CHEVROLET COUNTRY MUSIC SILVERADO 3500HD CREW CAB

The spirit of the country music culture is infused in this rolling sound stage, which has been used at the Country Music Festival and other country music artist venues. The bed and tonneau cover of the Silverado 3500HD crew cab open to reveal a makeshift stage, complete with lighting and power for microphones and amplifiers. A music-inspired graphics package and unique wheels dress up the exterior, while the interior has saddle-like aniline leather trim that is complemented by real wood accents and guitar-style mother-of-pearl inlays.

Vehicle highlights:

• Silverado 3500HD crew cab 4x4
• 6.6L Duramax diesel with six-speed Allison automatic transmission
• Custom aluminum wheels
• Music-theme exterior graphics
• HD trailering package
• Convertible performance stage
• Aniline leather interior
• Real wood trim accents
• Mother-of-pearl inlays
GM Accessories features (production and concept):
• Chrome grille
• Six-inch chrome tube steps
• Chrome hood louvers
• Overhead DVD player
• Chrome Cadillac Escalade outside mirrors

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If you've seen the pre-game show for ABC's NBC's Sunday Night Football at all this season, you've surely seen the 90-second version of the Chevrolet Silverado commercial featuring the Amerigasmic "Our Country" by the Chevy "cougar," John Mellencamp. If you're not a football fan, here's your chance to see the only commercial in the series of Campbell-Ewald spots that's touched me in any way — maybe "it's Johnny Unitas," as Chevy PR chieftain Terry Rhadigan claimed this past week. But really, it's more likely, as another journalist I was with said this past week, "the ads are like a Rorschach test for America...you see in the ad what you want to see in the ad." And you know, I've always been a sucker for six-year-old kids in football uniforms. They're just so adorable when they hit each other and fall down backwards. – Ray Wert

On Notice! Stephen Colbert Steals Rightfully Stolen Video, Jalopnik Demands An Apology; Ad Watch: Chevy Drops Nukes on Cutting Room Floor; America, Truck Yeah! Chevrolet Drops "Our Country, Our Truck" Silverado Marketing Campaign Like A Nuclear Bomb [internal]

Impressive New Honda Inspires John Mellencamp To Write Song About Japan [The Onion]

Related:
GM Hates Bob Seger: Chevy To Sell New Trucks By Getting A Bit Mellencampy; Ad Watch Exclusive: Stephen Colbert, Don't Steal This Chevy Silverado Commercial Too! [internal]

After enjoying Bob Seger's rendition of "America The Beautiful" in person during the first game of the World Series this past weekend, I was all ready to hear how Anita Baker would do singing the "Star-Spangled Banner" during game two last night. So it was rather weird for me to see a quartet of acoustical instruments set up along the first-base line — and in fact, I remember commenting to a certain commenter, "When did Anita Baker get a band?" Around 90 seconds later I realized what was finally going on when John "Cougar" Mellencamp stepped out onto the field — and I realized just how far Chevy was going in marketing the new 2007 Chevy Silverado as I heard the "Cougar" strum the beginning notes to a song that's become like a soundtrack to my life, "Our Country." I mean, it really hasn't become the soundtrack to my life, but considering the $400 million marketing campaign Chevy's got going — it sort of feels like it is. But apparently, some folks out there don't quite like the Mellencampy tone being struck...

...by the ad campaign. We've already discussed our thoughts on the matter — and like a chorus of background singers, they were echoed by Seth Stevenson over at Slate. Now the Detroit area radio stations are getting into the mix over what they're seeing as a breech in protocol — Mellencamp's signing of the "Our Country" song at the start of the game — before Anita Baker's performance of the "Star-Spangled Banner." Local rock-out-with-their-cock-out radio DJ's Drew and Mike, of WRIF (Baby!) in Detroit took Mellencamp to task on this morning's show, and as reported in the Freep:

John Mellencamp's performance of "This Is My Country" just before World Series Game 2 in Detroit Sunday night was not taken kindly to Monday on Detroit radio.

A typical response came on WRIF-FM 's(101.1) "Drew & Mike" program. The morning duo accused Mellencamp of selling out, writing the song for monetary reasons.

It is featured on a Chevrolet truck commercial. The pair suggested they wouldn't be surprised if Chevy approached him to write a patriotic song that could be used in a commercial. Mellencamp hasn't released an album of new material in six years.

"I dunno. It's pretty standard mellencamp fare...and i do know that he's been working on material for a new album."

