Chevy Hates on Imports and Hollywood With Ad Campaign

"The types of cars we can't and don't make anymore."

I'd give one of my kidneys for one of these mint condition classics, but I don't see the point of this ad campaign.

How about: Nevermind that you don't recognize these cars, we're marketing to your great grandparents.

Interesting ad campaign, it seems like all Chevy is saying is that we used to make great cars so you should buy our current vehicles. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

7driver: I'm in my 20s and I recognize them all. And I like the one-year-only chrome trunk stripes on that '58 Corvette.

This is great. GM has a long, proud heritage in the U.S and they should exploit that in the same way that Toyota exploits perceived quality.

It's just too bad that Chevy doesn't make anything like the '57 Bel Air anymore. I can't imagine show my grand kids an '07 Impala 52 years from now and them getting excited about it.

I don't understand the point of this ad campaign. Isn't GM trying to move past its image instead of relying on days of old? These don't inspire in me a desire to buy a new car.

What are we selling here? Nostaglia? How is a classic Chevy supposed to make me want to buy a new Malibu?

"It came in all colors. All of them red, white, and blue" Wow that's lame and a terrible way to sell cars.

"Chevy, The carmaker of the past"

or maybe..

"They just don't make em like that anymore..and neither do we"

"Remember when we were great?"

As a twenty-something this does absolutely nothing to compell me to buy a GM. I admire the classic Chevys from the 50's and see them as works of art. However, that was 50 years ago and a different time and different scenario.

Seeing ads boasting the GM of old does not make me want to buy a new Aveo, Cobalt, or Impala.

What I (and many others) want are reliable, fun, and youth-oriented vehicles; not my Grandfather's car. To hold customers for life they need to appeal to the younger crowd and this doesn't do it.

They were actually on a better path for that with the Geo brand.

Like Chrome58, I'm 22 and I recognize these cars, and many of my friends do too. I don't think the point of the campaign is "we used to make these great cars, so buy our modern cars". It is reminding us that cars can be more than an inconvenient appliance. The problem is, most people today don't like their cars. They see them as an expensive to maintain device for transporting their fat lazy butts and bratty kids places. Hence, they just buy a Honda or Toyota because they've heard nothing will ever go wrong with them, don't do a bit of real research, buy one with the least amount of color in the paint, and call it a day. This campaign is trying to reignite a passion for beautiful cars with personality. You can have fun with a car. Now whether their current products fit that is a different discussion (my opinion in short: some GM products do, some very much don't) but I like the idea of encouraging people to actually like their cars.

As an art director, I love these ads. Great look, great execution, and simple, witty copy. BUT i have to agree with audipilot - it's a little misplaced. Those cars, while absolutely amazing, aren't relevant anymore. :-/

Since we have no idea where these ads will be run or what they are for its pointless to comment. Not that I expect that to stop people. I've never seen these ads anywhere. My guess is they are showing that unlike every Japanese/Korean auto company they actually have a history of great design, performance and are an integral part of US pop culture. It makes some sene because many of the people who hate American cars now used to like them and likely owned one. If they didn't they grew up riding in and admiring American cars. It does kind of remind folks of that. You can impress your kids now by bashing American cars but the reality is when you were younger you liked them and wanted to own one. No teens from the 70s, 80s or even 90s grew up lusting after anything Toyota made. OK, maybe Supra and MR2- thats about it.

I think it's a stretch saying they are making fun of Kelly Clarkson or imports. I don't think it's the best campaign but I think it reminds you that they still make good cars.

Gosh. Thanks for indicating how out of touch you are, and, from a journalistic standpoint, how lazy you are. Some of these billboards are YEARS old, and many were created specifically for the Woodward Dream Cruise (e.g., "Other Cities Have Art Fairs", created 18 months ago--http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/chevrolet_bel_air_art_fairs), not mainstream advertising. The poster about songs and Volvos is EIGHT YEARS OLD (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17579943/). If you had done a modicum of research you could have presented a balanced and well-informed story. Instead, you posted a bunch of images with (as 1487 notes) no context and a misleading headline.

I like them, but I'm not sure what this has to do with an Aveo or Malibu.

Damn, I went to the trouble of registering(stupid 14 character screen name limit...) just to say what adb4 just said...

For the love of god, PEOPLE, read adb4's post!

