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Lexus is continuing its “Darker Side of Green” advertising campaign for the new CT200h with a new video series. Comedian Whitney Cummings will interview a host of unique personalities as they drive the new hybrid hatch through their home cities. Each episode will focus on a different locality, with hotspots like San Francisco, Miami and New Orleans taking center stage.

Don’t expect the interviewees to be hardcore driving aficionados, either. Instead, Lexus has handpicked a few movers and shakers from each community to spend a little time behind the wheel of the company’s newest hybrid.

The automaker is calling the video series “Darkcasting,” and the interviews will be shot in a total of six cities across the United States. Eventually, the series will be found at the campaign web site, but the impatient among you can check out the quick trailer after the jump. The full press blast is there, too.

[Source: Lexus]

Continue reading Lexus to ‘Darkcast’ mobile talk show in CT 200h [w/video]

Lexus to ‘Darkcast’ mobile talk show in CT 200h [w/video]

General Motors‘ advertising department has seen quite a shakeup over the past year. GM chief marketing officer Joel Ewanick may have hand-picked San Francisco-based Goodby, Silverstein and Partners as his ad agency of choice, but the good ol’ boys from Campbell-Ewald still have some tricks up their sleeves for Chevy Trucks.

The world may not completely understand how and why Chevy runs deep (to be fair, we’re going to give it some time…), but nobody is going to miss the hidden meaning of GM’s new “Max and Al” campaign, which features the recognizable faces of Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld, Rules of Engagement) as Max, and Craig Robinson (The Office, Last Comic Standing, Hot Tub Time Machine) as Al.

What hidden meaning, you ask? You’ll see it clearly when you watch the videos, naturally, but basically what we have here is a message that GM’s Duramax diesel V8 engine and Allison transmission is a time-tested and proven combination that is the thinking man’s obvious choice in a segment that also includes Ford’s Power Stroke and Ram’s Cummins series.

There’s a website (www.maxandal.com), a series of videos (which you can find after the break along with the press release) an upcoming online game and even a downloadable app that’s said to be coming soon to the iPhone App Store. Oh, and what modern-day marketing campaign would be complete without a FaceBook page and a Twitter account? Not this one, that’s for sure.

Check out all the facets of this far-reaching HD pickup advertising campaign and let us know what you think of it. Us? Well, let’s just say Chevy’s got our stamp of approval so far on this one.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Videos: Chevrolet releases new “Duramax & Allison” ad campaign to promote Silverado HD

Videos: Chevrolet releases new “Duramax & Allison” ad campaign to promote Silverado HD

	Editorial: GM’s Chevy Volt advertising might work today, but it’s incredibly shortsighted Why GM may want to re-think its PR strategy.		Converted Audi A2 claims new electric vehicle distance record: 372 miles Others have gone farther, but not at 55 mph.
	Video: Chevy Volt plays spontaneity card in first commercial Is it “More Car Then Electric”?	Other news: J.D. Power says chances to really drive green in 2020 are “More Hope than Reality” LA Preview: Honda to unveil new EV concept and plug-in hybrid platform Consumer Reports: 39% of consumers will consider a hybrid or plug-in for next car

AutoblogGreen for 10.28.10

When it comes to launching a new marketing strategy and ad campaign for Chevrolet, the gorillas in the room are Chevy’s once illustrious advertising past: namely the Heartbeat of America campaign that ran from 1987 to 1994, and the “Like A Rock campaign that ran from 1991 to 2004.

Those two iconic, Hall-of-Fame caliber, indelible campaigns have made any attempt at solving Chevy’s advertising problem a nightmare for every bright-eyed, ambitious advertising or marketing manager that has taken their turn at the Chevy wheel, and the ad agency that held the account until a few months ago.

A few things have changed, though, in the last 12 months at Chevrolet and parent company General Motors. And GM chief marketing officer Joel Ewanick and his hand-picked ad agency, San Francisco ad shop Goodby, Silverstein and Partners, are trying to stage a new era for Chevy starting tonight on the MLB World Series. The effort also precedes GM’s initial public offering of stock in the new company in a few weeks. And the company is cognizant that many an investor will be watching the World Series.

To position Chevy for the future, GM and Goodby are not bashful about trying to tap the past. A 60-second so-called “Anthem” TV spot, voiced by Michigan-bred actor Tim (Home Improvement) Allen, draws on black-and-white footage of GM workers from the 1940s assembling vehicles, houses being built in the 1950s, a young couple in the 1960s full of hope and promise driving… then a cut to modern Chevrolets like Malibu, Cruze and Volt. The first line of the ad starts, “100 years ago…” A new theme line for Chevy, though Ewanick says it is not a “tagline,” is “Chevy Runs Deep.”

