John Cusack Replaces Tim Allen As The Voice Of Chevrolet

You may have already seen Chevy’s “Find New Roads Anthem” commercial that introduces the brand’s new motto and campaign. While watching the ad, you probably also noticed the robotic dog (what’s up with that?), the various Chevy cars appearing in different settings, and even the awesome chase scene featuring the 2014 Corvette and a stingray-looking flying object. But what you may not have noticed is that the ad was narrated by the new voice of Chevrolet.

“With the best lineup of vehicles ever, introducing the new Chevrolet,” said the new voice during the 90-second commercial. “Why just go from ‘A’ to ‘B’ when imagination can take you everywhere?”

“Chevrolet. Find New Roads.”

The voice belongs to none other than Golden Globe-winning actor John Cusack. Known for movies such as High Fidelity, Being John Malkovich, Identity, and Grosse Pointe Blank, the 46-year-old native of Evanston, Illinois replaces comedian Tim Allen as the voiceover talent of GM’s Bow Tie brand.

The switch, according to Chevrolet global vice president of marketing Chris Perry, was part of Chevy’s transition from “Chevy Runs Deep” to “Find New Roads” — a tagline meant to resonate with Chevy customers and employees in the over 140 countries where the brand’s vehicles are now available. “Find New Roads” replaced the Centennial-focused “Chevy Runs Deep” in January of 2013.

“Tim has done such a great job for us with the new campaign, we appreciate that relationship we had,” Perry told MLive.com. “As we went to this new campaign, we though to freshen it up, we opted to get a new voice as well.”

For its part, Chevy may have found itself a new road in Cusack, whose Twitter handle reads “apocalyptic [explicit] disturber and elephant trainer”.

“We thought his voice did a great job of fitting as a persona for Chevrolet going forward,” said Perry. “We’re very excited about this new campaign. It positions Chevrolet in a new, modern contemporary light and it’s very forward-looking without discounting our past and our heritage.”

The 60-second version of the “Find New Roads Anthem” ad will continue to air on TV following its original debut during the Grammy Awards. The 90-second spot will be seen on thousands of theater screens across the country before the beginning of feature films.

The GM Authority Take

Not to be overly cynical, but does it really matter which celebrity voices an ad? Does it even have to be a celebrity? And how much is GM/Chevrolet paying for Mr. Cusack’s voice services? How much did it pay for the voice of Tim Allen? After all, does a voice of a celebrity make or break an ad, and sell more cars — or is it all about the product that’s in the commercial, in the first place?

Again, we’re asking not because we’re some kind of life-hating pessimists; instead, we simply wonder if the money spent on high-profile voice talent (that no one would even know about outside of the very well-informed, such as readers of GM Authority) could be better spent on product… perhaps allowing GM to invest in offering a greater selection of body styles in its compact offerings (read: Chevy Cruze hatch in the U.S.) or even a high-performance compact globally. Or are we just off our rocker here? Sound off in the comments below.