DETROIT -- Chevrolet is marketing its restyled Silverado pickup with a big dose of red, white and blue.
The theme of the Silverado advertising campaign, which began over the weekend, is "Our Country. Our Truck." TV commercials feature a patriotic song by rocker John Mellencamp.
Kim Kosak, Chevrolet's general director of advertising and sales promotion, says ads portray the Silverado as "the sum total of the American experience" and "a truck no other country can build." The 2007 Silverado is scheduled to start arriving in showrooms next month.
Chevrolet's approach is an indirect response to the redesigned Toyota Tundra, which goes on sale in February. Recent advertising by Toyota has emphasized the Japanese company's investment and job creation in the United States.
Ads for the Silverado campaign alternate historical images from the last half of the 20th century with depictions of American workers. Nine of every 10 Silverado owners are men, Kosak says.
At a press event here, Kosak argued that Americans still want to buy American trucks, despite growing competition in the full-sized market from such pickups as the Tundra and the Nissan Titan.
The Silverado trails only the Ford F series in U.S. light-truck sales. But Silverado sales in the first eight months of 2006 fell 16.7 percent from the year-ago period, to 434,937 units. General Motors says the base price of the 2007 extended-cab Silverado is $23,605, including shipping.
Toyota is opening an assembly plant in San Antonio to build the Tundra. The company plans to spend $100 million to promote the pickup.
Kosak would not say what Chevrolet has budgeted for the Silverado launch. Automotive News reported last month that General Motors would spend nearly $400 million to launch the Silverado and GMC Sierra, another re-engineered pickup that reaches showrooms this fall.
Along with broadcast, print, outdoor and online ads, the Silverado campaign includes two nontraditional elements.
A 28-minute infomercial about the truck will air on cable TV networks in December. It features Gary White, GM's North American vehicle line executive for full-sized trucks, and pro football commentator Howie Long.
A separate 24-page brochure about the Silverado will accompany December and January issues of four magazines: Motor Trend, Truck Trend, Field & Stream and Popular Science.
The full Silverado ad campaign is scheduled to begin Oct. 21, with TV spots during the first game of the World Series. Chevrolet began airing Silverado spots last weekend during college and pro football games.
Also last week, Chevrolet unveiled the Silverado at the Texas State Fair. A print ad for the truck appeared in USA Today.
Kosak says Chevrolet plans a separate Spanish-language marketing campaign for the Silverado.
You may e-mail Erin Robinson at autonews@crain.com
