Students to Create Super Bowl Ad for Chevy
College students across the country could have their idea for a Chevy ad watched by more than 140 million viewers during next year’s Super Bowl thanks to a new Chevrolet promotion.
Chevrolet, a GM division, is tapping students in advertising, marketing, design and film programs at 340 colleges and universities across the country to drive awareness for The Chevy Super Bowl College Ad Challenge.
Teams of up to three students will knock heads together to develop an idea for a 30-second spot promoting Chevrolet’s Aveo, Cobalt, HHR and Equinox brands. Students register for the contest at edventurepartners.com/chevysb by Sept. 22. They must submit their ideas, which includes a script and storyboard and a graphical depiction of the ad, online by Oct. 13.
Chevy executives and the automaker’s ad agency Campbell-Ewald, Warren, MI, will judge submissions this fall. Five finalist teams will be selected and sent on an all-expense paid trip to Detroit to present their concepts in person to the executives. The winning team will have the chance to be part of the ad production process and watch as their idea gets developed, produced and then aired during the big game on Feb. 4, 2007 on CBS.
“This project is specifically going after the youth market to generate awareness on the market level of our new vehicles,” said Steve McGuire, manager Chevy car advertising.
Since the cars and crossovers are particularly suited to the younger buyer’s lifestyle and taste, contestants will design ads targeting the youth market, the automaker said. The ads will air once during the Super Bowl broadcast.
For a call to action, Detroit-based Chevy tapped Orinda, CA-based EdVenture Partners to spread the word among college professors and students, including those at the community college level. The McGinn Group, Arlington, VA, also handles p.r. activities.
During the promotion, students can interact with each other about the contest on an online blog at ChevyCollegeAd.com.
“We’re excited about getting in front of a youth audience with a great product,” McGuire said. “It’s an inconceivable opportunity for college students to have on their resume that they’ve created a Super Bowl ad.”
This year’s Super Bowl ads cost automotive companies a reported $2.5 million for a 30-second spot on ABC. The figure is a fraction of the $8.45 billion spent on advertising by domestic automakers last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence.
