Situation: It was late 2016, and our Shattering Perceptions campaign had gotten us exactly where we wanted to be. Brand health metrics were now on par with industry leaders. But that meant our efforts to surprise people with Chevy’s quality were no longer surprising. The work was falling flat. So, the question became – how to save a campaign that had fallen victim to its own success?

Brief: Reinvigorate our messaging and maintain the brand momentum we created with Shattering Perceptions.

Objectives:

Continue to improve indicators of brand health from current levels – Opinion (25%), Consideration (26%), and Net Momentum (39%).

Continue to improve vehicle image attributes such as Advanced Technology and Excellent Quality.

Increase quality-related brand imagery measures that significantly impact Opinion. Elevate these measures (including Excellent Opinion, Excellent Quality, Brand You Can Trust, and Dependable) to a competitive level with Ford.

We evolved shattering perceptions to strengthening perceptions, using trusted voices of brand lovers and converts to elevate Chevy’s story.

In Phase 1 of Shattering Perceptions, we were on the defensive, trying to prove Chevy wasn’t as bad as people thought. But after Phase 1, we’d not only demonstrated that, but built a strong foundation of brand trust.

So, we went on the offensive, keeping everything that made this campaign great - real people, our moderator Potsch, product-focused messaging. But evolving everything to fit our new strategy for Shattering Perceptions (strengthening perceptions).

The evolution of these campaign equities resulted in effective pivots for Shattering Perceptions, including: 

1. Speaking from a posture of pride rather than catch-up

2. Moving from a focus on real people being surprised about Chevy to a focus on real people endorsing their love of Chevy

3. Leveraging esteemed third-party awards (e.g. J.D. Power) to reinforce quality credibility