Continue reading…

Continue reading The Why? behind “Chevy Runs Deep” slogan

The Why? behind “Chevy Runs Deep” slogan

Remember when we mentioned that Google, through its Street View camera cars, had accidentally captured “bits of data” from unsecured WiFi networks? The search engine giant has now admitted that the street mapping cars captured quite a more. In fact, when the vehicles found open networks they were apparently able to snag passwords, emails and web pages.

How’s that? The antennae on top of a Street View car registers the name and location of any available network as it passes through a given neighborhood. This data is then used to sell advertising. Google had initially said that the antennae only captured a small amount of data, but now it appears that that potentially millions of emails and passwords were recorded.

The company says this was all a mistake and is offering an apology. As soon as they found out their cars were capable of recording such information, the entire fleet was grounded and the authorities were alerted. Google has since changed its vehicles so that they no longer collect wireless information.

This is not enough for some. According to The Daily Mail, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office is launching an investigation and Scotland Yard is checking to see if laws were broken. Privacy advocates are calling this a massive scandal, seeking further investigation and third party audits.

[Source: The Daily Mail]

Report: Google admits Street View cars swiped emails, passwords

General Motors wants you to know that, um… Chevy runs deep. We won’t pretend to know exactly what that means but we’re preparing ourselves to get used to hearing it. Apparently, it’s a new slogan that The General plans to use for marketing purposes starting this fall for the Chevrolet brand, though it won’t be used for all advertisements and won’t be attached to the Volt.

We feel the need to point out that this scheme runs exactly opposite from what the previous marketing executives had in mind for the Golden Bowtie, namely that those working for the company always call it ‘Chevrolet’ in lieu of the more slang ‘Chevy.’ But that was under the previous administration, which was recently replaced by Joel Ewanick and Chris Perry.

Ewanick and Perry are said to have formed the slogan with help from Goody, Silverstein and Partners, which was awarded the Chevrolet marketing account after the brand’s short stint with Publicis Worldwide and a 91-year relationship with Campbell-Ewald.

What do you think? Is this new slogan a winner? Is it better than the last few attempts by the brand to reinvent its marketing material in the States?

View Poll

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Report: New slogan ‘Chevy runs deep’ coming this fall [w/poll]

If we had to pick a printer company on the merits of its advertising stunts alone, Epson would hands-down be our favorite. Along with cranking out an awesome 1:1 scale paper replica of an NSX racer not too long ago, the company recently decided to pit its newest printer against an Ariel Atom 3. The premise is simple: The printer would begin printing a scale replica of said track at the exact same time as the Atom would begin slinging corners. The company even bolted the printer to the car and threw in a genuine command center for little extra drama.

Which machine comes out on top? You can probably guess given who’s sponsoring this shindig, but we won’t spoil it for you, either. Hit the jump to check out the spot for yourself. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got a sudden urge to go buy some ink cartridges.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Ariel Atom dices it up on the track against… an Epson printer?!

Video: Ariel Atom dices it up on the track against… an Epson printer?!

General Motors has been advertising its “extended-range electric vehicle” since 2007, but does anyone remember the first video commercial for the Chevrolet Volt? It first aired back in late 2007 and featured a dog licking a person’s foot. The gist? You care about the environment and save water on showers by having Fido lick your feet; Chevy cares about the environment and so it’s working on the Volt (watch the 30-second spot here).

In the very near future – i.e., during the World Series – GM will begin airing a series of new commercials using the Volt’s just-revealed new tagline: “More Car Than Electric.” We got a sneak preview of these commercials during a Volt media event last week (and promised we wouldn’t reveal anything about the visuals or the voiceovers) but thought that the slogan might generate some discussion.

Is it convincing? Does it do what it needs to do? We’ll soon get an idea of how the general public reacts, but what’s your first take?

[Source: GM]

Chevy Volt tagline: “More Car Than Electric”

Ford has been named Advertising Age magazine’s Marketer of the Year for 2010. The full-court press that the Blue Oval team has been applying continues to pay off, with $4.7 billion in profit for the first half of 2010 – a 17-percent boost over 2009 and the biggest company payday since 1998. No single part of Ford’s strategy is a selfish star player; Jim Farley, Ford’s vice president of global marketing has plotted a course for combining disciplines since his arrival in Dearborn.

Ford named Marketer of the Year by Advertising Age

Ralph Nader isn’t finished. The man whose fame has long outlasted the first car he took to task is now gnawing at Toyota over claims the company makes in its print advertising: “That’s why we’re spending a million dollars an hour on research and development.” In a letter Nader wrote to the U.S. sales chief Toyota, Jim Lentz, he states that an $8.7 billion investment in R&D is “astonishing,” and he’d like to know precisely how that amount is spent.

