Blue Ox - Marketing case study - The C5
10-01-2012, 07:37 PM
#1
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Blue Ox - Marketing case study - The C5
I know you've been critical of how GM is handling the C7 buzz. Thought you'd be interested in this - the press release issued in March before the C5's debut.
I remember this campaign well - it was the first time GM had ever referred to Corvettes by generation. This ad campaign started the entire "C4, C5, C6..." nomenclature. Prior to these ads Corvettes were just Corvettes. They were playing off the whole spy photos thing and supposedly releasing insider info. This was after the reveal at the Detroit Auto Show so we knew what the car looked like. '97 was a short model year and they started taking orders right after this release.
The stinky little secret is GM planned to release the car to dealers so it could be ON SALE IN SHOWROOMS on the day of the reveal in January. Quality problems delayed deliveries until March.
FOR RELEASE: March 3, 1997
CONTACT: Chevrolet Communications
Phone: (800) CHEVY-MI or: (810) 492-8841
Fax: (810) 492-8853
Advertising the All New Chevrolet Corvette
Capitalizing on Corvette “Spies”
WARREN, Mich. - Chevrolet is capitalizing on the intense curiosity surrounding its 1997 fifth-generation Corvette by using a spy theme in its launch advertising, which begins March 7.
The secrecy theme runs throughout TV and print ads, including a unique magazine insert cleverly designed to look like an official Chevrolet dossier of secret 1997 Corvette information.
Spearheading the launch campaign are 30- and 60-second television spots that show industrial spies monitoring the performance of a world-class sports car, only to discover that they have been watching the all-new Corvette that the automotive world has anticipated for months.
“A unique car needs a unique ad campaign,” said Corvette Brand Manager Dick Almond. “These ads pass that test. They are well-targeted at auto enthusiasts who have been eagerly anticipating the all-new Corvette.”
The 60-second spot will begin airing March 7 on network television and in 2,600 movie theaters across the country. Corvette’s high-profile media schedule includes such programs as the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and Final Four Championship as well as Academy Awards.
“The theater tie-in is appropriate because we wanted to treat the commercial like a movie trailer -- not as just another ad,” said Bill Ludwig, Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Campbell-Ewald, Chevrolet’s advertising agency. “To get that feel, we needed the experience of an actual feature-film director. We found that talent in Andrew Davis, whose credits include The Fugitive and Under Siege.”
The major print component of the campaign -- the official looking Corvette dossier -- is designed to pique curiosity. Wrapped in a mini manila file folder with “C5 Limited Access” crudely stamped on its cover, the file contains photos of what appear to be internal documents covering the all-new Corvette’s powertrain, performance, structure, materials, suspension and electronics, as well as photos of the car itself.
The dossier-insert has been running in March issues of auto enthusiast and business magazines.
Another print ad -- “Announcing the Death of Speculation” -- was written in conjunction with Corvette Vehicle Line Executive David Hill. The two-page ad completes the story of the new Corvette -- from consumer research to Corvette performance. It will run in the May issue of monthly magazines and in April weeklies.
Other print components of the 1997 Corvette launch include a 44-page dealer showroom brochure and a 120-page collector’s issue of Corvette Quarterly magazine. The magazine will be distributed through major bookstore chains across the country, and sent to Corvette owners and prospective owners.
Corvette advertising will also be featured on the Internet revealing far more than the teaser information that was released just prior to the Corvette’s public debut at the Detroit and Los Angeles auto shows in January.
“That public unveiling was broadcast live worldwide on the Internet,” said Almond. “Our on-line Corvette coverage of the auto show debut generated 17,000 visitors to the Chevrolet website, triple the normal daily volume, and a rate which we were able to sustain for several days thereafter.”
I remember this campaign well - it was the first time GM had ever referred to Corvettes by generation. This ad campaign started the entire "C4, C5, C6..." nomenclature. Prior to these ads Corvettes were just Corvettes. They were playing off the whole spy photos thing and supposedly releasing insider info. This was after the reveal at the Detroit Auto Show so we knew what the car looked like. '97 was a short model year and they started taking orders right after this release.
The stinky little secret is GM planned to release the car to dealers so it could be ON SALE IN SHOWROOMS on the day of the reveal in January. Quality problems delayed deliveries until March.
