I like that last line a lot.

 

The idea is good and probably should have been on tv back in 2011 to introduce the Volt. Now, still, many people don't know that it will change-over while driving. No commercial so far has ever showed how that works or that it could work. The public knows there are EVs, Hybrids, and ICE cars. An EREV must be special and weird. Like you have to pull a transmission pin to go from electric to ICE and back again like the old 4x4s with the lever on the center differential that you needed to stop in order to switch.

And the NPR radio blurb isn't that good.

"brought to you by Chevrolet. Maker of the Chevy Volt. An Electric Vehicle with a gas generator. So you can charge forward."

 

I like it, Fulgerite. Apparently, Chevy's ad agency has their ear and doesn't get how effective an ad with this message can be. Maybe I'll shoot it and post it here. What do you think?

 

Please! Go right ahead!

 

How about adding a tiny prologue: "My daily commute uses no gasoline at all* but what about when I go on vacation?"

*round trip less than 40 miles

 

They not only need new ads, they need to run some. I haven't seen a Volt ad for several months.

 

GM is completely off-base with how to sell the Volt. Can the "green, feel-good" and the complex economics. They gotta get back to their roots - this is a great, fun car that you will love - call back the era of the Great American Car:

Here is my fantasy commercial - no talking - no intellectual dialog - the whole commercial is a variation of the Beach Boy's "Little Deuce Coupe", in classic 60's Beach Boy style. Change the lyrics and add fast video cuts that focus on how fun the Volt is, how it leaves Prii in the dust, how it handles, how it goes anywhere you want to go to have fun, how cool it looks, how much it carries in the back (like surfboards and bikes). Change the the punch line from "and one thing more, I got the pink slip daddy", to "and one thing more, I get 100 miles per gallon", with a cut to a shot of the energy screen showing that great " lifetime 100 MPG" display and a cut back to a grinning sun-bleached surfer-type owner with $ signs in his eyes.

"It's my little Chevy Volt. You don't know what I got..."

 

GM is completely off-base with how to sell the Volt. Can the "green, feel-good" and the complex economics. They gotta get back to their roots - this is a great, fun car that you will love - call back the era of the Great American Car:

+1. It is a great car and it is fun to drive. They wasted a ton of time and money trying to explain it rather than just selling it. To their credit I think the owner testimonial is getting at the points you're making.

 

I just watched "Up" over the weekend. Those guys are pretty good. Give it to Pixar to do something interesting.

 

I saw the ad featuring the Volt on a semi-circle track this past weekend on Fox Sports West. I thought that was a good commercial (showing the icon change from electric to gas is probably the most important thing to pound into people's heads).

I think they are holding back until the price cut gets announced (tomorrow?). Then maybe we'll see more ads about the 2014 Chevy Volt and its new lower price of $28,995 after rebate or something.

 

In the past week I have heard the same Chevy ad several times inviting listeners to stop in at you local dealer to see the Chevy Fuel Economy Leaders (or similar language) and the Volt is also mentioned..last but mentioned.

 

Great idea for a commercial! The number one question I have been asked by co-workers is; "What do you do when the battery runs out of power?" I was shocked that people would ask this question, but most people I meet in South Carolina seem to think the Volt is just electric. SC is Fox News country, so it will take a lot of ads to convince these southern folks that the car isn't just electric. What really gets people's attention is MPG. Start advertising the car as 250 MPG and it will drive home 2 points (1) that gas can be used and (2) that the car is efficient.

 

Fulgerite, good topic as I often wonder why GM has not been able to market the VOLT better and have great commercials. Seems like they are caught up in a mentality of a mature ICE car commercial history with ICE stats etc.

Your last line was good - "Narrator says... The Chevy Volt Extended Range Hybrid... Because sometimes the road to adventure is more than 40 miles long"

OR enhanced to - Narrator says... The Chevy Volt Extended Range Hybrid... Because sometimes the road to adventure is more than 40 or 400 miles long.
(that 400 addition to push it past the range of other EV's such as the Tesla)

Now I also thought that GM missed a chance with advertising again here on the 4th of July to make an ad of the VOLT and Spark EV together and have some fun by saying something like "Chevy welcomes the Oil Independence Lifestyle with these great plug-ins, on America's Independence Day!"

To everyone on the Forum, Enjoy the day!

 

With YouTube, GM doesn't have to be the only source of Volt commercials.

If I had the talent, my Volt commercials would feature a gas pump reading $50, the WTC burning, an IED exploding, and a Saudi with a million dollar car.

There was a nice GM (not dealer) ad in the local paper yesterday featuring all major Chevy models except the Volt. Message received.

 

Apparently GM does read these posts...

They shortened my idea a bit.

But... Pretty darn close to my idea: http://youtu.be/0nbk66tg1IQ

Thanks for listening.