The larger issue, however, might be Nader coming so late to the game. After all, Toyota released a commercial in June in which the narrator says, “At Toyota, we care about your safety. That’s why we’re investing one million dollars every hour to improve our technology and your safety.” Everyone, including the New York Times, wanted to know how Toyota could be spending a million an hour on safety.

A Toyota rep responded to the NYT by saying “The $1,000,000 an hour claim represents all Toyota R&D spending globally, much of that allocated to new quality and safety technologies.” True, that doesn’t exactly answer Nader’s question since he moves the discussion from spending on safety to spending on R&D, but the claim relies on how Toyota defines R&D. Even though Nader says the term “has a specific meaning,” it’s amorphous enough that we’re sure Toyota can defend it… if that’s even necessary. Lentz says he’ll respond to Nader directly.

[Source: USA Today]

Continue reading Ralph Nader calls out Toyota on R&D spending

Ralph Nader calls out Toyota on R&D spending

Land Rover is getting ready to roll out a new ad campaign in support of the 2011 Freelander 2, a vehicle we know here as the LR2. You might expect Land Rover to go the traditional route of glamorous clean shots of the car mixed with a flurry of scenes highlighting its off-road capability. That’s not the case here, as it has decided to go in another direction… a rather squishy one at that.

Land Rover is harnessing the advertising power of claymation to promote the new LR2. The “star” of the commercial, besides the little luxury utility vehicle, is a character by the name of Clay Mason. The Mason character discusses his past claymation acting history, his tough work schedule on this shoot and what it was like to drive the 2011 LR2. It’s actually a little on the creepy side…

The spot took five weeks to shoot and then another four weeks were required for editing and production. There’s an astonishing two-tons of modeling clay on display, and the team built a fully operational scale LR2 model for the shoot. It will air in the United Kingdom starting January 2011. The clip, along with a making-of video, is available for your viewing pleasure after the jump.

[Source: Land Rover]

Continue reading Video: Land Rover revisits claymation for new Freelander/LR2 ad campaign

Video: Land Rover revisits claymation for new Freelander/LR2 ad campaign

Continue reading Video: What is the sound of Audi?

Video: What is the sound of Audi?

Audi is always up for some unique marketing opportunities. For a new campaign called “The Audi Spectacle” it might be going way up. A campaign presented by the Access ad agency has Audi reinventing the concept of the billboard, with its famous four rings taking over some of the worlds most iconic landmarks.

The Brooklyn Bridge in New York, Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia, Tower Bridge in London and the Rialto Bridge in Venice have been presented as potential candidates for the advertising treatment. The life-size installations could be beautiful, but would attaching advertising to global treasures be going too far to spread a brand’s message?

If you think that’s the case, don’t get too worked up just yet. The campaign is just a concept at this point, and the potential backlash could kill the idea before it… ummm… gets off the ground.

[Source: Access Agency via Co.Design]

Concept Audi billboard hangs real cars from landmark bridges

The Rose Bowl Parade has been title-sponsor free for 121 straight years, bucking the trend that’s taken hold over the past couple decades. Well, that’s over. Honda has apparently backed up the truck for naming rights. This year, get ready for the 122nd Rose Parade Presented by Honda. While Honda is the event’s first title sponsor, the automaker and the famous parade have been linked through advertising for the past 50 years.

Nobody is talking at this point about how much Honda paid for the honor, but we’re fairly certain the bags of cash were heavy and plentiful. The biggest question now concerns the products Honda will choose to showcase during the parade. One option that comes to mind is a nationally-televised start to the 2012 Civic campaign. We have no idea whether Honda will be ready to tout the new Civic by next January, but it would make sense to take advantage of the national stage to do so.

[Source: USA Today]

Honda becomes Rose Bowl Parade’s first-ever title sponsor

	Chelsea Sexton: SB 535, HOV access for plug-in and the unintended consequences of easy political wins It could be a confusing future, if California’s recent law is any indication.		Ad revenue could flow from electric car chargers Nothing is immune.
	Spy Shots: Are you the Toyota Prius minivan? The possible name? Prius Alpha.	Other news: GM and Microsoft team up on virtual Chevy Volt advertising GM announces Customer Advisory Board for Chevy Volt Bye, bye BYD for Buffett?

AutoblogGreen for 09.29.10

The Dodge “Freedom” ad still stands out in our minds as an example of excellent automotive advertising. The spot shows British troops patrolling on U.S. soil when a cavalry of American troops are led out of the woods. Helming the charge is a no-nonsense George Washington behind the wheel of a Dodge Challenger. The British troops flee and the U.S. marches on towards its eventual freedom from the Queen’s empire. Fast forward a few hundred years and our friends across the pond are not buying Dodge vehicles the way the automaker would prefer, and company insiders have told Autocar that the brand will no longer sell cars in the United Kingdom.

