Chevy’s most recent campaign is an all-out assault on the competition. But they chose a strange way to attack the competition. Normally when you shoot the competition, you choose an area where you directly defeat them and go after them. If you have more horsepower than your main competitor, you say, “We have more horsepower than you.” It is clean, concise, and effective.
But what happens when you don’t have an advantage in a significant area? Most brands choose not to attack the competition and instead focus on their own positive points. Chevy, on the other hand, attacks the manliness of racing characteristics.
In the first place, Howie Long talks to the driver of a Dodge Ram about his heated steering wheel and manicured nails after being involved in a fender crash. At the end of the place, they drop an EPA estimate of 21 miles per gallon on the highway. What the hell does a heated steering wheel have to do with fuel consumption? Does Chevy really believe that poking fun at a Dodge’s heated steering wheel makes its truck appear tougher, more masculine, and therefore more worthy of your hard-earned money? Meanwhile, a quick look at the EPA website reveals that the Dodge Ram does 20 miles per gallon. Maybe that’s the real reason. An MPG is not a big enough advantage, so they attack the manhood of the Dodge Ram and its owners.
Second place is an even worse attack on an imaginary lead. Here, Howie Long pokes fun at the Ford F-150’s tailgate step. Your sarcastic comment about leaving the “man step” down does nothing to show an advantage that Chevy has over Ford. They kicked out a short, round, awkward person to use the tailgate, which made it look ineffective. And to top it all, they offer a 100,000 mile or 5 year end-of-site warranty. Ford has a 60,000-mile or 5-year warranty on its F-150. Why not use this as a base for your place? This is a legitimate advantage. Challenging the manliness of the F-150 and the tailgate step obscures the real advantage they have.