12360: Chevy’s Colorado Car Wreck.

Chevrolet rolled out a new 2015 Colorado truck commercial—created by McCann Commonwealth—that can only be described as a car wreck. After all the high-priced politics, consolidations and firings, Chevrolet manages to produce thoroughly forgettable advertising that could have been hatched by a local dealership’s in-house promotional department. Besides being extraordinarily White, the contrived and clichéd commercial counters its Find New Roads™ tagline; that is, the spot reflects a road well traveled—to mediocrity. Additionally disturbing are the many comments at YouTube praising the commercial and/or linking to Chevrolet dealers. It smacks of the Deutsch LA Twitter fiasco, where the FTC ultimately charged that the agency misled consumers with positive tweets from Deutsch staffers. Yep, it’s yet another road well traveled—to digital dumbness and deception.

11688: LatinWorks Says, “Adios, Chevy.”

Advertising Age reported Chevy moved its Latino business from LatinWorks to McCann’s Casanova Pendrill. Looks like another Omnicom shop was dumped by the auto brand. Spike DDB remains on the Chevy roster, but probably only until Commonwealth identifies some Black ad people to pick up the crumbs.

Chevy Moves Hispanic to McCann’s Casanova from LatinWorks

Shift Represents Further Consolidation at Dedicated Chevy Agency Commonwealth

By Laurel Wentz

General Motors’ Chevrolet is moving all its U.S. Hispanic advertising to Casanova Pendrill, McCann Worldgroup’s Hispanic agency, from Omnicom-backed LatinWorks. The shift is essentially a consolidation with Commonwealth, McCann’s dedicated agency for General Motors’ Chevrolet account.

“Connecting with Hispanic audiences in a meaningful way is critical to Chevrolet,” said Paul Edwards, U.S. VP, Chevrolet Marketing, in a statement confirming the move. “We welcome Casanova Pendrill to the Chevrolet team and we look forward to working with them to build on Chevrolet’s strong product momentum among Hispanic consumers.”

The agencies were told Wednesday morning that the business would move to Casanova. This is the first major move by Mr. Edwards in his new post. Both Hispanic shops had presented proposals; Casanova is believed to have presented a more integrated solution.

“We talked about what we offer as an independent expert in multicultural,” said Sergio Alcocer, LatinWorks’ president and chief creative officer. “It’s difficult when an agency does the global work for a brand to make the case why the Hispanic market in the U.S. needs to stand alone.”

LatinWorks won the Chevy business without a pitch four years ago from Joel Ewanick, GM’s chief marketing officer who had been a LatinWorks client earlier at Hyundai. Mr. Ewanick was dismissed from the company in July 2012. In 2012, Chevrolet slashed LatinWorks’ Hispanic budget drastically as part of the global move to consolidate Chevy at Commonwealth. Chevrolet U.S. marketing chief Chris Perry, who also worked closely with LatinWorks, resigned in mid-December 2013.

Hispanic responsibility for Silverado, which LatinWorks has also worked on, is expected to move to Casanova, too.

Since the review only covered Hispanic, Omnicom’s Spike DDB is likely to retain Chevrolet’s African-American business. The agency could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening.

The transition of the Chevy business to Casanova from LatinWorks will take place over the next 30 days, the car maker said.

Commonwealth has been aggressively building up its offering, shifting Linus Karlsson, who was chief creative officer of global brands at McCann Erickson, to creative chairman of Commonwealth, while Andreas Dahlqvist, who was deputy chief creative officer of global brands, becomes chief creative officer at Commonwealth.

Contributing: Alexandra Bruell

11050: Find New Jobs With Chevy.

Advertising Age reported General Motors has officially fired Goodby Silverstein & Partners and handed all of the Chevy business to McCann. The two agencies had been sharing the account as partners of a coalition called Commonwealth for about a year. In a bizarre move, roughly 200 GS&P employees have been offered positions with McCann at their current employment agreements. Guess Chevy is taking its new tagline—Find New Roads—literally. Then again, General Motors would look pretty bad putting so many bodies out of work. The automaker is ultimately responsible for the awful business decision to pair shops from rival networks. Gee, maybe Kelly Polc and Kelly Polcyn will get rehired too.

11044: Commonwealth Commentary.

