• by Tanya Gazdik , October 27, 2023

General Motors’ Chevrolet Division is replacing its decade-old tagline with something to better reflect its evolution.

“Together let’s drive” will replace “Find New Roads,” starting with a 30-second spot from agency of record Commonwealth//McCann breaking tonight on game one of Major League Baseball’s World Series. A 60-second “brand ethos” video will debut on digital only.

Prior to “Find New Roads,” which debuted in 2013, Chevy’s other taglines have included “See the USA in Your Chevrolet” premiering on the "Dinah Shore Show "in 1956, followed by “Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet” in 1975, “Heartbeat of America” in 1986 and “Like A Rock” in 1991. 

“‘Find New Roads’ has been a phenomenal tagline for us,” says Steve Majoros, Chevrolet vice president of marketing. “It was right for the times. It's just maybe not right for these times.”

Chevy is proud of its partnerships with Major League Baseball, which is why the game was chosen for the campaign’s debut. 

“Fourth quarter is always a big quarter for automotive and a big quarter for Chevrolet,” Majoros says. “So we're not doing anything massively special. It's not as though we dumped extra incremental money. It's a different kind of launch. Whatever X number of years ago, you'd pour railroad cars full of money against something. This is just going to be something that we're going to naturally evolve into.”

Chevrolet introduced the new campaign and tagline at a multiday full dealer meeting in Las Vegas earlier this week, Majoros says.

There were several themes of the meeting. “One theme is the second century of Chevrolet,” he says. “How do we make sure that Chevrolet as a brand -- and our portfolio, our customer experience, dealer business opportunities, etc. -- are ready for what we know is going to be a dynamic second century?”

The undercurrent was a theme of transformation, he says. 

“And a big part of that is the brand positioning,” Majoros says. “And again, the convergence and timing of all this couldn't be better, as a significant number of portfolio moves are either happening right now or will happen over the course of the next year or so.” 

Several new vehicles are planned for the General Motors division, including electric versions of the Silverado, Blazer and Equinox. 

The new brand campaign is the result of a year’s worth of research at a time of great transformation, Majoros says. 

“The automotive industry is going to change more in the next five years than in the last 50,” he adds. “The same thing can be said of consumers. Just imagine what we all as human beings have gone through, where we find ourselves today and what we hope for, but also what we're worried about as the future unfolds.”

There's an increasing respect for and reliance on trusted institutions, he says. 

“Now, you can't be purely rooted in the past -- you have to be a brand that has a sense of propulsion and energy and forward movement,” Majoros says. “But the reassurance that you're dealing with a company that you trust is a very powerful motivating factor.”

GM is still involved in contract negotiations with the United Auto Workers, which has been on strike at some GM factories since mid-September. Majoros says the strike and declining vehicle inventories are not affecting the campaign’s rollout. 

“Obviously there's a lot going on in that space that I can't comment on,” he says. “We watch days’ supply very regularly… we still have good availability across a wide range of products.”