As you can see from this screen cap of Chevrolet’s website, the brand’s American Revolution is no more. The ridiculous catchphrase—applied as it was to Korean, Canadian and Mexican imports—has been replaced with . . . nothing. Niente. Nada. The big goose egg. Oh sure, there’s the “May the Best Car Win” tag line lurking beneath the fold, but that’s equally ridiculous. The best car is winning—in the only metric that means anything (sales), and it doesn’t have a bow tie on its snout. Yes, yes, it suits the suits. Just ask the guys and gals who attend GM’s death-by-PowerPoint marketing meetings, where execs who don’t mind the perception gap face . . . nothing. Niente. Nada. (Fritz will get around to the cultural change thing eventually.) Anyway, what’s next?
“I had to change up a little bit of the thought process,” Chevy brand manager Dewar boasted, in that reassuringly vague yet entirely self-important manner endemic to people who spend too much time watching PowerPoint presentations. “We will go away from our campaign ‘American Revolution’ because it doesn’t play on a global basis.”
Well, fair enough. More Chevys are sold outside the U.S. than within. But that doesn’t answer the question: what will replace the American Nationalization—I mean, Revolution?
Dewar couldn’t possibly say, you know, ahead of his Death-by-PowerPoint meetings with Chevy’s new ad agency, which GM has yet to select. Any suggestions? Oh, and despite the fact that New GM doesn’t have a new vision for Chevy, GM is about to boost the bow tie brand’s ad spend. What was it Sun Tzu said about strategy and tactics?
“See the USA world today in your Chevrolet?”
“Ford took government money too!”
“Chevy, you paid for it once, why not again!”
You don’t need a slogan to be successful… you just need great cars.
What is Honda’s slogan? Exactly.
Besides, no slogan is better than what Ford has on their site:
“Find a reason to drive one.”
Now that’s funny for all the reasons Ford doesn’t want it to be (said with the right inflection).
Chevrolet, More Than Trucks, Really!
I do not know what is sadder. The splash screen that itself looks like a parody of the old National Lampoon ad for The Generic Car, but more boring? Trotting out the non-existent Volt yet again? Omitting the Corvette and Camaro, their only desirable, competitive, truly world-beating cars? Taking both Pontiac and Oldsmobile from near the top of the industry to death in 25 years took some doing, but ruining Chevrolet, arguably the most iconic American brand, and perhaps the only brand that was ever both mass-market AND aspirational, is criminal. Their tag line might as well be, “Chevrolet – Even we haven’t killed it yet.”
jkross22:
Honda: The power of dreams
http://world.honda.com/ThePowerofDreams/
Admittedly it is more of a corporate slogan than a car slogan.
-ted
Honda: We make it simple…remember that…
Chevy: More “Meh.” Per Mile!
“We got nothing,” pt. VI, “Did Chevy have a brand manager in 1957, and why do we have one now?”
Chevrolet — Cheap and built to stay that way.
“Chevrolet – A _______” (nsfw)
“Chevrolet… your car company”
A bit of PowerPoint history:
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-96099.html
“Chevrolet – perceive the (panel) gap(s).”
jkross22
+ 1
“Chevy: Cars that look like they came from 1995”
“We’ll sell you a Chevy in any color, as long as it’s silver!”
“Chevy. Isn’t Howie Long a nice guy?”
“CHEVROLET: WE WANT TO BE AMERICA’S CAR COMPANY! Oh, that’s right, I guess we are….”
Chevrolet – ‘Impala? What Impala?’
Seriously though, as long as they never recycle ‘Pontiac is car’ into ‘Chevrolet is car’. Worst slogan ever.
@Via Nocturna panel gaps? Have a good look at a Honda Camry. Check fender to door,now check the hood fit. Do you know what “fish mouth” is? If you don’t, have a look a Tundra front end,note where the hood meets the rad support.
Compare fit and finish on a Malibu,objectivly to any thing from Germany or Japan,you might be shocked.
Why is the Volt in that picture? It’s not for sale yet (if ever).