Advertising Age published two articles speculating on the inevitable destruction of Commonwealth. More interesting than the Ad Age commentary are two comments that appeared with the first article (the comments were ultimately removed from the site):

Kelly Polc | Birmingham, Mi | Mar 09, 2013 | 8:06 PM

I was a Jr Account Exec who fell victim to the recent layoffs at CW. I must say, working so closely with all the aforementioned people, it’s odd how TRUTH gets twisted....then again, from what I’ve seen in two short years, there is no TRUTH in advertising. This comment isn’t meant to be malicious or vindictive as I was let go do to cut backs a month ago, but I must speak TRUTH. I had the distinct pleasure of working with all kinds of talented people, including Jeff Goodby, Linus Karlsson, Andreas Dahlqvist, Larry Frey and Ralph Watson. As a Jr Account exec, I saw the real engine to all things functional. It was Goodby’s people for sure. Linus and Andreas seemed to come in one day and pretty much push their weight around, no pun intended, but I remember vividly sitting in a meeting when Larry Frey and Ralph Watson presented all the new work for their campaign, Find New Roads. That was a 100% effort on behalf of the Goodby team. From my young, and maybe not as experienced POV, it was Goodby creative that was driving big ideas, but, due to some politics, per usual in this bizarre business, the McCann folks came in under cover as “Commonwealth” and tried to take over... I think GM would be in for shock at how McCann has no clue. Besides a couple of expensive TV ads, the rest is all Goodby.... Make no mistake, all the creative you see that is out, is Jeff Goodby approved creative, I think the McCann team executed about 20% of it, but 80% of all media from that relationship is ALL GSP. GM would find themselves in a dire place if they gave that whole piece of the business to McCann. This is a fact. I know, because part of my job was to organize who was working on what. And, as I said, 90% of all the new work is Goodby. This would go down as the biggest scam in ad history. And, reading about Mahoney from VW coming in, he would see right through the two cultures, one fresh thinking and relevant, the other, very Mad Men. Yes, McCann loves to spend GM money...as you get the feeling that the McCann folks felt like money was always going to solve everything. McCann has nice people, but comparing the two cultures, it’s a clear Goodby is smaller, smarter, less expensive and way less aggressive and corporate, but, now to knock the Goodby problem, some Goodby leaders seemed to let the bs and bureaucracy just happen, almost like they were paid to give it all away. But, Find New roads and the general creative solutions are all GSP. Be smart with your money GM, it wasn’t that long ago that bad decisions forced the tax payers to make up for irrational decisions. I write this as an unemployed person, who just wants to see GM relevant again.

::

Kelly Polcyn | Detroit, MI | Mar 10, 2013 | 1:15 PM

This is the real Kelly Polcyn and the above post was not written by myself nor does it represent my opinions and thoughts about Goodby, Commonwealth, McCann or General Motors. Who ever used my likeness to post the above comment, remove immediately. I am also seeking legal advice regarding this post.

Wow. When did Ad Age become AgencySpy? Kelly Polc is clearly a supporter of Goodby Silverstein & Partners—while Kelly Polcyn appears to be a victim of an anonymous troll. Regardless, the comments constitute the most creative writing to be associated with Commonwealth to date.

10237: Jerry Sandusky’s Independence Day…?

Chevy celebrates Independence Day. Jerry Sandusky, not so much.

9944: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners & McCann.

Adweek reported Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and McCann have created a joint agency to handle the Chevrolet account. It’s bad enough that Omnicom manages to keep accounts under the global umbrella via Corporate Cultural Collusion, but this move shows the holding company will conspire with any White agency to seize billings. The new enterprise is called Commonwealth—which probably means that everyone with common skin color can expect to share the wealth.

Goodby and McCann Form New Agency to Handle Chevy in Global Creative Consolidation

Commonwealth is a 50/50 joint venture

By Noreen O’Leary

Agencies at two rival holding companies have become partners in a new company, Commonwealth, formed to work on Chevrolet’s global account. Omnicom’s Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, and Interpublic’s McCann Erickson Worldwide, N.Y., have signed on to the 50/50 joint venture after a creative review to consolidate the global business for the General Motors brand.

In the review launched last autumn, GM roster shops Omnicom, Interpublic, Publicis Groupe and Cheil Worldwide put forth proposals to the auto marketer.