FOR RELEASE: March 3, 1997
CONTACT: Chevrolet Communications
Phone: (800) CHEVY-MI or: (810) 492-8841
Fax: (810) 492-8853
Advertising the All New Chevrolet Corvette
Capitalizing on Corvette “Spies”
WARREN, Mich. - Chevrolet is capitalizing on the intense curiosity surrounding its 1997 fifth-generation Corvette by using a spy theme in its launch advertising, which begins March 7.
The secrecy theme runs throughout TV and print ads, including a unique magazine insert cleverly designed to look like an official Chevrolet dossier of secret 1997 Corvette information.
Spearheading the launch campaign are 30- and 60-second television spots that show industrial spies monitoring the performance of a world-class sports car, only to discover that they have been watching the all-new Corvette that the automotive world has anticipated for months.
“A unique car needs a unique ad campaign,” said Corvette Brand Manager Dick Almond. “These ads pass that test. They are well-targeted at auto enthusiasts who have been eagerly anticipating the all-new Corvette.”
The 60-second spot will begin airing March 7 on network television and in 2,600 movie theaters across the country. Corvette’s high-profile media schedule includes such programs as the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and Final Four Championship as well as Academy Awards.
“The theater tie-in is appropriate because we wanted to treat the commercial like a movie trailer -- not as just another ad,” said Bill Ludwig, Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Campbell-Ewald, Chevrolet’s advertising agency. “To get that feel, we needed the experience of an actual feature-film director. We found that talent in Andrew Davis, whose credits include The Fugitive and Under Siege.”
The major print component of the campaign -- the official looking Corvette dossier -- is designed to pique curiosity. Wrapped in a mini manila file folder with “C5 Limited Access” crudely stamped on its cover, the file contains photos of what appear to be internal documents covering the all-new Corvette’s powertrain, performance, structure, materials, suspension and electronics, as well as photos of the car itself.
The dossier-insert has been running in March issues of auto enthusiast and business magazines.
Another print ad -- “Announcing the Death of Speculation” -- was written in conjunction with Corvette Vehicle Line Executive David Hill. The two-page ad completes the story of the new Corvette -- from consumer research to Corvette performance. It will run in the May issue of monthly magazines and in April weeklies.
Other print components of the 1997 Corvette launch include a 44-page dealer showroom brochure and a 120-page collector’s issue of Corvette Quarterly magazine. The magazine will be distributed through major bookstore chains across the country, and sent to Corvette owners and prospective owners.
Corvette advertising will also be featured on the Internet revealing far more than the teaser information that was released just prior to the Corvette’s public debut at the Detroit and Los Angeles auto shows in January.
“That public unveiling was broadcast live worldwide on the Internet,” said Almond. “Our on-line Corvette coverage of the auto show debut generated 17,000 visitors to the Chevrolet website, triple the normal daily volume, and a rate which we were able to sustain for several days thereafter.”
Find
10-01-2012, 07:44 PM
#3
Well of course. I've been getting $200 a crack to **** CFers off here on the C7 Forum for over 6 months. It's really easy money and it keeps them coming back!
This is funny. You are trying to somehow equate what happened in 1997 (with a campaign) with utter silence now? That is really funny. I guess maybe your take is that all the Jalopnik/Keeks/spyshot stuff is just part of the campaign. Well, if that is true, it is brilliant. Sadly, it is pissing a lot of existing owners and those who don't like the Camaro off big time.
This is funny. You are trying to somehow equate what happened in 1997 (with a campaign) with utter silence now? That is really funny. I guess maybe your take is that all the Jalopnik/Keeks/spyshot stuff is just part of the campaign. Well, if that is true, it is brilliant. Sadly, it is pissing a lot of existing owners and those who don't like the Camaro off big time.
Last edited by BlueOx; 10-01-2012 at 07:54 PM.
10-01-2012, 08:06 PM
#4
Burning Brakes
Well of course. I've been getting $200 a crack to **** CFers off here on the C7 Forum for over 6 months. It's really easy money and it keeps them coming back!
This is funny. You are trying to somehow equate what happened in 1997 (with a campaign) with utter silence now? That is really funny. I guess maybe your take is that all the Jalopnik/Keeks/spyshot stuff is just part of the campaign. Well, if that is true, it is brilliant. Sadly, it is pissing a lot of existing owners and those who don't like the Camaro off big time.
This is funny. You are trying to somehow equate what happened in 1997 (with a campaign) with utter silence now? That is really funny. I guess maybe your take is that all the Jalopnik/Keeks/spyshot stuff is just part of the campaign. Well, if that is true, it is brilliant. Sadly, it is pissing a lot of existing owners and those who don't like the Camaro off big time.
