Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet in Kansas City
You may have noticed that the MLB All-Star game is in Kansas City this week, and Chevrolet is a major sponsor. I've been seeing Suburbans with manufacturer tags and the full decal packages all over town over the last few days. Chevy is involved in a big way.
Of course, it makes sense, given the traditional tie in that Chevrolet has with baseball in general. And that has a lot to do with one of the most successful ad campaigns in history—Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet.
I remember the Campbell-Ewald-produced ad campaign pretty well, because my dad worked for Chevy back then, and there seemed to be a lot of promotional material associated with it around the house. I really did wear that T-shirt in the picture above in this article when it was new.
One of the other little hooks to the campaign was that Chevrolet ran full-page ads in the programs at the baseball stadiums that said, "If you really love baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet, please signal us by standing up midway through the 7th inning." Very clever.
The thing most people remember about that campaign is the jingle. In fact, they came out with a new version of that advertisement in 2006 that changed some of the words to reflect things in today's world. It didn't resonate all that well with people, but I thought it was kind of funny. Here it is below.
This campaign was tied for first as the best car commercial ever made, according to a 2005 Car and Driver article. It was written by veteran jingle composers Ed Labunski and Jim Hartzell, and first hit the airwaves in 1974. It has been a memorable classic ever since. Here is a version from 1975.
As the official vehicles of Major League Baseball, Chevrolet is ramping up its promotional efforts for the week of the All-Star Game, which is being held at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium.
On Monday, current and former All-Star players rode in a caravan to the ball park in specially decorated Silverados and Camaro convertibles during the MLB Red Carpet Show.
Throughout the week, Chevrolet will have ride and drives for several of their most popular vehicles, including a closed-course area where fans can experience the Corvette and Camaro. For some, this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see what these cars can do first hand.
Chevrolet will also have areas where fans can make souvenir photo flip books and baseball cards. There will also be a Chevrolet Baseball App, with proceeds going to youth baseball.
In fact, Chevrolet is committed to youth baseball activities. Through July 22, participants across the country can visit www.chevybaseball.com and enter to win a refurbished baseball field for their community. Someone will also will a new Chevy Malibu Eco.
And finally, the MVP of the All-Star Game will receive a new Camaro convertible, plus they will get to choose a field that they would like to see refurbished by the Bowtie brand.
MLB All-Star Game activities will go on throughout the early part of the week. A Fan Fest event will be in Kansas City's Bartle Hall July 6-10. The Chevy test track and other activities take place at Kauffman Stadium starting July 8. And the 83rd All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday, July 10 at 6:30 p.m. (c/t). The game will be televised live on FOX.
The MLB All-Star Game is a huge event for Kansas City, and something the city can be proud of. Having a major and active sponsor like Chevrolet put as much money and time into their promotional efforts helps shine an even brighter spotlight on the area.
Labels: advertising, Baseball, Chevrolet, Kansas City, Silverado
john July 9, 2012 at 10:53 PM
I had a t-shirt too... :)
In fact, and PLEASE dont tell Campbell-Ewald , a guy I was crewing for pirated the drawing, and we made t-shirts for our race team , Corvette World. Ran a 69 roadster in SCCA B/P then GT1 around Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas in the 80s. The car was actually originally an L88 car that had been an A Prod car most of its life out on the left coast. Larry bought it as a roller and dropped a small block in. Aaaahhh, back when 'production' cars really were...
Oh yeah...GO National League!
I love that jingle. Go Chevy!