A great voice, a good spot

I do not think it's understatement to say that Chevrolet has just launched the most important car in the brand's history. And I'm not talking about the gas/electric Volt.

It's the Chevy Cruze, the car that must be better than Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla if GM is going to survive. This is the car that they need to help them reclaim a lost generation for the brand, because without them, Chevrolet's share will continue to dwindle and we'll lose the 50 billion dollar bet the government made on our behalf.

What I find interesting, and promising, is the tone of this launch. Unlike so many others for the brand over the years, this spot exudes quiet confidence. Using Tim Allen for the voice-over, and a copy strategy that takes direct aim at the category leader, the spot eschews the conventions of big, old Detroit launch advertising. No cars on mountaintops, no gratuitously sexy models, no special effects. Just a good look at the vehicle that hopefully will be a pace car back to prosperity for Detroit.



A couple of concerns. The spot focuses on features – blue tooth connectivity, turn by turn navigation, and remote keyless entry – which can be very easily matched. Also, 'the starting at' price of under $17,000 isn't close to the $24,785 'as equipped' price in the small type. If there's even a whiff of bait and switch in this "get used to more" strategy, it will undermine the whole premise of the car and the Chevrolet brand and we can kiss our investment goodbye.