Chevrolet, GM’s largest brand, previously worked with 70 global agencies. The creation of the new Detroit-based Commonwealth agency follows the recent selection of Carat as GM’s agency for media planning and buying.

“These agency consolidations are expected to create about $2 billion in savings over the next five years, with a portion used to take advantage of key global marketing opportunities and strengthen the focus on our global Chevrolet brand, and a portion hitting the bottom line,” GM global cmo Joel Ewanick said in a statement.

GS&P has been since 2010 the lead creative agency on Chevrolet in the U.S.—the brand’s largest market—and is behind the “Chevy Runs Deep” strategy. McCann Worldwide has overseen the brand in many global markets including Mexico, Canada, Brazil, India, Japan, China and Latin America (Brazil and China are just behind the U.S. as Chevy’s largest markets). Commonwealth will now handle creative in most global regions except for China, India and Uzbekistan, where marketing efforts will continue to be handled by agencies that have been working on the brand in those countries.

Commonwealth will be managed by an eight-person global advisory board, with assignments handled through global hubs in Detroit, Milan, Mumbai and Sao Paulo. The agency’s board includes GS&P co-founder Jeff Goodby who is Commonwealth’s creative chairman; Linus Karlsson, McCann’s chairman, chief creative officer of N.Y. and London; Washington Olivetto, chairman at WMcCann Brazil and CCO McCann Worldgroup Latin America; and Prasoon Joshi, president, McCann Worldgroup South Asia.

9713: GM Moves From Bailout To Bullshit.

Advertising Age reported on an event that has ties to the recent MultiCultClassics rant spotlighting the Chevrolet Route 66 crowdsourcing contest. One gripe about the Chevy promotion involved the hypocrisy of a corporation taking advantage of desperate people in a rough economy—despite having begged for a federal bailout to remain in business. Now General Motors announced consolidating its $3 billion media and planning duties with a firm based in the U.K. The U.S. saves GM’s ass from financial ruin, and the company responds by taking its business overseas. Brilliant. It seems like the automaker spends more time producing lies than lemons.

Ewanick on GM Media Review: ‘Should Have Done This Many Years Ago’

Quality as Well as Efficiency Drove Decision

By Stephen Williams

General Motors’ Joel Ewanick insists that it wasn’t only money but quality that drove his decision to place GM’s $3 billion global media-buying and -planning account with Aegis’ Carat agency.

“We scrutinized the presentations” during the review process, which began months ago, said Mr. Ewanick, GM’s global chief marketing officer. “I really want to compliment Carat . I went back and forth on this in the past nine weeks. At the end of the day, it was definitely about finding efficiencies, but at the same time we wanted to raise the quality.

“We saw ways to grow with Carat , and we’re willing to establish a new culture,” Mr. Ewanick said. “We probably should have done this many years ago, and that became painfully clear during the presentations.” The consolidation reduces the number to one from 50. Still, he said, “it’s going to take a couple of years for this to seed in.”

The other shoe in the agency review, which formally began last August and involved Chevrolet creative globally, will not drop for several weeks, Mr. Ewanick said. “The creative side is even more complicated than the media,” he said. As of now, Goodby Silverstein & Partners handles North American creative duties for Chevrolet.

Mr. Ewanick said his attention for the immediate future is focused on ad buys for the Super Bowl. He said that this past Sunday he decided to air a 30-second version of a contest-winning, consumer-generated Camaro commercial called “Happy Grads.” It ran during that night’s NFC Championship game on Fox.

The company plans five spots for next week’s game. “It’s almost like running a political campaign,” Mr. Ewanick said.

9710: Chevrolet Route 66 Is A Bad Trip.

Chevrolet Route 66 is one of those crowdsourcing promotions whereby people submit commercial concepts for prizes and the chance to see their big idea play during the Super Bowl. The tired formula actually ran out of gas years ago, yet lazy advertisers continue to ride with it annually.

The Chevy contest is obscene for a host of reasons.

First, the car company opened the field to everyone, including independent directors and filmmakers. This allowed D- and F-level production houses to essentially expel fecal matter spec work.

Second, Chevy presented cash prizes starting at $1,000 and topping at $25,000. Um, the average cost to create a television spot is over $300,000. It’s a safe bet that the typical Chevy commercial shoot spends more than $1,000 just for craft services.

