Chevy to Make a Comeback at the Oscars with New User-Generated Competition Ads http://tier10lab.com/2013/06/25/chevy-oscars-comeback-user-generated-competition-ads/ By Ally Reis June 25, 2013

After a five-year hiatus, Chevrolet will once again be advertising at the annual Academy Awards. Not only has Chevy signed a deal with the Oscars to advertise during the program for the next five years, but the new ads also have an interesting twist: in addition to their own commercials, Chevy has invited aspiring filmmakers to contribute to the campaign.

Chevrolet is working with the creative group MOFILM to find independent filmmakers to make 30- and 60-second ads about “celebrating the simple, yet significant moments in life.” These ads are meant to be short stories that depict special moments that might occur while driving a Chevy car. This contest will take place from June to November of this year, with an August 16 deadline for script submissions.

After filmmakers send their ads to Chevy, an expert panel, including director Spike Lee, producer Jon Landau, Chevrolet Chief Marketing Officer Tim Mahoney and Commonwealth Chief Creative Officer Linus Karlsson, will judge the scripts. The winning ad is expected to air along side Chevy TV spots during the Academy Awards on March 2, 2014.

These independently filmed ads are part of Chevy’s “Find New Roads” marketing theme. By encouraging these users to contribute their own Chevy stories, other viewers get to see a more personal commercial created by someone they probably have more in common with than the average ad executive. It is this connection that the ad company hopes will inspire a desire for exploration and unique experiences that only a Chevy vehicle can provide.

 

Chevy first incorporated this personal story-based concept in the 2012 Super Bowl commercial, “Happy Grad.” In this ad, a happy graduate thinks his parents have bought him a Chevrolet Camaro. The “Happy Grad” commercial saw a lot of positive response worldwide, which, of course, encourages Chevy to use this type of storyline again.

Now, with the incorporation of user participation in ads, viewers have even more opportunities to contribute to the content they’re being served by companies like Chevrolet. Chevy’s goal for advertising during the Oscars is to widen their audience to get a more diverse group of car shoppers interested in their brand. This user-generated ad campaign will certainly pique interest based on it’s concept alone, and Chevy’s loyal following should play a part, too, like we’ve seen from Doritos’ Super Bowl Ads in the past. With all these factors combined, Chevy seems to be confident in the success of their plan for user-generated commercials at the Oscars.

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