General Motors' Chevrolet brand turns 100 on November 3rd. To celebrate its pending centenary, GM is debuting the commercial above during the first game of the 2011 World Series, which starts at 7:30 pm ET on FOX.
As the Texas Rangers play the St. Louis Cardinals, viewers who stick around during the commercial breaks (or catch the #chevy100 hashtag on Twitter) will see "Then and Now," a spot featuring Ray Charles' live version of America the Beautiful and the voiceover of celebrity spokesman Tim Allen, along with vintage photos from Chevy's archives, fans, employees and Flickr.
The "Chevy Runs Deep" tagline is included, while Allen intones: "For the first hundred years, and for generations to come. Thank you for making us a part of your life." According to The New York Times' Stuart Elliott, the spot, by Omnicom's Goodby, Silverstein & Partners agency, compliments a pair of online campaigns already underway.
A Facebook-based centennial campaign, also by Goodby, Silverstein, is called “The Ride of Your Life,” promoted with this spot:
The other online campaign, called “The Road We’re On,” is produced by the New York office of Mother. This campaign offers video clips from around the country, while participants can choose from among six Chevrolets to feature in short videos.
When “it’s your birthday, you have a tendency to look back at what you’ve accomplished and look forward at what lies ahead,” said Chris Perry, vice president for Chevrolet marketing and global strategy at G.M., to the Times. As much as Chevrolet is enjoying the celebration, “we’re not going to overdo it,” Perry told the Times. “We’re not using it to pound our chest.”
It's a good time to be a heritage brand celebrating a significant milestone, Elliott argues:
Brands that are marking milestone anniversaries sometimes shy from playing them up because of a perception that younger consumers find little of interest in product heritage. That may be different now, however, because since the financial crisis there is more of an interest among so-called millennial consumers in brands with histories and track records, particularly those with American roots.
The history of Chevrolet 'resonates' with younger consumers, Mr. Perry said, in that the brand has 'played an integral part in American culture and is woven into the fabric of America.' At the same time, he added, there is 'a nod to the future' in the campaign in that the commercial features current models like the Volt and Silverado.
Chevrolet Europe, meanwhile, released the following Centennial video to showcase the brand's founder, Louis Chevrolet, born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, as one of seven children:
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