No longer ‘like a rock’: GM dumps ad agency that coined ‘See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet’

No longer ‘like a rock’: GM dumps Chevy ad agency

DETROIT — General Motors has replaced the advertising agency that brought you such memorable campaigns as “See the USA in Your Chevrolet” and “Like a Rock” after more than 90 years of work.

Campbell-Ewald, headquartered in the Detroit suburb of Warren, will be phased out of the Chevrolet account during the next few months, replaced by Publicis Worldwide, which is part of French advertising company Publicis Groupe SA.

GM spokeswoman Cristianna Vazquez would not give a reason for the move, but GM executives in recent months have stated publicly that they were unhappy with the company’s advertising and marketing.

Campbell-Ewald Chairman and CEO Bill Ludwig said he was told of the decision Friday morning by Chevrolet’s marketing head. The executive did not give a reason nor did he express dissatisfaction with the agency, Ludwig said.

The agency, which has had Chevrolet business since 1919 and at times has had all of GM’s advertising, also did Chevrolet’s “Heartbeat of America” campaign.

Ludwig wouldn’t talk about possible layoffs, but said the agency has pushed hard for the past decade to diversify its client base. Chevrolet made up 25 percent of its business, he said.

“I’m disappointed,” he said. “Our focus is going to be on the clients that we currently have and growing this business. We’re fortunate that we remain such a vibrant agency.”

Campbell-Ewald, with big offices in Warren, Los Angeles and San Antonio, employs about 1,100 people and is part of the Interpublic Group of Cos.

For decades, the agency’s ads changed with the times, capturing America’s love affair with cars and pickup trucks.

A generation grew up singing “See the USA in Your Chevrolet” with Dinah Shore in the 1950s. In the 1990s and 2000s, Bob Seger’s “Like a Rock” provided a soundtrack for the tough Chevrolet Silverado pickup.

But recent campaigns never reached indelible status like those.

Since GM emerged from bankruptcy protection last July, its executives have been critical of its advertising, with some saying it didn’t do enough to erase the perception that GM built lower-quality vehicles than Asian competitors.

New Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre, who is featured in two television ads encouraging people to try GM products, has said the company made great strides in product development and manufacturing quality, “but we were seriously deficient in getting the word out,” Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said in a recent interview.

Some pieces of the Chevrolet have moved to Publicis over the past two years, including the Malibu midsize sedan and Equinox midsize sport utility vehicle.

Ludwig said it was unprecedented for an ad agency to hold the same account for more than nine decades and Campbell-Ewald is proud of its campaigns for Chevrolet.

“You’d be hard-pressed to find that portfolio in the automotive industry or any category,” he said.

Campbell-Ewald still has the account for GM’s OnStar driver assistance service and does marketing for the GMC brand and advertising for regional GM dealers, Ludwig said.

The agency change was reported Friday by the business publication Crain’s Detroit Business.