Well this one has got the blog posters turning white hot.
As part of the launch for their 2007 Tahoe, Chevy have gone all customer-created content: go to the site and create your own ad from some basic video and music building blocks. So far so ho-hum, at least compared to the likes of Converse and the increasingly hi-quality submissions they get.
But then, quite quickly, it got very interesting, as people realised they could say what the hell they liked about Chevy in a very public environment. Which mainly means having a go about SUVs and global warming.
Suddenly something a bit mundane has become a huge viral phenomenon.
Naivete on the part of Chevy? Ruthless cynicism, knowing what would happen and the publicity it would generate (there's no bad PR after all - and the people who buy these cars will probably be more convinced than ever that they want to piss off the tree huggers)? Hey let's start the conspiracy theory now!
I'm sure it's more of the former. But what do they do? Many of the negative films remain on-line, which may simply be because they haven't got round to removing them. Or maybe they realise that it makes them seem champions of free speach if they leave them up...and that a banning order could smack of running scared.
Whatever the case, GM should seize this opportunity to have a proper look at and conversation about the link between cars and climate change. Could it be that, sometimes, businesses need to bite the bullet and give people what they need not what they want - in the longer term they will undoubtedly benefit.
Anyway, here are some links. If they go dead, check the CNET link at the bottom, where there's a compilation video.
And, rather obviously, I've just worked out that there are shed loads uploaded to Youtube already. So Pandora's Box has well and truely been opened