One would think the one that says "Other cities have art fairs", and especially "Remember the wind blowing through your hair? Remember hair?" would've made it obvious this wasn't a mainstream campaign...

I figured they were Woodward-related. Some context from Edmunds would have been nice, otherwise it's just fodder for the anti-GM crowd to shout about how out of touch the company is.

Exactly, chrome...

stovt001 - "The problem is, most people today don't like their cars. They see them as an expensive to maintain device for transporting their fat lazy butts and bratty kids places. Hence, they just buy a Honda or Toyota because they've heard nothing will ever go wrong with them, don't do a bit of real research, buy one with the least amount of color in the paint, and call it a day."

Did you learn all that in business school? Must have been money well spent.

1487 - "You can impress your kids now by bashing American cars but the reality is when you were younger you liked them and wanted to own one. No teens from the 70s, 80s or even 90s grew up lusting after anything Toyota made."

I know right? Kids these days long for exotic cars when they should be lusting after Aveos instead. What the hell happened to this country?!

"Remember the wind blowing through your hair? Remember hair?"

Clearly GM builds cars for old people.

Pointless waste of time and money. Living in memories won't solve their troubles.

Let's put aside adb4's point out that this is all very dated. Let's pretend it's current.

Why does IL put a negative spin on these ads? They're not hate ads. They're marking Nostaglia. Seems perfectly reasonable to me.

I hope this campaign stirs up all kinds of love for 1950s American cars. Tons of it. And it drives the prices of those cars to even more idiotic heights.

@brn: Excellent point. This appears to be a corollary to the rule about local news: "If it bleeds, it leads". IL puts an incendiary headline to generate clicks. What they forgot is that poor research + incendiary headline=image of shoddy journalism.

"Hence, they just buy a Honda or Toyota because they've heard nothing will ever go wrong with them, don't do a bit of real research, buy one with the least amount of color in the paint, and call it a day"

Exactly.

"I know right? Kids these days long for exotic cars when they should be lusting after Aveos instead. What the hell happened to this country?!"

What does that have to do with my point jackass? Nothing. I said that many of the boomers who swear by Toyotas/Hondas used to make fun of those cars and lust after ATTRACTIVE American cars with style and performance. You are right that kids today may long for European exotics but that does not mean they dream of owning an Avalon. G8 or Camaro or Vette or Mustang are more relevant to people under 30 than anything from Toyota. Maybe even Honda.

"Why does IL put a negative spin on these ads? They're not hate"

if you've been reading Straightline entries long enough you would know not to expect objectivity or full disclosure. Anti domestic headlines are commonplace here. Most editorializing has a negative spin when they post anything related to American brands.

Well, I suppose one good thing to come of this is that it indicates how easy it is to whip up Anti-Detroit hatred, since Detroit haters don't bother to actually look into what they're talking about. Only fanboys would think an ad campaign for a classic car cruise was an attempt to sell Aveos.

I think these were made for the Woodward Ave Dream Cruise earlier this month, and if so, they are meant to appeal to the hotrodders.

"said that many of the boomers who swear by Toyotas/Hondas used to make fun of those cars and lust after ATTRACTIVE American cars with style and performance. You are right that kids today may long for European exotics but that does not mean they dream of owning an Avalon. G8 or Camaro or Vette or Mustang are more relevant to people under 30 than anything from Toyota. Maybe even Honda."

Wow, I grew up in the 80s and never wanted an American car. I had posters up of Ferraris, Porsches, Lambos. By the 90s I had my eyes still on Porsche and had added the MR2, RX7 and 300ZX. Heck, I even liked the Starion. But never an American car.

You're right that Toyota/Lexus doesn't really make anything sporty today. Flipside my teen cousins are really hot for new/used VW/Audi products. They're pretty easy for kids to mod. Never heard them mention American cars even though their father has a 67 Mustang in pristine condition sitting in their garage.

"Hence, they just buy a Honda or Toyota because they've heard nothing will ever go wrong with them, don't do a bit of real research, buy one with the least amount of color in the paint, and call it a day"

All my life my in-depth research has said that Toyota, Lexus, and Honda have superior dependability. People do the research and they buy some imported cars because of it. Sure any car will have problems but this statement above is worthless.

