Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 41) DECEMBER 1, 2008 • 41 Despite cuts, Chevy gives Traverse big ad launch Campaign pushes crossover’s styling, 8-passenger seating Laura Clark Geist autonews@crain.com Crossover cross-shop Potential buyers of the new Chevrolet Traverse crossover are most likely to be considering these models as well. GMC Acadia Buick Enclave Saturn Outlook Honda Pilot Mazda CX-9 Ford Flex Source: Edmunds.com Even as General Motors cuts its marketing budget, Chevrolet is spending nearly as much to launch its new Traverse crossover as it did last year to introduce the redesigned Malibu sedan. “It’s slightly less than Malibu and will be one of our key vehicles for this year and next year,” said Kim Kosak, Chevrolet’s general director of advertising and sales promotion. Kosak declined to confirm industry analysts’ estimates that Chevrolet spent more than $100 million on the Malibu’s marketing launch. The Traverse is the last of four crossovers built on GM’s Lambda architecture. Its base price of $28,990 including shipping is lower than those of the Traverse’s platform mates — the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook. Chevrolet is not offering a first-year sales forecast. Edmunds.com says potential Traverse buyers are more likely to crossshop the other GM crossovers than models from other brands. But Kosak said the Traverse’s chief competitors are the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot and Ford Flex. tively low price and good fuel efficiency — the EPA rates it at 17 mpg city/24 highway — may appeal to value-seeking buyers. Chevrolet “might be able to get those consumers who are downgrading from a full-sized SUV into safer choices,” Toprak says. As seen on TV Kosak said TV accounts for nearly half of the Traverse’s launch budget. Commercials are running on shows that are popular with female viewers, such as ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.” An additional 29 percent of Traverse spending is earmarked for digital advertising, with the rest going to print ads, mostly magazines. Chevrolet also is promoting the crossover with fashion-related events in 20 U.S. cities. The Traverse’s digital strategy includes advertising “takeovers” — periods during which the Traverse will be the exclusive home-page advertiser — of such popular Web sites as Yahoo, MSN and AOL. The digital strategy mirrors the successful online emphasis of the Malibu campaign, Kosak said. “If you can bring your content to the home page so people can interact with the product, we can generate hand-raisers and follow up with them later,” she said. “It’s really powerful.” Steve Chizik, sales manager of Diver Chevrolet in Wilmington, Del., says he expects the Traverse’s three rows of seats and fuel efficiency to find a receptive audience. “Traverse is going to be selling pretty well in our market,” Chizik says. Mark LaNeve, GM’s vice president of North American sales, service and marketing, told Automotive News last month that the company is cutting its 2009 marketing budget by a double-digit percentage. He said the trimmed budget still will allow GM to “do our vehicle launches.” c Singer Mary J. Blige is featured in one of the TV commercials for the Traverse. The commercials are running on shows that are popular with female viewers, such as ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.” Appeal to women Kosak projected that women will make up 60 to 65 percent of Traverse buyers. She said the typical buyer will be college-educated and have an annual household income of more than $75,000. Kosak told Automotive News that the Traverse’s ad campaign focuses largely on “mover and doer” women by emphasizing the crossover’s styling and eight-passenger seating. One TV commercial shows a shirtless hunk ironing his girlfriend’s skirt, calling a restaurant for dinner reservations and scrubbing a toilet. The narrator intones: “It’s useful. It’s beautiful. It’s everything you ever wished for, and then some.” Another commercial shows a woman driving the Traverse through a city while thousands of women’s shoes fall from the sky. She stops the Traverse and fills the cargo area with shoes. A third commercial featuring singer Mary J. Blige is aimed at both general and black audiences. Jesse Toprak, an analyst with Edmunds.com, says the Traverse’s rela- http://www.Edmunds.com http://www.Edmunds.com http://www.Edmunds.com http://www.Edmunds.com http://www.eneos.us http://www.eneos.us
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - December 1, 2008 Automotive News - December 1, 2008 Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 1) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 2) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 3) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 4) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 5) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 6) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 7) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 8) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 9) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 10) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 11) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 12) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 13) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 14) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 15) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 16) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 16a) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 16b) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 17) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 18) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 19) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 20) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 21) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 22) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 23) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 24) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 25) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 26) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 27) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 28) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 28a) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 28b) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 28c) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 28d) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 28e) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 28f) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 28g) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 28h) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 29) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 30) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 31) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 32) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 33) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 34) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 35) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 36) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 37) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 38) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 39) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 40) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 41) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 42) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 43) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 44) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 45) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 46) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 47) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 48) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 49) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 50) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 51) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 52) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 53) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 54) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 55) Automotive News - December 1, 2008 - (Page 56)
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.