CHEVY HITS AN EMOTIONAL CHORD WITH THEIR LATEST HOLIDAY AD

It’s that time of year that we see a bunch of Christmas and other holiday ads. Sometimes we get classic ads that have been playing for decades such as the Hershey’s Kisses bell choir, the Campbell’s Snowman Soup, the Corona Christmas Palm Tree, or even the M&M’s meet Santa ad. They’ve been here since the 80s and 90s! New ads come out every year with most going for the humorous or nostalgic side. They’re trying to get you to feel the spirit of giving … OK, mostly buying, but still they want you to buy or want their products. Every once in a while a commercial comes out that skews away from just how to get their stuff and is just … there. Usually it’s during the Super Bowl, but a car company has been pulling at heartstrings the last few years and that is Chevrolet. A few years ago they hit us with an ad that seemed unbeatable when it comes to emptying a box of tissues. They did it this year though with one that, I feel was even more poignant than the last. Most commercials won’t show you that not everyone is having the best Christmas ever even with everyone there. Those that have a family member dealing with a form of dementia have a hard time enjoying the day when someone they love may or may not know what is happening around them. The difficult thing is that many just choose to ignore that this kind of thing even exists. As someone who lost his father to Alzheimer’s this commercial didn’t make me feel pandered to, it made feel seen. It put a little light on any family having to deal with a loved one with dementia around this time of year. A light some don’t want to turn on. So, yes it is easy to be cynical about this commercial and say they just did it to “sell cars”. However, Chevy took a bold step to go here and risk the backlash so many are waiting to dole out on the Internet. You’d be surprised a memory can be jogged with a song, a place, or even a car ride – just a simple moment or touchstone for that person suddenly gives you a glimmer of them back with you. The problem is that it doesn’t last and may never be triggered again even if you did everything the exact same way. That’s the truth. I don’t think they’ll sell more cars because of this ad, but this will let folks feel acknowledged no matter what kind of car they drive.