Why do you have to respond with condescending sarcastic negativity? "You are trying to somehow equate...?" Umm... no.
"I guess maybe your take is..." Umm... no.
Perhaps you could consider phrasing your comments in terms of YOUR opinions and takes on the issue, rather than setting up and shooting down opinions for others that they haven't stated?
10-01-2012, 08:27 PM
#5
Drifting
Great find, Bucky. Thanks for posting. I have a couple of those 'Spy Ads' someplace. I remember the endless debates about how the 1997 model could be the 'Fifth Generation'.
"But they changed the body in '56."
"But the chassis didn't change in '68."
The final answer was, of course, it was the Fifth Generation because GM said it was.
David
"But they changed the body in '56."
"But the chassis didn't change in '68."
The final answer was, of course, it was the Fifth Generation because GM said it was.
David
10-01-2012, 08:34 PM
#6
I simply don't understand your antagonism in the above post, Ox. Go back and read what Bucky actually wrote. He presented a past press release. Completely factually without any judgment positive or negative. Absolutely no criticism of you. The only time he mentioned your name was along with "Thought you'd be interested."
Why do you have to respond with condescending sarcastic negativity? "You are trying to somehow equate...?" Umm... no.
"I guess maybe your take is..." Umm... no.
Perhaps you could consider phrasing your comments in terms of YOUR opinions and takes on the issue, rather than setting up and shooting down opinions for others that they haven't stated?
Why do you have to respond with condescending sarcastic negativity? "You are trying to somehow equate...?" Umm... no.
"I guess maybe your take is..." Umm... no.
Perhaps you could consider phrasing your comments in terms of YOUR opinions and takes on the issue, rather than setting up and shooting down opinions for others that they haven't stated?
I have to assume that by putting this out there that he is somehow equating what is happening now by GM with what happened in 1997. I believe he is wrong. The fact is that GM had a significant campaign going at the time whereas they have no C7 campaign going at the moment unless you believe that the Jal/Keeks/etc is part of that campaign. I don't believe that.
BTW, Bucky can talk for himself. He can also PM me info if he wishes.
10-01-2012, 10:25 PM
#8
10-02-2012, 12:18 AM
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BO and I have been going round and round about GM's marketing plan for the C7 for a while now. He thinks they should be promoting it now. I think they will wait until much closer to launch. Then I stumbled upon this release.
My point is simply that when the C5 came out GM launched the ad campaign on the day they started selling the car and not a bit before. I don't know if that's good or bad but they sold the 97 model from March to July and sold almost 10,000 cars. In '98 they sold around 32,000.
They relied on magazine buzz and auto shows in those pre-CF days.
My point is simply that when the C5 came out GM launched the ad campaign on the day they started selling the car and not a bit before. I don't know if that's good or bad but they sold the 97 model from March to July and sold almost 10,000 cars. In '98 they sold around 32,000.
They relied on magazine buzz and auto shows in those pre-CF days.
Last edited by BuckyThreadkiller; 10-02-2012 at 12:21 AM.
10-02-2012, 09:40 AM
#14
The Prius took a number of years to sell well but it is the 3rd best-selling car on the planet now. Bloomberg said Toyota sold 247,230 Prii in the first quarter of this year! GM would be wise to tap as deeply into that market as they can. We should hope that the Volt sells well as that helps takes CAFE pressure off the Corvette.
10-02-2012, 10:04 AM
#15
BO and I have been going round and round about GM's marketing plan for the C7 for a while now. He thinks they should be promoting it now. I think they will wait until much closer to launch. Then I stumbled upon this release.
My point is simply that when the C5 came out GM launched the ad campaign on the day they started selling the car and not a bit before. I don't know if that's good or bad but they sold the 97 model from March to July and sold almost 10,000 cars. In '98 they sold around 32,000.
They relied on magazine buzz and auto shows in those pre-CF days.
My point is simply that when the C5 came out GM launched the ad campaign on the day they started selling the car and not a bit before. I don't know if that's good or bad but they sold the 97 model from March to July and sold almost 10,000 cars. In '98 they sold around 32,000.
They relied on magazine buzz and auto shows in those pre-CF days.
As you say, that was 14 yrs ago in the days before the huge social media explosion and before some of the competition arrived on scene or was considered competition. The economy was very different.