Have to agree with panel gaps (gaps in general if you are looking at the interior) and toyota. Slipping and sliding, reputation can only take you so far.
@impreza_13
Or at least why is the show car in the picture. At least show the closer to production car they’ve already shown to the world.
That detail aside, I’m not sure what the point of all this is? If “An American Revolution” isn’t appropriate, what is the problem with it being gone?
Chevrolet… Branding, we don’t need no stinking branding!
I agree, GM’s got miles to go and a shitty corporate culture to battle the whole way, but there are some great cars on Chevy lots. The Malibu is as competitive as it gets when faced up against Camry and Accord. The new Equinox is very competitive in the small CUV segment, and the Traverse is a great full size crossover and a good alternative to the Tahoe. Of course GM’s trucks are great as well. GM is struggling as a company, but to say that their cars aren’t competitive is so 5 years ago. Some people need to quit drinking all that Haterade and actually go look at GM’s new cars.
mikey, what is ‘fish mouth’? You have me intrigued.
And I agree about the Malibu…I sat in one recently and checked it out. It was more nicely put together than the rental Sonata I had recently, for sure. Only problem for me was a lack of headroom, but that’s true of most cars.
Chevrolet: “The quadruple bypass of America”
“The ridiculous catchphrase—applied as it was to Korean, Canadian and Mexican imports—”
Funny that all four vehicles in that photo are either made in the U.S. or will be made in the U.S. (Volt).
@Nick R.. Fish mouth is the gap between the nose of the hood and the grill,if it’s wider than the gap at the left and right front corner of the hood. You have a case of fish mouth.
In fairnes, look at just about all of the early nineties Chev full size pick ups.
I really don’t think a brand slogan is really required. Not all brands have them.
But Toyota should change their’s too…
Toyota: Moving Foward… even when you don’t want to.
Could those cars be any more boring and generic looking. How bout some color at least, even a 70s crap brown. Something. I could fall asleep looking at that.
Does the ‘silver bunch’ remind anyone of Oldsmobile just before it died?
I remember a gaggle of dark grey or silver Oldsmobiles in an arc: Alero, Intrigue, Aurora, Bravada, and Silhouette.
This ad and current way of thinking is going to spell the end of Chevy like it did Oldsmobile and Pontiac before it. Lineup a boring bland bunch of silver mediocrity, leave out your two most interesting cars and your best CUV, make them all with no color and worse pitch them as global all sorts one size fits all and you just alienated at least 50% of your customer base. Why can’t the NA customer have an American pitch to the slogan? Why can’t they inject some pizzazz into todays bland generic vehicles and some color into the interiors? Why does everything have to look like a Toyota or BMW? GM STILL doesn’t get it! Copying the competition is not going to win over sales. Being global is not going to magically win over sales. Silly meaningless names and slogans are not going to win over sales.
Distinctive, different, class leading, price competitive products that offer something the competition doesn’t will sell vehicles. THERE IS NO WAY AROUND THIS GUYS!!!!!
Malibu as good or superior to Accord, Camry. Silverado- best truck in the business. Corvette-clear cut class leader. New Equinox red hot. Cruze coming down the pike Sales up both domestically and internationally. You see, there is an upside.
“Does the ’silver bunch’ remind anyone of Oldsmobile just before it died?”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a silver Accord or Camry. Ever
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a silver Accord or Camry. Ever” Really? I just saw a silver Accord yesterday. Maybe what I call silver you call “metallic grey” or something but they are out there.
@ Agitated
Sarcasm.
Sun Tzu said:
“Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.”
:foreheadslap:
Now I know where they got their sales training.
The GM site has ALL the North American vehicles in a variety of colors. Even vehicles I thought were discontinued. Funny how they ignore their other products sold in Europe.
They ought to BRAG about their products even if they aren’t sold in all markets. SERIOUSLY.
I wonder if GM tries to pursue the imports with some of their products b/c the imports are a serious contender. I thought their idea of Saturn handling the import styled vehicles and Chevy handling the domestic styled vehicles was a good one.
As usual they get it right just as they cancel production. See Olds, Pontiac, etc.