Recently, Dodge pulled the plug on the Nitro and Caliber due to dismal sales. Now we hear it has also waxed the Journey from price lists – the last Dodge model for sale over there. According to Autocar, Fiat plans to utilize the existing dealer network to launch Chrysler-badged Lancias throughout the UK and Europe.

It’s typically sad news to hear an automaker forced to pull out of a specific region or area, but in this case, it seems like Chrysler and Fiat are making smart choices. If the two work together to sell the right vehicles where people want to buy them, then this American-Italian marriage is getting off on the right foot.

[Source: Autocar]

Report: No more Dodge vehicles for UK buyers

Imagine sitting down to this with your morning coffee. Volkswagen has teamed up with The Times Of India to insert an audio chip into its full-page ad on the back of the newspaper. Nifty, yes, but we wouldn’t be surprised to learn that a handful of readers were startled enough to blow tea out their nose. It’s an unexpected piece of advertising, but it certainly draws in a reader’s attention.

According to the folks at Wired, the audio chip appears to use a photodiode (a device that controls an electric current based on the presence of a light source) attached to a small battery for power. The audio loop is activated once the newspaper is opened and keeps playing until the paper is shut (or until cereal milk is spilled on it – whichever comes first). Seeing is believing, though, so hit the jump to watch a video of the talking ad in action.

[Source: Wired]

Continue reading Video: Volkswagen rigs newspaper to play audio ad

Video: Volkswagen rigs newspaper to play audio ad

As Americans, there’s no denying we have a healthy obsession with the lives of celebrities. From movie stars like Will Smith down to reality television “stars” like The Situation, people are curious as to what’s going on in their world. What clothes do they wear, where do they get their groceries and what kind of car(s) do they buy? Sometimes a celebrity won’t have much say in the vehicle they drive because they sign a sizable endorsement deal to tell us which vehicle we should be driving. As sales numbers for thousands of celeb-endorsed products will tell you, their stamp of approval can make a difference in a bust or boom period for a product. Well, as long as that product isn’t a car.

According to WhatCar, celebrity endorsements only affect one percent of car buyers. They polled over 1,000 folks and just 11 said they could be encouraged by someone famous telling them what to buy. Obviously, a car buyer should purchase the vehicle that makes the most sense to them, not the one that Kate Walsh (above) likens to trying on a good dress. Exceptions can be made, however, for anyone who purchased a Chrysler Cordoba because of its soft Corinthian leather, of which the virtues were extolled beautifully by Ricardo “KHAN” Montalban.

What say you? Can Justin Timberlake convince you to buy an Audi or does Mike Rowe explaining how great the Ford F-150 is make you picture a Chevrolet Silverado in your driveway?

View Poll

[Source: WhatCar]

Study: Car buyers not impressed by celeb endorsements. How about you? [w/poll]

The testimonial is one of advertising’s oldest weapons. It’s a simple formula: If someone spent his or her hard-earned money on a product and lived to tell about it, chances are it will be good enough for you. But where do advertising companies come up with the jokers that we see splashed all over our television screens? It turns out that they look to one individual with a knack for finding people who are especially loyal to a specific brand or product. Her name is Danya Solomon.

Solomon is responsible for rounding up the everyday Joes and Janes we’ve seen on ads from Ford and Toyota lately. She spends her days scouring the internet, standing in parking lots and busting down pool-hall doors to find consumers who are passionate about the products they buy. The next time you see an average atomic family stand up and profess their love for a sedan, chances are Solomon had something to do with bringing them to the small screen. Hit the jump to see a few of the commercials she helped cast.

[Source: AOL Autos]

Continue reading The woman who tracks down real customers for car commercials [w/ video]

The woman who tracks down real customers for car commercials [w/ video]

Despite its recent financial woes and a bout with organized labor, Harley-Davidson is actually paying out dividends this quarter. If you happen to own some of the company’s common stock, you can expect to see a check in the mail for around ten cents a share. That’s not exactly money to retire on, but hey, last time we checked, no one turns down a free dime. As of this writing, Harley-Davidson, Inc. (HOG, NYSE) is trading at around $28.45 per share.

H-D recently went through a number of significant changes. After rumors spread that Harley-Davidson planned to leave Wisconsin in favor of greener labor pastures, the company’s unionized workforce renegotiated for terms that ensured the bike maker would stay up north for at least another seven years. Likewise, Harley sent its longtime advertising agency, Carmichael Lynch, packing.

[Source: Asphalt and Rubber]

Report: Harley-Davidson issuing stock dividend