Imagine this—you open on an average, hard-working white male wearing plaid as he’s tossing lumber into the bed of his pickup…actually, you don’t have to imagine…just take a look at any truck ad from the past 20 years. Same old, same old. But we know it’s not just middle-aged, fair-skinned farmers who use these trucks (Millennials are overtaking Gen-Xers as the largest buyers of trucks). We knew we had to completely rethink how and where we talk to this younger and more diverse audience. It was time to give truck stereotypes the pitchfork.
If we want to connect with a younger, more diverse audience in a way that resonates, we first have to take a look at what’s important to them in life—and in a truck. Through research, we found that style and design are key factors for younger truck buyers. Oh, and they’re also more likely to remember an ad that features music they love. Say no more.
When Breland first came across our For You page, we knew the universe (and algorithms) were conspiring in our favor. His viral hit song called “My Truck” celebrated truck culture in a way no one else was doing. We knew we had to work with him. And what better platform to do it on?
In collaboration with Breland, we designed a campaign specifically for TikTok that highlighted the redesigned exterior of the Silverado with a reimagined version of the viral hit song, hitting on aspects of how the truck can enhance your life, no matter what your interests are. Boom.
With 112M views, including 69M first-day impressions, Chevy cannonballed onto the scene. With a 36% higher watch time and an 88% higher engagement rate using the branded effect than the platform’s benchmarks, this campaign not only outperformed expectations, it set a new industry standard.
Not only that, partnering with a platinum-selling music artist like Breland allowed Chevy to break through on a platform that no other automaker had dared to explore. It opened a door to creating the type of content TikTok viewers crave and encouraged our target audience to engage with us in an authentic and fun way that felt true to the platform and their interests—ultimately changing brand perception for the better.
