General Motors dumps ‘Chevy Runs Deep’ slogan for ‘Find New Roads’
“Chevy Runs Deep” is running out.
General Motors said Tuesday that it will replace the advertising slogan with “Find New Roads,” which can be used as Chevrolet’s global advertising catch-phrase.
GM is pushing the Chevrolet brand internationally, signing a major sponsorship agreement with the Manchester United soccer team of the English Premier League, which is among the most recognizable sports franchises globally. The Chevrolet name will adorn Manchester United soccer jerseys starting with the new season this fall.
“Soccer has so much reach around the world. It is estimated that more than 500 million will watch the Manchester United game on television this weekend,” said Alan Batey, GM’s vice president for U.S. sales, service and global marketing.
GM also is adopting the strategy of Ford and other automakers to develop vehicle platforms and engines that can be used in autos sold in many global markets. Two small sedans, the Chevrolet Cruze and the Sonic, have helped the once truck- and SUV-centric automaker become a player in the U.S. passenger car market and are a product of that development strategy.
Other global cars from Chevrolet include the Spark, Malibu and the Volt.
Chevrolet is one of the top nameplates in the U.S. but also is a giant global brand, selling more than 4 million cars and trucks annually in 140 countries. Back in 2002, just 27% of Chevrolet’s sales were outside the U.S. and today that is 63%.
“This is the right time to launch this initiative with over 20 vehicle launches globally in 2013,” Batey said. “Now is an excellent time to build the brand on a global basis.”
He said the new slogan should play well in emerging markets such as Russia and India, “where the potential for continued growth is the greatest.”
Chevrolet, which was founded in 1911, has used the “Chevy Runs Deep” slogan since 2010. It has appeared in seven Super Bowl commercials and was an attempt to connect buyers to the auto brand’s roots in American society as the company started to rebuild from its 2009 federal bailout and bankruptcy reorganization.
“It tracked really well during our centennial and worked well in that time frame but if you look at Chevrolet today – the fastest growing major auto brand in the world – there is an opportunity to globalize Chevrolet,” Batey said.
Other notable Chevrolet advertising slogans include “See the USA in Your Chevrolet,” which made its debut on “The Dinah Shore Show” and was used in Chevrolet through the early 1960s, and “Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet” used in the 1970s.
The auto company turned to “Heartbeat of America” in 1986 and used “Like a Rock” for Chevy trucks in the 1990s before turning to the “American Revolution” slogan for the brand in 1995.
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