Canadian media outlets are experiencing Cruze control as General Motors Canada rolls-out a full-on media blitz in support of its newest vehicle.
Mike Speranzini, director of advertising for GM in Oshawa, Ont., called the new Chevrolet Cruze the automaker’s “highest short-term priority” and “critically important” to re-building the Chevrolet brand in Canada. The vehicle, which was developed and tested over six continents and refined over six million test kilometres, has already launched in 60 countries.
While he wouldn’t divulge a campaign budget, Speranzini called it the company’s “biggest investment in a long time.” Developed by longtime GM agency MacLaren McCann–with media support from M2 Universal–the integrated campaign is aimed at what Speranzini called a “broad target” of adults 25-54 in an attempt to establish a “new Chevrolet” with consumers.
“We saw an opportunity to set a new tone with Chevrolet: more energetic, youthful, cool, global and multicultural in feeling,” he said. “Over the last little while we’ve been pretty mainstream in just delivering the product attributes to the market in a pretty rational package.”
Previous Chevrolet campaigns for the likes of its Traverse, Equinox and Malibu lines, he said, highlighted key features such as fuel economy, safety features and warranty with minimal creativity. “One of the overall business objectives was to definitely work on having much more exciting and engaging creative from a consumer point of view.”
The Cruze is GM’s newest entry in the highly competitive compact car class, which has been dominated by the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla and also features the likes of the Mazda 3 and Hyundai Elantra.
TV creative establishes the “look, flavour and feel” of the launch campaign, supported by extensive print, out-of-home, online and experiential elements, said Speranzini.
Online components include a Chevrolet Canada fan page on Facebook (which currently has 314 fans), as well as an augmented reality feature on the Cruze section of the GM.ca website in which users can hold up a Cruze brochure to their computer’s webcam to “experience” the car in 3D.
The launch campaign’s centerpiece, a 30-second TV spot called “Proven,” is comprised of a series of quick-cuts showing the car’s interior and exterior while highlighting some of the global awards it has received. The spot, which is soundtracked by the Janelle Monáe song “Tightrope,” also highlights the vehicle’s best-in-class fuel efficiency, 10 standard airbags and best coverage in Canada.
The launch campaign will continue through the balance of the year, said Speranzini, with “significant activity” planned for 2011.
Many campaign elements are built around the creative platform “Don’t just drive. Cruze.”
“We knew that Cruze was a word that lent itself to a playfulness in the auto category,” said Speranzini. “It created a very positive energy.”
