure we all remember the ugly little EV1, or saw the documentary “Who killed the electric car?” (If not, I recommend, a good watch). If only they had say, not crushed them, and continued with the technology they’d have a super kick ass car by now, something with a much better range and quicker charge times … These guys learn nothing from the Japanese, incremental improvements and after a while, you’ve got a pretty solid product.
timoted is absolutely right. I’ve done a bit of work in advertising (hate it like the plague but that’s another story) and the point of all the annoying commercials you see on tv is this:
1. ad features a video with text overlay that has little or nothing to do with the video. This causes your brain to stop paying close attention to the video, ideally put you into a semi-hypnotic state.
2. audio will have little to nothing to do with the text or video and is often annoying. This really makes your mind not want to pay attention to the commercial, but if the audio is annoying you will still glance to the screen.
3. audio will have a sudden change, either loud noise, or silence before showing a white field with a logo in the middle. This is like a hypnotist snapping their fingers and saying a command.
The idea is that you don’t want the person to necessarily like the commercial, preferably they won’t remember it at all. They will just see the logo when they go shopping and have an impulse to pick that logo. Even if they hated the commercial as long as they forget it later it still works. Unfortunately this technique is very effective and that’s why more and more commercials follow this pattern.
dolo54:
You mean like this?
HEAD ON APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD HEAD ON APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD HEAD ON APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD HEAD ON APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD HEAD ON APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD HEAD ON APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD
I’d like to take this moment to thank my PVR for allowing me to watch television without having to see commercials like this!
Who is beating GM?? nobody
Good point. I can’t think of another automaker that is as successful at losing money as is GM.
Someone trash talking the Tesla, amazing for such a car company putting it’s resources and money and actually comming up with a car that can go over 150 miles and smoke a Vett at the same time, now granted they havent found the right transmission yet, but hey…it’s not the size as GM, and if it were , GM and the other 1.8 had better whatch it..the 2.8 combined couln’t make or won’t make a electric car..C’mon GM, your idea for Hybird is a JOKE! Even Ford/ Toyota has a far better system, if they can make a Escape get 37/32 mpg, why can’t you make the Tahoe get 27/ 25
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Who is beating GM?? nobody You might be right, but I dunno Chrysler is really Charging forward(pun intended) and might beat them. You were talking about bankruptcy right, nobody is beating them to a swift bankruptcy, and being the automotive loss leader.