![RAW: Uncooked Truth, Beyond Belief]()
Issue #159
April 6, 2006
An Online Revolution
Orli Cotel, RAW Contributor
A Chevy Tahoe speeds through a breathtaking vista of glaciers and mountains. But despite the peppy music playing in the background, this is hardly your typical car commercial.
On the screen, the words flash: "Are you addicted to oil?"
Is Chevrolet waking up to the dangers of global warming? Not quite. But they are getting a wake-up call from the thousands of consumers who are using Chevy's new "create your own ad" website to send their own environmental message to the company.
When Chevy decided to launch a program for consumers to create their own TV ads on the company's website, they hoped it would be the next big thing in 'viral' marketing. But the tactic backfired, and the young, potential consumers who are the target of this kind of "user generated" advertising provided a different kind of copy: "Global Warming Isn't a Pretty SUV Ad," "$70 to fill up the tank, which will last less than 400 miles. Chevy Tahoe." "Our planet's oil is almost gone. You dont need GPS to see
where this road leads."
The sublime irony of pristine wildlands being ruined by gas-guzzling SUVs on Chevy's own website has created a much bigger buzz than just friend-to-friend emails; the New York Times was even forced to
ask whether Chevy knew what it had gotten into.
So if you've ever felt torn between daydreaming about a career as a famous director or a world-changing environmental activist, your moment in history has arrived. Check out Chevy's website, and your own
eco-directorial-debut is only a few easy clicks away.
What's more, if you send us your entry at [EMAIL PROTECTED], the best Chevy ad from a RAW reader will win a free package of organic Sierra Club chocolate!
Today, do your part to stop global warming -- one fake commercial at a time.
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