Since there was a natural brand connection with Prince, Chevrolet decided to recognize the artist via the iconic cultural link between Prince and Corvette, immortalized in his 1982 hit “Little Red Corvette,” with a heartfelt tweet, Facebook post, and a full-page newspaper tribute, that ran the very next day in select American newspapers. It was important the tribute was in recognition of Prince and not about Chevrolet.

Within a matter of five hours after the announcement of Prince’s death, Chevrolet created a Facebook post, and tweet featuring the same words and design. Because this was a tribute to Prince, Chevrolet checked its ego and decided not to brand the ad Chevrolet, Corvette or General Motors. The result was a simple message recognizing loss and a unique relationship.

The ad caused a positive sensation with over 14.5K shares and 13K likes on Twitter, within the first 12 hours and struck just the right note with fans. Many advertising publications praised Chevrolet’s powerful, yet understated tribute to the icon.

Facebook Results (Chevrolet)

• 133,610 ORGANIC REACH

• 4,431 LIKES

• 223 COMMENTS

• 1,411 SHARES

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Twitter Results

• 468,461 ORGANIC IMPRESSIONS

• 5,753 FAVORITES

• 154 REPLIES

• 5787 RETWEETS