Chevrolet Teams Up With DreamWorks For Turbo Animated Film

Except for the select few who don’t, everyone loves turbos. And unless it’s followed by the word “lag”, just saying the word brings a smile to the faces of car drivers and enthusiasts around the world. So we can just imagine the ensuing grins after you read that Chevrolet will help power a little snail named Turbo in an upcoming animated film by DreamWorks.

Aptly named and personified (a snail named “Turbo”, get it?), Turbo represents a first-of-a-kind collaboration between Chevrolet and DreamWorks Animation for product placement, co-branding, and cross-promotion, while serving to enhance the film’s racing-inspired theme for U.S. and select international markets.

In particular, Chevrolet will play an essential role in the film’s key moments. First, Turbo (the snail) attains his speed after an encounter with a Chevrolet Camaro. Later, the Chevrolet “bowtie” logo is prominently featured in scenes at the Indianapolis 500 (which, coincidentally, is taking place this weekend).

Chevrolet design consulted with DreamWorks on the animated versions of the Camaro and Chevrolet-powered Indy cars that will appear in the movie; in addition, Chevrolet has created a special real-life replica of the Camaro featured in Turbo (below); it is a turbocharged ZL1 (oh the irony!) making 700 horsepower. The beastly-looking vehicle has been making the rounds at auto show circuit in the U.S., giving show-goers a hint of what to expect in the movie.

The Bow Tie brand will also feature Turbo in advertising leading up to the release, with the ads containing the movie’s theme of realizing dreams around Chevrolet’s recently-launched Find New Roads tagline. The comprehensive campaign, according to Chevrolet, is to include television and print (for the Chevy Traverse), a 30-second custom animated television spot (which will be translated into a variety of languages for specific international markets), online advertising, a social media push, and dealership activations in key markets.

Turbo premiers in the U.S. on July 17th, so who’s up for a movie night?

Here’s the official trailer:

The GM Authority Take

Now here’s a good marketing strategy. Talk about “getting them while they’re young”…