The featured cars are all amazing, some due to the engineering, others only for their looks, so it pains me to say this. These ads reek of desparation. It is not unlike that certain 40-something friend, trying desparately to hold on to his/her youth, continually retelling old stories about his/her looks and abilities, and attempting pathetically to cling on to their old lifestyle.

I think these ads are fanstastic, particularly understanding their context in past enthusiast settings. The cars were manufactured marvels - built to a price, while featuring breakthrough styling and engineering.

Even considering they were somewhat disposable compared to modern-car reliability, they showed off American manufacturing prowess at that time. Hot rodders and customizers maintain this tradition by keeping these antiques running and vibrant by fabricating repairs and customizations.

I think tapping into this history as a rally point for the future is a great idea!

@1487: Honda has a significant design and racing heritage. While you're at it, go back and do a little research on the Toyota 2000GT from the 1960s. Or take a look at the racing record of the BRE/Datsun 510s and 240Zs.

You reveal your own willful ignorance with statements like "unlike every Japanese/Korean auto company they actually have a history of great design, performance. . ."

"Wow, I grew up in the 80s and never wanted an American car. I had posters up of Ferraris, Porsches, Lambos. By the 90s I had my eyes still on Porsche and had added the MR2, RX7 and 300ZX. Heck, I even liked the Starion. But never an American car."

I grew up in the '70s and built a few SB Chevys. I still have a soft spot for SS/Z28 Camaros- I even get called on to rebuild Q-Jets every now and then. That said, my true dream cars came from Munich, Maranello, and Stuttgart. Reading DED's iconic article "Turn Your Hymnals to 2002" sealed the deal.
Someday I might grab a nice 1971 Road Runner or Torino Cobra, but I doubt I'll ever buy another modern American vehicle unless I need another Wrangler- or Ford builds another Mach 1...

@stephen987: Don't forget the Mazda 787B.

"Chevy Hates on Imports." There was a time this was a way of life, and in some parts it still is. There was a belief that if you bought foreign, you were selling out your country. These cars stood for all what was right and the rice-burners were all that were wrong. People at the time perceived having billions and billions of trade deficits as a bad thing for the economy. Imagine that.

^ Wow, who knew trade deficits from buying foreign cars would be a bad thing?

"Wow, I grew up in the 80s and never wanted an American car. I had posters up of Ferraris, Porsches, Lambos. By the 90s I had my eyes still on Porsche and had added the MR2, RX7 and 300ZX. Heck, I even liked the Starion. But never an American car. "

What a shock! Who would've guessed? BDCguy has hated American cars since birth! Wonders never ceased. I was talking about JAPANESE cars, not Euro exotics. Chevy does not compete with Ferrari or Porsche. Did you know that?

The 2000 GT, how many did they make and did they acutally sell any?

The BRE/210's and 240Z's all rusted away years ago.

You can still buy rust free GM vehicles from the 60's and 70's, and still buy parts for these cars at reasonable prices.

1487 wrote:

"Chevy does not compete with Ferrari or Porsche."

What about the Corvette ZR1 or Z06? Chevy isn't known as an exotic brand but their Corvette can go toe to toe with just about any Euro Exotic and cost half the price.

Cross the line? HOW? Give me a break. It's not like they said Buy American because imports suck.

Chevy has a proud history, and they're just showing it off a little. It's not directly slamming the imports, and what they said is true (nobody did write a song about a Volvo). There are more songs written that have references to Chevy and Cadillac than any other automakers by far. That says a lot.

If the Japanese automakers had that many songs written about their vehicles, you better believe they would advertise and flaunt it too - more than Chevy has.

These billboards are great. And unlike the 20-somethings who claim to be unmoved, the target audience for these messages can actually afford to buy new cars and does so regularly. I think that there is a substantial minority of baby boomers who are bored to death by driving Japanese appliances and ready for some automotive romance. The new Camaro is a perfect example of tying Chevy's great brand history to a contemporary product. Keep it up (hey, that sounds like another billboard).

Someone said "This campaign is trying to reignite a passion for beautiful cars with personality"

That's nice, that GM is igniting a passion for cars from Ford, Mazda, and BMW, but how does this ad campaign actually help GM? Their cars have neither beauty nor personality.

"You can still buy rust free GM vehicles from the 60's and 70's"

Just not the 80's, 90's, and early 2000's.

Badum-TSH!