Still, it was rather funny watching Fox's cameras panning the obviously not-paying-attention crowd when they weren't capturing shots of Brandon Inge taking a spit break. In fact, when it appeared that some kids were watching the goings-on, the money shot's got to be the boy's utterly confused face — he's probably wondering the same thing we are — "WTF?" – Ray Wert

Mellancamp songs draws criticism [Freep]

UPDATE: Chevy truck PR's main maven let us know a few minutes ago that "Mellencamp approached...Campbell Ewald with the song." So that settles that part of it.

Related:
Our Crooner, Our Truck: Bob Seger To Sing National Anthem For Game One Of The Chevrolet-Sponsored World Series; America, Truck Yeah! Chevrolet Drops "Our Country, Our Truck" Silverado Marketing Campaign Like A Nuclear Bomb; Slate Doesn't Like You, Chevrolet. We Don't Like You Either!; Ad Watch Exclusive: Stephen Colbert, Don't Steal This Chevy Silverado Commercial Too! [internal]

Our putting Stephen Colbert on notice earlier this week appears to have rallied the nation's Colbert-fancying video-production community. Check out this clip, created by one such member for the "Stephen Colbert Green Screen Challenge." He (or her!) leveraged the Chevrolet Silverado ad Colbert and his toadies stole from us last week, inserting Jedi Colbert as an uninvited guest of Mellencamp, Parks, Hula Hoop Girl, et al. Will this deep right-wing nut and his minions stop at nothing to enforce an agenda of unprovable theft and digital-video geekery, when all we ask for is a simple apology? All signs point to yes. Of course, in defiance of Colbert's camera-clogging compadres, O'Reilly, Hannity, Coulter, Merv Griffin, he remains mum on the subject. – Ray Wert

Related:
Ad Watch Exclusive: Stephen Colbert, Don't Steal This Chevy Silverado Commercial Too!; On Notice! Stephen Colbert Steals Rightfully Stolen Video, Jalopnik Demands An Apology [internal]

...in some ways good, and in other ways...umm...not so good.

The campaign's called "Our Country, Our Truck" and it's designed around images of rural America intending to appeal to what Chevy's targeting as the key demographic for truck product, white, married males — with specific attention paid to the ever-truck-lovin' Lone Star State. In the ads, which will begin airing during NBC's new "Sunday Night Football," Chevy's got a new John Mellencamp song as the soundtrack behind images of dads holding babies, old Chevy trucks, baseball and farms. Oh, and nuclear explosions. That's right, in one of the spec ads journalists previewed, there's the scene of a mushroom cloud — what we're assuming was a test of some sort — then an image of duck n' coverin' kids doing just that under their desks.

The commercial in which the image appears is called "Anthem" and it's meant to, as Chevy claims, showcase the good and bad of the past half century and show how America's made it through the difficult times. The imagery corresponds with that message, including shots of Vietnam, the twin towers of light emitting from the World Trade towers site in the months after 9/11 and (of course), hippies in the 60's. Then there's the mushroom cloud. A subconscious reference to a certain rival from the land of the rising sun, which just happens to be launching its own new pickup at the beginning of next year, perhaps? Chevy spokespeople say that's just not the case (and yes, we believe them. A couple of PR reps didn't quite believe us when we questioned what we'd seen. It wasn't until they asked the marketing folks, who then explained yes, the scene had been added), we're not entirely convinced. We mean, come on, there's only one country that's been on the receiving end of nuclear weapons, and from what we hear it's kinda still a touchy subject in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. So when your biggest and newest competitor on the scene hails from said country — maybe toning down the incendiary imagery's probably a good idea.

Then there's the 9/11 imagery, which could mark the first attempt to evoke 9/11 to sell goods. Yes the event's part of recent American past — but does the General really want to be the first to head down that trail? We're wondering.

Outside to those two scenes, "Our Country, Our Truck" is typically red, white and brash — but of course, we're not really the intended demographic...we don't even like John Mellencamp (well, at least one of us isn't a huge fan of him). But we're certain it, and the jingoistic (regardless of comments made by GM PR to the contrary) tenor of the ads will appeal to the vast majority of the truck-buying population. And for the most parts, the ads gave us a good feeling about the truck — mushroom cloud and 9/11 reference notwithstanding. But, like we've always said — ads don't sell cars (or trucks), the vehicles do. And we won't know how hot or not them thar' new trucks are until we test drive 'em later this fall.

We'll have some more of the creative up in the AM — along with more details of the campaign. We've also requested copy of the creative from Chevy, but so far have received no ETA on when we'll get it.

UPDATE: We've got the ads — and Chevy's cut not only the nuclear images — but also the 9/11 images (which have been confirmed by the NYT piece this AM).

Related:
GM Hates Bob Seger: Chevy To Sell New Trucks By Getting A Bit Mellencampy [internal]