Heartbeat of America Dead? Chevrolet Kills Contract with Campbell-Ewald After 91 Years


Yet another shake-up in the world of General Motors: Chevrolet has decided to take a new advertising direction, dropping Campbell-Ewald after 91 years. Cambell-Ewald was behind such memorable tag lines as "The Heartbeat of America", "Like a Rock", and "An American Revolution"; the Chevrolet contract accounted for 25% of its business.

According to the Detroit News, the Bowtie will now be working with Publicis Worldwide, which represents big-timers like Coca-Cola, Whirlpool, and Hewlett-Packard, and has been handling some of its budding product lines.

Jim Campbell, US Chevrolet Marketing VP, was quick to thank Campbell-Ewald for the nine decades of service. After the politics, he said that "over the coming months, [Chevrolet] will transition the business to Publicis Worldwide, which has recently been handling [the] car and crossover brands."

The news comes shortly after Chrysler announced that they will also be heading in a new advertising direction, cutting ties with BBDO Detroit (forcing the firm to fire 485 people).

Campbell-Ewald will continue to work with GM, but on a much smaller scale. Bill Ludwig, Campbell-Ewald CEO and chairman, said, "We are committed to continue as one of GM's family of agencies and look forward to even more opportunities to demonstrate the breadth and depth of our capabilities."

Is it questionable to stop using a competent mainstay like Campbell-Ewald? Absolutely. At the same time, it's a breath of fresh air, something the General needs if it's ever going to get back on top.

By Phil Alex

Via: Detnews