Third, while the winning commercial is OK, does anyone believe Chevy’s lead advertising agency, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, couldn’t come up with something much, much better?

Finally, it’s appalling that Chevy would take advantage of the desperation fueled by a lousy economy—especially when the automaker needed a federal bailout to avoid complete financial collapse.

9502: Chevy Runs Deeper.

Based on vehicle purchases, Chevrolet ranks among the top three auto brands with Blacks. Is it because of lame commercials like this—or do Tone and Shag deserve the credit?

9252: Forgettable Digital Advertising.

Chevy plays off of fuggedaboutit. Wonder if groups like the Order Sons of Italy in America and the Italian American One Voice Coalition will huddle over this one.

9039: Why Does Chevy Run Deep?

Recent media reports indicated that Chevrolet is among the top three car brands among Blacks (Toyota leads the pack, with Ford and Chevy rounding out the frontrunners).


Does advertising like the Table of Brotherhood and Faith inspire brand loyalty?


It’s hard to believe spots like Newborn Baby are responsible for targeted sales.


Or can the popularity be attributed to stuff like this?

8999: I Have A Similar Dream.

This Chevrolet commercial for the MLK Memorial looks just like this Kellogg’s commercial—and at least Kellogg’s served breakfast.

8356: Chevy Like A Crock.

Despite a much-ballyhooed new campaign, Chevy continues to produce clichés for MLK Day.

8000: Chevy Rides Familiar Race Road.

Check out the Adweek story below. A brief MultiCultClassics perspective immediately follows…

Chevy Taps Spike DDB
N.Y. shop picks up African-American ad chores

—David Gianatasio

General Motors’ Chevrolet has made another move, tapping Spike DDB in New York to handle its African-American ad chores following a review, the client has confirmed.

Sanders/Wingo in El Paso, Texas, had previously handled that assignment.

“We’ve seen outstanding work from Spike DDB for their current clients and the creative approach they offer Chevrolet will be a great fit for the brand,” said Chris Perry, vp, U.S. marketing at Chevy.

The client’s yearly African-American ad spending was not disclosed. Past client spending in that sector has been $30-40 million. All told, Chevy spends about $650 million annually on ads, per Nielsen.

The client consolidated general-market creative chores at Omnicom’s Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in May and tapped sibling shop LatinWorks for Hispanic market duties last month. Omnicom also has an ownership stake in Spike DDB.

On the one hand, Sanders/Wingo hardly produced breakthrough work for Chevy, essentially continuing the celebrity-driven angle that predecessor Carol H. Williams started. But Spike DDB clearly benefited more from the DDB part of its name than the Spike part. After all, the agency’s website features a logo, street address, phone number and link that reads: Click To Contact Us For A Copy Of The Current Reel. Guess the Chevy executive who gushed, “We’ve seen outstanding work from Spike DDB for their current clients and the creative approach they offer Chevrolet will be a great fit for the brand,” clicked on the link. In the end, it’s another example of Omnicom’s ability to package minorities for car companies—and ultimately maintain industry segregation.

7139: Chevy Dealers Are Dingbats.

From The Chicago Tribune…

Women who shop for cars are called “dingbats”

By Greg Burns

The Chicago office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is one of the most aggressive federal agencies around, and this week it is rising to the defense of “dingbats.”

“Dingbat” is the unflattering term that male employees of Castle Chevrolet in Villa Park supposedly were using to describe the dealership’s female customers.

The car dealer’s principals also are accused of making sexually hostile, abusive and threatening remarks to female employees, groping them and ignoring their complaints.

No one at Villa Park Chevrolet responded immediately to a request for comment. The case has been filed in U.S. District Court after voluntary “conciliation” failed, so presumably the company is contesting the allegation.

Led by regional attorney John Hendrickson, the EEOC office at 500 W. Madison carries a big stick. It’s the same office that went after the Illinois factory of Mitsubishi, in a sex-harassment case that attracted national attention after uncovering outrageous examples of abuse. “One would think that anyone in the auto industry—especially after EEOC’s Mistubishi case—would know that sexual harassment is not only a violation of federal law, but also just plain terrible for the bottom line,” Hendrickson said.