An American Revolution
Encyclopedia
An American Revolution is a former advertising
campaign used by American car manufacturer Chevrolet
. First introduced on New Year's Eve
2003 in the USA to promote its "ten new cars and trucks in twenty months", released since January 2004, but the lineup of advertised cars was later expanded. Also including the Korean made Chevrolet Aveo
.
The campaign was made by advertising firm Campbell-Ewald
from Warren, Michigan
, near General Motors' headquarters in Detroit, Michigan
.
An American Revolution was released on the TV program Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
on the TV channel ABC
. The TV commercials have also been shown on high-audience sports television programs, e.g. the American football program The NFL on CBS.
One of the first TV commercials in the campaign directed by Michael Bay
featured the song Magic Carpet Ride
by Steppenwolf
. The advertisement was titled "An American Revolution, Car Carrier" and featured six not-yet-introduced new cars and trucks boarding a car carrier as it traverses the United States—notably an Aveo
descending the Twin Peaks of San Francisco and making an airborne leap remininscent of Steve McQueen's Ford Mustang
in the movie Bullitt
— before boarding the car carrier. In July 2009 ,GM announced the "An American Revolution" campaigns would end in the fall of 2009 and would be replaced by new campaigns.
The new vehicles are:
Many of the American TV ads under the An American Revolution campaign were rebroadcast in Canada with the slogan 'Chevrolet. Canada's #1 Selling Brand.'
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
campaign used by American car manufacturer Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
. First introduced on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
2003 in the USA to promote its "ten new cars and trucks in twenty months", released since January 2004, but the lineup of advertised cars was later expanded. Also including the Korean made Chevrolet Aveo
Chevrolet Aveo
The Chevrolet Aveo is a subcompact automobile manufactured since 2002, originally by the South Korean General Motors subsidiary, GM Daewoo—and later by other GM-affiliated entities...
.
The campaign was made by advertising firm Campbell-Ewald
Campbell-Ewald
Campbell Ewald is one of the largest marketing communications agencies in the United States, offering innovative capabilities both traditional and specialized, including advertising; insights and solutions planning; integrated content strategy and development; social, relationship, retail and...
from Warren, Michigan
Warren, Michigan
Warren is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2010 census places the city's population at 134,056, making Warren the largest city in Macomb County, the third largest city in Michigan, and Metro Detroit's largest suburb....
, near General Motors' headquarters in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
.
An American Revolution was released on the TV program Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest is a television program that airs every New Year's Eve on ABC. It has been hosted by Dick Clark since its first airing on Sunday, December 31, 1972. Ryan Seacrest has been the program's co-host since the December 31, 2005 telecast...
on the TV channel ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. The TV commercials have also been shown on high-audience sports television programs, e.g. the American football program The NFL on CBS.
One of the first TV commercials in the campaign directed by Michael Bay
Michael Bay
Michael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing high-budget action films characterized by their fast edits, stylistic visuals and substantial practical special effects...
featured the song Magic Carpet Ride
Magic Carpet Ride
"Magic Carpet Ride" is a rock song written by John Kay and Rushton Moreve from the Canadian-American band Steppenwolf. The song was initially released in 1968 on the album The Second. It was the lead single from that album, peaking at No. 3 in the US, and becoming the band's second-biggest hit,...
by Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)
Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The...
. The advertisement was titled "An American Revolution, Car Carrier" and featured six not-yet-introduced new cars and trucks boarding a car carrier as it traverses the United States—notably an Aveo
Chevrolet Aveo
The Chevrolet Aveo is a subcompact automobile manufactured since 2002, originally by the South Korean General Motors subsidiary, GM Daewoo—and later by other GM-affiliated entities...
descending the Twin Peaks of San Francisco and making an airborne leap remininscent of Steve McQueen's Ford Mustang
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
in the movie Bullitt
Bullitt
Bullitt is a 1968 American police procedural film starring Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Vaughn. It was directed by Peter Yates and distributed by Warner Bros. The story was adapted for the screen by Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner, based on the 1963 novel Mute Witness by Robert L....
— before boarding the car carrier. In July 2009 ,GM announced the "An American Revolution" campaigns would end in the fall of 2009 and would be replaced by new campaigns.
The new vehicles are:
- 2004 Chevrolet SSRChevrolet SSRThe Chevrolet SSR is a retractable hardtop convertible pickup truck manufactured by Chevrolet between 2003 and 2006....
- 2004 Chevrolet MalibuChevrolet MalibuMalibus and all other Chevelles were completely restyled for 1968 with semi-fastback rooflines on two-door hardtops and wheelbases split to on two-door models and 118 for four-door sedans and station wagons. Engine offerings included a new V8 rated at that replaced the V8 that had served as the...
- 2004 Chevrolet ColoradoChevrolet ColoradoThe Chevrolet Colorado and its counterpart, the GMC Canyon, are mid-size pickup trucks by American carmaker General Motors. It was introduced in 2004 to replace the Chevrolet S-10 and GMC Sonoma compact pickups.-First generation :...
- 2004 Chevrolet AveoChevrolet AveoThe Chevrolet Aveo is a subcompact automobile manufactured since 2002, originally by the South Korean General Motors subsidiary, GM Daewoo—and later by other GM-affiliated entities...
- 2005 Chevrolet EquinoxChevrolet EquinoxThe second generation Equinox was announced by GM on December 21, 2008, and debuted at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The 2010 Equinox went on sale in June 2009. It is built on a stiffened version of the same "Theta" platform used in the previous model. The new Equinox...
- 2005 Chevrolet CorvetteChevrolet CorvetteThe Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
- 2005 Chevrolet UplanderChevrolet UplanderThe Chevrolet Uplander is a minivan produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. It replaced the Venture and Astro. Although introduced for the 2005 model year, it overlapped with the final model years of the Venture and Astro. It was built on the same platform as the Saturn Relay, Buick...
- 2005 Chevrolet CobaltChevrolet CobaltThe Chevrolet Cobalt is a compact car introduced by Chevrolet in 2004 for the 2005 model year. The Cobalt replaced both the Cavalier and the Prizm as Chevrolet's compact car....
- 2006 Chevrolet HHRChevrolet HHRThe Chevrolet HHR was a retro-styled station wagon launched by the Chevrolet division of American automaker General Motors at the 2005 Los Angeles Auto Show as a 2006 model — and designed by Bryan Nesbitt. Smaller than the Equinox, the HHR shared the GM Delta platform with the Chevrolet...
- 2006 Chevrolet ImpalaChevrolet ImpalaThe Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United...
Localized campaigns
General Motors India rebranded the campaign in India, titled An Indian Revolution.Many of the American TV ads under the An American Revolution campaign were rebroadcast in Canada with the slogan 'Chevrolet. Canada's #1 Selling Brand.'
See also
- American RevolutionAmerican RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
- 2005 Chevrolet "American Revolution" TV commercial referencing "Bullitt" -- on Youtube