Comedy teams can be memorable whether performing on stage and screen, or pitching consumer products. Think of Laurel & Hardy, Burns & Allen and Bartles & Jaymes. Now Chevrolet wants consumers to add Max & Al to the list.
The car maker rolled out a new ad campaign for its Silverado heavy-duty pickup trucks that focuses on the Duramax diesel engine and Allison transmission available in the trucks. In the ads, to big guys named Max and Al play the parts of parts of the hard-working engine and transmission.
The Duramax/Allison combination has been available in Chevy’s bigger 2500- and 3500-series pickup trucks for about 10 years, so the ads position Max and Al as hardened veterans. Ford Motor Co.’s competing engine, the Powerstroke diesel, is portrayed by a helpless baby dressed in pink. A funny note for diesel truck fans is that the Powerstroke has been on the market longer than the Duramax, at least in name.
A Chevrolet spokesman said the Max and Al characters are ”creative expressions of the confidence we have in Chevy trucks,” and a ”lighthearted way to call out our competitors.”
The campaign is part of a wider marketing effort in Chevy’s truck division to play on the competitive pride many die-hard pickup-truck have and how it often translates into banter when owners of competing brand trucks get together. The campaign features actors Craig Robinson (Darryl from “The Office”) as Al and Patrick Warburton (remember Elaine’s boyfriend David Puddy from ”Seinfeld?”) as Max. You can see a series of spots by clicking here.
Article courtesy of The Wall Street Journal and Jonathan Welsh.
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John Paul Strong
John Paul Strong combines his two decades of automotive marketing experience with a team of more than 150 professionals as owner and CEO of Strong Automotive.
