What better way to respond when Ford, your main truck competition, tows your truck and two others up a hill? Chevrolet decided to tow the trucks AND the hill in a back and forth advertising competition that must be seen.
This week's Classic Ad Watch is actually two advertisements. Back in the 80s truck advertising still involved unnecessary off road abuse and One-upmanship reigned supreme. When your competitor did something, you did it better, and then they tried to do it better than you. In the first half of our classic ad watch we see Ford tow not one, but three trucks up a hill. This feat cannot compare to Ford's advertising of the previous year, which depicted the truck towing only two trucks up the hill in a now unimpressive display.
Not to be outdone, Chevrolet does the only thing they can, try and beat Ford latest accomplishment. Their answer in ad form is bold. According to Chevy, not only can the redesigned Chevy tow trucks up a mountain, it can then tow away the mountain. In an advertisement that can only be described as awesome, crowds cheer the pickup truck that can "tow away the entire mountain". The Ford vs. Chevy argument has been going on almost as long as the two brands have existed. Although we are mostly unbiased, it seems clear when awarding the crown for ridiculous late 80s truck advertisement, this round goes to the "Heartbeat of America".