General Motors, which took over from long-term, high-spending Oscar sponsors Hyundai, as The Academy Awards exclusive national automotive advertiser, ran commercials for its Chevrolet and Cadillac brands during both the pre-show and ceremony itself.
Chevrolet used the ceremony to debut its minute-long short film ‘Speed Chaser’ – which won the brand’s consumer-created Chevrolet/MOFILM Oscar film program (part of its wider ‘Find New Roads’ campaign).
The auto maker invited filmmakers from across the planet to create a Chevrolet-theme movie specifically to enter a competition for the chance to have the work air during The Oscars and ‘Speed Chaser’ triumphed over 71 other entries.
The winning filmmakers – Koreans Jude Chun, Eunhae Cho, and Sunyoung Hwang – shot the ‘film-within-a-film’ style commercial using a sense of authenticity, a couple of imaginative kids, toy cars and a Chevrolet Cruze.
‘We started from the fact that our target audience was watching the Oscars telecast, and we wanted to make something that celebrated the magic of movies,’ said Chun.
The low budget ‘Speed Chaser’ was shot in a field near Hwaseong City, Korea, during a single day of principal photography (plus a half day for pickups) on a total budget of $4,000.
Additional Chevrolet films from winning MOFILM filmmakers can be seen at http://www.mofilm.com/chevrolethollywood
While GM stable mate Cadillac, which returned to The Oscar telecast after a five-year absence, ran a spot for its new 2014 ELR electric luxury coup.
This commercial, called ‘Poolside’, developed by agency Rogue and which first aired during NBC’s Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony broadcast, has generated much debate and extreme reactions.
Critics have slammed it for being an arrogantly American, chest thumping, self-centered and self-satisfied ad, while supporters claim it is simply an ode to American values.
Fans on the political right see ‘Poolside’ as an unapologetic ode to American values. Critics on the political left see it as Ugly American chest thumping at its worst. During a time when Americans are working harder and longer for less money, others question the spot’s perceived workaholic message.
Cadillac also used to Oscars to run its ‘moon-themed’ ad (perhaps leveraging the success of the Oscars’ most nominated film ‘Gravity’) promoting the 2014 CTS luxury sedan,
Comment
According to Cadillac advertising director Craig Bierly, the ‘Poolside’ spot, from agency Rogue, is intended to serve as a ‘brand provocation’.
In which case, it certainly succeeded in that objective.
While Chevy’s winning MoFilm Oscar spot certainly stood out during the telecast thanks to its authenticity and to the fact it was one of the few ads aired during The Academy Awards that has a distinctly whimsical, soft-sell approach.
It feels neither forced, or overly commercial, and yet the Cruze vehicle itself certainly gets plenty of screen time.
Links
Chevrolet Website
Cadillac Website
Oscars Website
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Website
