Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C7 Forum - View Single Post

Rocky1974 · 02-09-2012, 09:47 AM

February 5, 2012 at 11:42 pm
GM doesn't pull Super Bowl ad that tweaks Ford

By David Shepardson and Bryce G. Hoffman
The Detroit News

General Motors Co. stuck with a Chevrolet Super Bowl ad that implies a Ford truck owner dies along with much of the rest of humanity as a group of Silverado owners ride out the apocalypse, despite Ford Motor Co. calling for its rival to pull the ad.
GM defended what it called a "good-humored" spoof on Mayan predictions that the world as we know it will end in 2012.
The ad shows a Silverado navigating a "completely over-the-top, outrageous version of the devastation and destruction predicted to occur this year by the Mayan calendar includes giant attack robots, meteors and frogs falling from the sky," GM said in a statement. "A group of friends, who are Silverado owners, makes its way to the designated meeting spot but notice one of their buddies is missing. The missing friend, however, did not drive a Chevrolet. Instead, he drove a Ford and doesn't appear to have made it to the meeting point."
Ford confirmed it sent GM a formal letter asking it to pull the ad. The Detroit News obtained a copy of the letter that was sent by Lynne M. Matuszak, a lawyer for Ford.
"Ford demands that Chevrolet immediately cease and desist from making any unsubstantiated and disparaging claims regarding Ford's pickup trucks," Matuszak wrote, asking GM not to run the ad and to "permanently remove the commercial from its website, its YouTube and Facebook pages and any other internet sites."
The letter warned Ford could take further actions. "If Chevrolet does not comply with the above terms prior to the start of the Super Bowl, then Ford will take all appropriate steps to enforce and protect its reputation," she wrote.
Ford Motor Co.'s vice president for global marketing, sales and service, Jim Farley, declined to say if Ford received a response from GM. "We've been the leader in the truck market and the best-selling vehicle for 35 years. So from an advertising standpoint, we will absolutely defend our leadership in the market. Any claims related to that," said Farley. GM's global chief marketing officer Joel Ewanick said the automaker is standing by the ad, which it recently posted online. The ad has been viewed more than 2 million times online.
"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," Ewanick said. "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."
Ewanick said in a posting on Twitter that the missing Ford driver in the ad, named Dave was, fine — but "who knows about the truck." But a person in the ad speaks in the past-tense, saying "Dave drove a Ford."
Ford's letter noted that the 2012 Ford F-150 is an IIHS Top Safety pick, "whereas the 2012 Chevy Silverado is not — having received less than impressive results in the IIHS side impact, rear crash and rollover tests. In light of the foregoing, Chevrolet has no basis to imply that the Silverado is either safer or more durable than Ford's pickup trucks, yet that false claim is precisely what is conveyed to the consumer," Ford wrote.
The Chevy ad is scheduled to air during the first quarter of the Super Bowl, and is one of five spots featuring the brand's products that are due to be shown during Sunday's game.
Ford is one of the few major automakers not advertising in the Super Bowl this year. Chrysler Group LLC, Volkswagen AG, Honda Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. are among those advertising this year.
In a meeting with reporters Sunday before the GM ad issue was made public, Farley said he regretted that Ford hadn't filmed an extended long-form Super Bowl-style ad to generate buzz — and then simply not run the ad during the game.
"I just wish we could have been smarter," Farley said, saying it could have gotten 10 million or 15 million views on the Internet. "What matters on these ads is the pre- and post-digital exposure. That's how you get scale."
This is the latest in a series of run-ins between GM and Ford over the last year.
dshepardson@detnews.com
(202) 662-8735

02-09-2012, 09:47 AM	#13
Rocky1974 Drives: 2010 RJT 2SS M6 Camaro Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Garrison,KY Posts: 1,548 View My Garage	February 5, 2012 at 11:42 pm GM doesn't pull Super Bowl ad that tweaks Ford By David Shepardson and Bryce G. Hoffman The Detroit News General Motors Co. stuck with a Chevrolet Super Bowl ad that implies a Ford truck owner dies along with much of the rest of humanity as a group of Silverado owners ride out the apocalypse, despite Ford Motor Co. calling for its rival to pull the ad. GM defended what it called a "good-humored" spoof on Mayan predictions that the world as we know it will end in 2012. The ad shows a Silverado navigating a "completely over-the-top, outrageous version of the devastation and destruction predicted to occur this year by the Mayan calendar includes giant attack robots, meteors and frogs falling from the sky," GM said in a statement. "A group of friends, who are Silverado owners, makes its way to the designated meeting spot but notice one of their buddies is missing. The missing friend, however, did not drive a Chevrolet. Instead, he drove a Ford and doesn't appear to have made it to the meeting point." Ford confirmed it sent GM a formal letter asking it to pull the ad. The Detroit News obtained a copy of the letter that was sent by Lynne M. Matuszak, a lawyer for Ford. "Ford demands that Chevrolet immediately cease and desist from making any unsubstantiated and disparaging claims regarding Ford's pickup trucks," Matuszak wrote, asking GM not to run the ad and to "permanently remove the commercial from its website, its YouTube and Facebook pages and any other internet sites." The letter warned Ford could take further actions. "If Chevrolet does not comply with the above terms prior to the start of the Super Bowl, then Ford will take all appropriate steps to enforce and protect its reputation," she wrote. Ford Motor Co.'s vice president for global marketing, sales and service, Jim Farley, declined to say if Ford received a response from GM. "We've been the leader in the truck market and the best-selling vehicle for 35 years. So from an advertising standpoint, we will absolutely defend our leadership in the market. Any claims related to that," said Farley. GM's global chief marketing officer Joel Ewanick said the automaker is standing by the ad, which it recently posted online. The ad has been viewed more than 2 million times online. "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," Ewanick said. "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." Ewanick said in a posting on Twitter that the missing Ford driver in the ad, named Dave was, fine — but "who knows about the truck." But a person in the ad speaks in the past-tense, saying "Dave drove a Ford." Ford's letter noted that the 2012 Ford F-150 is an IIHS Top Safety pick, "whereas the 2012 Chevy Silverado is not — having received less than impressive results in the IIHS side impact, rear crash and rollover tests. In light of the foregoing, Chevrolet has no basis to imply that the Silverado is either safer or more durable than Ford's pickup trucks, yet that false claim is precisely what is conveyed to the consumer," Ford wrote. The Chevy ad is scheduled to air during the first quarter of the Super Bowl, and is one of five spots featuring the brand's products that are due to be shown during Sunday's game. Ford is one of the few major automakers not advertising in the Super Bowl this year. Chrysler Group LLC, Volkswagen AG, Honda Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. are among those advertising this year. In a meeting with reporters Sunday before the GM ad issue was made public, Farley said he regretted that Ford hadn't filmed an extended long-form Super Bowl-style ad to generate buzz — and then simply not run the ad during the game. "I just wish we could have been smarter," Farley said, saying it could have gotten 10 million or 15 million views on the Internet. "What matters on these ads is the pre- and post-digital exposure. That's how you get scale." This is the latest in a series of run-ins between GM and Ford over the last year. dshepardson@detnews.com (202) 662-8735