I've never said GM should be doing a full-blown tv-magazine marketing campaign yet. Obviously, I would have preferred the C7 out 1-2 yrs ago but I certainly understand why they couldn't. Honestly, we are darn lucky there is a C7 Corvette to be pondering at all.
Just a few real GM teasers that whet the appetite...maybe a series of 15-30 second YouTube/FaceBook tech/performance/interior/infotainment teasers. It wouldn't be hard to make 2-3 of these things just on the Gen V C7 engine-related info alone without revealing all.
Today this is now a far more global audience and people are making longer-term buying decisions now that could be influenced by a few pieces here and there.
Some of the news like no Super Bowl ads/no FaceBook ads/big trouble in the GM marketing/design areas give the sense of incompetence. Add to that the complete official silence filled with Jal/Keeks info that folks don't know if they can trust makes GM look a bit lost when it comes to Corvette. A little positive communication can counter some of this negativity and create a positive impression.
10-02-2012, 10:07 AM
#16
Le Mans Master
“That public unveiling was broadcast live worldwide on the Internet,” said Almond. “Our on-line Corvette coverage of the auto show debut generated 17,000 visitors to the Chevrolet website, triple the normal daily volume, and a rate which we were able to sustain for several days thereafter.”
Sometimes it's hard to remember how different things were just 15 years ago. 
Last edited by BillY2KFRC; 10-02-2012 at 10:09 AM.
10-02-2012, 10:13 AM
#17
Drifting
God knows the relevancy of this reply but (all this talk reminded me of it)...
When Infinity was being introduced, there were "teaser" commercials all over the TV. They never showed a vehicle. Just talked about it. One showed a forest scene (from the interior) and they just rolled the window up to let the viewer "hear" the silence from inside. Seems like that "roll-out" was successful.
When Infinity was being introduced, there were "teaser" commercials all over the TV. They never showed a vehicle. Just talked about it. One showed a forest scene (from the interior) and they just rolled the window up to let the viewer "hear" the silence from inside. Seems like that "roll-out" was successful.
10-02-2012, 10:58 AM
#18
Melting Slicks
God knows the relevancy of this reply but (all this talk reminded me of it)...
When Infinity was being introduced, there were "teaser" commercials all over the TV. They never showed a vehicle. Just talked about it. One showed a forest scene (from the interior) and they just rolled the window up to let the viewer "hear" the silence from inside. Seems like that "roll-out" was successful.
When Infinity was being introduced, there were "teaser" commercials all over the TV. They never showed a vehicle. Just talked about it. One showed a forest scene (from the interior) and they just rolled the window up to let the viewer "hear" the silence from inside. Seems like that "roll-out" was successful.
The Lexus LS 400 and the Infinti Q45 hit the streets about the same time and the Lexus outsold Infiniti 2 to 1. Right away the ad campaign for Infiniti was blamed for the low sales. In reality, the Lexus LS was a better fit in the market at the time.
I have said this a thousand times ----It is all about product, product, product.......
10-02-2012, 11:10 AM
#19
Le Mans Master
God knows the relevancy of this reply but (all this talk reminded me of it)...
When Infinity was being introduced, there were "teaser" commercials all over the TV. They never showed a vehicle. Just talked about it. One showed a forest scene (from the interior) and they just rolled the window up to let the viewer "hear" the silence from inside. Seems like that "roll-out" was successful.
When Infinity was being introduced, there were "teaser" commercials all over the TV. They never showed a vehicle. Just talked about it. One showed a forest scene (from the interior) and they just rolled the window up to let the viewer "hear" the silence from inside. Seems like that "roll-out" was successful.
10-02-2012, 11:29 AM
#20
Drifting
I was involved with Infiniti at that time and you brought up something interesting.
The Lexus LS 400 and the Infinti Q45 hit the streets about the same time and the Lexus outsold Infiniti 2 to 1. Right away the ad campaign for Infiniti was blamed for the low sales. In reality, the Lexus LS was a better fit in the market at the time.
I have said this a thousand times ----It is all about product, product, product.......
The Lexus LS 400 and the Infinti Q45 hit the streets about the same time and the Lexus outsold Infiniti 2 to 1. Right away the ad campaign for Infiniti was blamed for the low sales. In reality, the Lexus LS was a better fit in the market at the time.
I have said this a thousand times ----It is all about product, product, product.......
Wasn't sure of the immediate success of the advertising approach but assumed it was successful considering the success of that brand today.