Video: recapping Chevy's first green TV ads
The video above includes six TV ads for a variety of green Chevy vehicles. These ads were part of the campaign that began to position Chevy and GM as a green car maker. Looking back, our reactions were shock and confusion over ads for cars not for sale, giant hybrids and vegetarian cars. We were shocked because when you think Chevy, "this is our country" ads with big trucks on a farm come to mind, not vegetarianism.
GM is making serious progress on the green technology front but in my humble opinion, the first year of green ads is a failure. You might say it was just too much of a shift and to that I say the best car ad of 2007 is probably Think About It by Hyundai. Hyundai making me think is probably a bigger shift than Chevy going green! For comparison, you can watch the Think About It and This is our country ads below the fold.
Has a year of these Chevy ads changed you idea of what Chevy means?
Related:
- Chevy describes its car as "vegetarian" in TV ad
- VIDEO: Three years before Job 1 and GM is already advertising the Volt
- Video: GM ad for Chevy Tahoe hybrid says other hybrids are "tinsy-winsy"
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jay 8:38AM (2/18/2008)
jay19482000@yahoo.com
www.wateredu.com
www.hurtback.org
patent pending
Honda might be working on this
A camshaft made that would fit in the existing cam area of an internal combustion engine
That would open the exhaust valve to drive the piston down with pressure and the intake valve to exhaust air as the piston comes up and vice versa, the oil viscosity lowered, air put into the exhaust manifold and vented from the intake manifold or vice versa .An internal combustion engine could be run off of air. Pressure in the tank would be 8000 PSI with a regulator to lower it to 1000PSI.
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Frank 7:21PM (11/09/2007)
I think anyone who would not consider an American car will not be swayed by these ads. Lets be honest, most enviromentalist look with disdain on all American cars. GM improves their most profitable vehicles (large SUVs) city gas mileage by %50 and greenies howl with disgust. Until GM puts Volts and dual mode hybrid CARS on the road they will not get any credit. These ads are aimed at GMs existing customers in my opinion, as such they are effective.
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Geoff de Ruiter 8:23PM (11/09/2007)
I'll be Honest I love the Volt ad. It's the only one that I actually sit there while watching and say "Wow, now that is the future" The Veggie truck, Meh, The flex fuel, ok, and the hydrogen equinox, great idea but combine that with the Volt perahps then perhaps I'll get somewhat excited about hydrogen.
The Ads seem sincere but, like Frank said, truly mean nothing until they are on the road, and I only really mean the Volt and the fuel cell vehicles. We need food not fuel. We also need more public transit not individual cars and their industry being subsidized by our taxes to build the roads for them.
GM, no one that is educated in what you have done will buy your vehicles until you make something real and of true innovation to buy. All you have to do is look at your 2007 3rd quarter review and you might notice a trend that will continue until you truly change. Prove me wrong.
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Brian Dreggors 3:34PM (11/10/2007)
You think the best ad campaign is one that tries to imply that Hyundais are more American than Buick and Cadillac? Jesus.
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greg woulf 12:28PM (11/10/2007)
The Volt is the real deal.
The environmentalists that hold any kind of a grudge against GM are the biggest hypocrites. GM at least did what they did for sound business reasons. Holding a grudge is just to show self importance. I'm an environmentalist, but I can keep perspective.
If they think any car maker is going to save the world at the expense of going bankrupt they're not thinking straight. 200 million people drive, it's not GM's fault they drive.
The Volt could change the way everyone drives. 80% of drivers commute less than than the all electric range of the Volt. Even if you inflate the miles they drive it's entirely possible that for every Volt on the road we use half the gasoline.
Plus the Volt is pure electric in the drive, which means that any technology advances go straight toward pure battery electric and zero gas usage in the future.
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Lascelles Linton 3:36PM (11/10/2007)
Brian, It really does not matter if the ad changes you mind, it's just a good ad. What do you think is the best car ad of 2008?
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Brian Dreggors 2:56AM (11/11/2007)
Lascelles, I really didn't find a single car ad so far this year that was truly outstanding. I would say Audi's ad striking back at Lexus' self-parking feature comes close at least in my mind because it was a witty dig at how one automaker completely sucks the enjoyment out of driving while another actively promotes it. I would rank the 'Our Country' Chevrolet truck ads as very EFFECTIVE ads because you either really like them or hate them to the point where you want to gouge your eyes out when the guitar riff begins, meaning in either way, its memorable. Hell, it has several dozen parodies on YouTube. Clearly, its reached out.
To me, the Hyundai ads are vague, confusing, and meaningless. "Shouldn't you drive a car that inflates your intelligence, not your ego?" with a picture of a horse? WTF is that even supposed to mean? And when I visit the website, I find that Hyundai uses the same specious and deceptive logic that infestes the majority of their 'comparison' ad campaigns. I also find it funny that Hyundai is basically begging people to stop being embarrased to drive their woeful automobiles.
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Lascelles Linton 8:48AM (11/11/2007)
Brian, That commercial was pretty good. A little too insider though. Also, you know they are probably doing something with at least parking assist. Advertising a lack of features always felt odd to me. I forget which company but the whole, avoid an accident by driving better, seem to beg the question, are you saying your cars don't have air bags?
Sure, the horse one was confusing but the Think About it ads were (to use your own words) "very EFFECTIVE ads because you either really like them or hate them" :D I don't think the target are current driver but people just about to buy a car. I can just see the arguments around the water cooler right now as someone tries to explain Hyundai is not Lexus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVaFbkg9jRs
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