Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, And Chevrolet

This 1975 Chevrolet commercial featured a jingle that became a classic. It came out more than 10 years before I was born, but “baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet” is still familiar to me. I don’t know why jingles are rare in current commercials. They can be extremely catchy, and I think it’s a proven fact that people have better recall when presented with a song (that was pretty much the purpose of Schoolhouse Rock). Here’s another ad from 1975 with a famous jingle. Even if you don’t eat Big Macs, there’s a pretty good chance you know the ingredients.

So that brings me to these new Chevy ads, which show a variety of people (most too young to remember the original) singing the catchy jingle. That little girl is just adorable. There’s also two shorter, stand-alone commercials featuring Detroit Tigers stars Prince Fielder and Justin Verlander singing quietly to themselves while on the field. It’s fortunate that the Tigers have two really marketable players. If they had the roster of say, the Astros, Royals, or the 2003 Tigers team, these commercials probably wouldn’t have been made.

What’s That Song? Part XXII

This edition of What’s That Song will be all car commercials. These are all ads that have been shown a lot during the NCAA Tournament.

Artist: The Pogues, Song: “If I Should Fall From Grace With God”

It’s St. Patrick’s Day, so this Subaru Forester commercial with The Pogues seems like a good place to start. It’s definitely a fun and jaunty song. But something seems a little odd about using a song that sounds like a drinking anthem in a commercial about driving a kids hockey team around.

Artist: Spandau Ballet, Song: “True”

Spandau Ballet’s “True” has become an ’80s standard and it’s put to good use in this Chevy Malibu Eco ad. The backseat guy who says “that’s Spandau Ballet” is Ben Weber, who is probably best known for being the Geico Caveman, the uncomfortably gassy Gas-X man, and NOT Tom Hanks or Tom Hanks’ brother.

Artist: Neon Trees, Song: “Everybody Talks”

Neon Trees…one of those bands I’ve heard of but never knowingly heard. Alright. It’s a decent song in this Buick Verano commercial. But the lead singer looks like an idiot.

The Chevy Volt Will Save You A Crapload Of Money, Apparently

She meant boatload. Crap is an underused commercial word…I had to replay this one to make sure I heard it right. Priya is quite cute. But in all seriousness, how much is a “crapload”? Chevy probably needs to advertise the Volt though, because it seems they aren’t selling so good.

A Man Reunited With His Chevy Impala

Aww. Incredible. And it’s also good that ol’ Herb didn’t have a heart attack, because it looked like he was about to. Here’s the true story.

100 Years Of Chevy

As soon as this commercial started, I knew it was going to be for Chevrolet. But wow…what an ad. At the end is Tim Allen, the voice of the “Chevy Runs Deep” campaign. And the song is Ray Charles’ rendition of “America The Beautiful”.

Chevy Runs Deep

My baseline for good (or at least interesting) advertising is that it makes me stop what I’m doing to watch. When this Chevrolet commercial came on, I had the TV on but was mostly checking out Facebook. But then I pulled away to watch.

If this spot seems cinematic, that’s for good reason. It was one of the winners of Chevy’s 2011 Mofilm Tribeca short film contest (here’s a few more). I really like this ad. OK, some of the acting isn’t exactly Oscar-worthy. And yes, it’s very sentimental. But despite some of the negative YouTube comments, I don’t find it to be heavy-handed. Life isn’t about cheap laughs all the time. Sometimes it’s deeper.

A Cynicism-Free Moment About Washington’s Newest Memorial

I’m a very cynical person. With the current economic/political/environmental/social climate, I think it’s pretty hard NOT to be cynical and/or angry. But here’s something good. On August 28, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial will be dedicated in Washington DC. A fitting tribute to a truly revolutionary man, and a monument I definitely want to visit the next time I get to Washington. I won’t even be cynical about this commercial message being presented by Chevrolet. On the contrary, it’s actually quite nicely done.