GMC ad Confusion.

"Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey" (dingersghost)
06/18/2015 at 23:00 • Filed to: None

Explain to me GMC’s logic here. They talk about their vehicles being “Sharp” and show a lot of things associated with wealth and success- nice suits, watches, and the like.

But Eminence Front plays in the background. This is a song that basically portrays everything in the commercial as an effort to hide oneself. What?

DISCUSSION (26)

x87172 > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey
06/18/2015 at 23:06

GMC as a brand doesn’t make sense.

Why anyone would pay GM an extra $5k for a hideous grille and lights on a Chevy, with worse resale value, is totally beyond me.

GenuineAlexReid - The Reidus > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey
06/18/2015 at 23:07

Ah yes. I always think “precision” when I think about a GM product. All car commercials these days are pretty awful, they probably just thought the song sounded cool.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > GenuineAlexReid - The Reidus
06/18/2015 at 23:09

Granted, it is a good song. Just not well thought out for this use.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > x87172
06/18/2015 at 23:10

GMC should have died, but the GMC, Buick Pontiac dealers fought back.

Its the same fucking chevy yet it confuses everyone and wastes advertising dollars.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > x87172
06/18/2015 at 23:10

This is true.

GenuineAlexReid - The Reidus > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey
06/18/2015 at 23:12

LOVE Eminence Front, so good. The commercial that always plays in my neck of the woods is the one where they equate the precision of GMC to the sound of a basketball whooshing through the net without hitting the rim. “Why do we love that sound? Maybe it’s the precision”. Ugh.

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey
06/18/2015 at 23:18

Ignore the commercial. Just listen to how awesome Eminence Front is. One of my favorite The Who songs, maybe even my favorite.

AM > x87172
06/18/2015 at 23:18

Never understood this either, even though I drive a GMC (which was a rare find in its condition). The only thing you can get on the Yukon that is impossible to get on the Tahoe is the 6.2L V8.

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage
06/18/2015 at 23:21

It is one of my definite favorites too. I think right behind Who Are You

Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment > x87172
06/18/2015 at 23:24

Because people are stupid and they know it.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > x87172
06/18/2015 at 23:25

I would pay $5k for a hideous grille, so long as it was a GMC grill on a Yukon Denali. Resale value be damned, I still want one.

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey
06/18/2015 at 23:27

Yeah, agreed.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > x87172
06/18/2015 at 23:31

I’d buy a Sierra over the Silverado. Why? I think it looks better and Denali. It makes GM money so I see no reason for it to die.

desertdog5051 > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey
06/18/2015 at 23:59

And then there is Toyota and their Gentlemans Truck ad. Yeah, that really appeals to truck buyers.

DoYouEvenShift > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey
06/19/2015 at 00:14

Eminence. Eminem+Evanescence?

user314 > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey
06/19/2015 at 06:23

I have similar questions about this State Farm commercial:

All through the ad you have this guy saying ”I’ll never...” and failing every time, and then it ends with “I’ll never let go.“. Huh?

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > user314
06/19/2015 at 17:35

I just took that as his ideas changing over time as he realizes what makes him really happy?

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > DoYouEvenShift
06/19/2015 at 17:36

I suppose so haha!

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > desertdog5051
06/19/2015 at 17:37

What. I don’t get it.

desertdog5051 > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey
06/19/2015 at 18:05

For the most part, trucks are/were marketed based on their toughness and associated qualities like load carrying and towing. Toyota, and now GMC, seem to be marketing to a whole different audience. That is probably because so many truck buyers are not really truck users. That bed behind them is just extra space. Now the things like creature comforts take precedence over utility. When I first started buying trucks, radio and AC were luxuries. Just my observation.

Coty > GenuineAlexReid - The Reidus
06/24/2015 at 08:39

I get the same one. Must resist urge to leave the room.

Coty > desertdog5051
06/24/2015 at 08:40

And then there’s companies making their vehicles out of completely different materials for the sake of payload.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > x87172
06/24/2015 at 09:41

Because while GMC’s are usually more expensive, they usually come with more stuff, so it balances.

With the financial side taken care of:

It’s a way of offering 2 styles. There are plenty of people who love the looks of the Chevy who hate the GMC and the the other way around.

Believe it or not, there is brand loyalty in play even between Chevy/GMC.

It cost GM virtually nothing extra to do it.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
06/24/2015 at 10:17

Are you insane?

GMC is a MASSIVE CASH COW for GM.

Same trucks, more money for them. Why in the HELL would they shut it down? Do you think it’s not profitable? I promise you if it weren’t profitable, it would be gone.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
06/25/2015 at 07:58

http://wardsauto.com/blog/gmc-ponti…

My .$02. I just think that the loss of brand recognition and advertising money could be better but forward building up the core brand “chevy” or at least maybe turn GMC into the fleet commercial division. “we are professional grade” WTF does that mean?

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
06/25/2015 at 10:53

Here’s the way I see it, because the Ad dollars are not as big of an impact as you think they are (says Automotive Advertising guy). Let’s look at some numbers. Pickuptrucks.com is my reference for these btw.

2014 Totals:

F-Series: 753,851

Silverado: 529,755

Ram: 439,789

Sierra: 211,833

OK, so the Sierra sold over 200k units in 2014. That’s a lot of trucks. I know you’re saying, well those guys will just buy Chevy’s. But 1. it’s possible they bought the GMC because they think the Chevy is ugly and now they’re in a Ram or an F-Series instead (lost sale), besides the fact that it barely costs them anything to built 2 different pickup trucks that are exactly the same underneath.

Now, you say GMC has no purpose. OK. Looking back at the Chevy Malibu, despite how much it’s made fun of on Jalopnik, is still one of Chevy’s top sellers because standard mid-sizer. The Sierra line outsold the Malibu last year (says wikipedia). GoodcarBadcar says that it also outsold the Impala. (by over 50,000 units!)

See what I mean? Even though it sells less than half the cost of the Silverado, it’s an incredibly minimal investment for GM to keep the Sierra on the road (this applies to all GMC vehicles I’m sure, though with smaller numbers).

Minimal investment, higher priced than Silverado, more profit, no reason to not sell GMC’s