There were several Chevrolet ads that aired during last night’s Super Bowl XLVI. And somewhere in between Tom Brady’s safety and Madonna’s occult halftime show, Chevy’s “2012” ad featuring the Silverado got its airtime, much to Ford’s dismay. Ford’s beef with it all was Chevy’s verbal sucker punch at the end of the ad, which seemed to tell people that if you’re driving an F-Series pickup during Armageddon, you’re not making it through alive. Because according to data, the Silverado is “the most dependable truck on the road”. However, the fine print below the ad reads “dependability based on longevity: 1981-2011 full-size pickup registrations.” Ironic, considering the ad is set in 2012.
So, just how pissed did The Blue Oval get, and what sort of action was taken? On the eve of the big game, Ford “pressured” Chevy, and subsequently NBC, to pull the $7 million, one-minute car ad, according to Yahoo!’s Motoramic blog. Ford’s Mike Levine (formally of Pickuptrucks.com) wasn’t a fan either, noting that there are more Ford trucks running with over 250,000 miles on the odometer than any other make.
GM marketing chief Joel Ewanick replied in tongue-in-cheek fashion.
“We stand by our claims in the commercial, that the Silverado is the most dependable, longest-lasting full-size pickup on the road. The ad is a fun way of putting this claim in the context of the apocalypse,” said Ewanick. “We can wait until the world ends, and if we need to, we will apologize. In the meantime, people who are really worried about the Mayan calendar coming true should buy a Silverado right away.”
While Ford and Chevy continue their rivalry, have a look at the enraging ad just below, and have a Twinkie while reading the presser.
Comments
Well it’s kinda stupid that ford is mad because they’re the first one to start the threat of saying that their domestic rivalry are government owned( I’m pretty sure that everybody knows that commercial)
They took that ad down, but it’s still stupid for Ford to get so worked up over an ad just because gm said their trucks are the best(that’s what everyone including ford says) and it’s also stupid of ford to think that consumers are going to run out and get a chevy instead of a f150 because of that ad.
But then when Ford made the commercial, GM didn’t come out and got butt hurt to tell them take that down (or at least I don’t think they did) it was the government tell them to take it down.
Next ford is going to ask the the FTC and the WTO to put tariffs on vihicles imported from Detroit.
So, if …. “it’s also stupid of ford to think that consumers are going to run out and get a chevy instead of a f150 because of that ad … ” why run it? I wish GM would spend that good money on engineering and production rather than marketing. When I watch TV I see GM ads all the time. (I like Hawaii 50.) I see a lot more when compared to Ford. It tells me that Ford, relative to GM, spends more on the product. In my mind that’s a plus for Ford over GM. Wonder if Reuss understands that some people think that way.
Unfortunately, Jim, business doesn’t work like that. You can build the best vehicle in the world, but if nobody knows about it then it will be a flop. People just aren’t that willing to dig for themselves to find out the truth. That’s why BMW does so well. People just turn a blind eye on the fact that they are unreliable and poorly built, simply because they advertise so heavily and have all those car magazines in their pocket. In the grand scheme of things, $7 million wouldn’t buy much development either. Not in terms of what GM really needs to do in some areas. Might as well spend the chump change on advertising…
Here’s what I would do if I were running GM. I’d engineer my vehicles so that they get rated Best in Class, then advertise that they are Best in Class. Should cost a lot less than dropping cars out of planes, hanging cars from bungee cords, creating catastrophic scenes, etc.. Marketing gimmicks, like the All Activity Vehicle Concept, could also be cut. Most buyers read reviews when making a major purchase, then they let their own tastes and opinions form the final verdict at the dealership. The Internet has changed how products are viewed and evaluated.
Regarding BMW, I think they hit the mark in terms of design, features, and performance, but fail miserably in reliability and maintenance/repair costs. At least that’s been my experience. I bought my MINI because it was the only small car at the time that was also comfortable for someone over six feet tall. It was also a car with some class. It was another example of American failure (neglect of high-end small cars during an era of rising fuel costs) becoming the gain of a foreign manufacturer. My purchase had nothing to do with TV advertising. I compared cars at an auto show. But things are beginning to change, and I think the truth will eventually catch up with BMW.
Ford should just ignore the GM ads. Ford knows they are #1
hey mike your on a gm website here
my favourite part about this is if you’ve seen the ram ads they do the same thing to ford but try to stay away from chevy