It feels like it's been a while since I sat down to watch a TV show and didn't fast-forward through all the commercials. Most of what I watch is on the DVR, and that's a good thing.
But Sunday was a different story as the Seattle Seahawks managed to keep me glued to a live football game, and that meant I had to sit through some ads. In doing so, I managed to catch what I think was a pretty good run of commercials by Chevrolet.
The American automaker, which managed to drill Bob Seger's "Like a Rock" into the eternal consciousness of anyone who's ever laid eyes on a pickup truck, appears to have turned a corner with the three "Chevy Runs Deep" spots I saw. And I think some credit can go to Volkswagen, which won the ad war hands down at the last Super Bowl with its little Darth Vader ad.
Chevy trots out its own little-kid-and-dad's-ride scenario with a poignant Silverado ad aimed at kid lovers, truck lovers, toy lovers and dog lovers all in one. It did the trick on me as I pictured my own 4-year-old son going through the exact same motions. Skip the Seger and cue the soft acoustic guitar:
The second ad that kept me on the couch and not in the kitchen was for the Volt. A guy stops at a gas station in his fancy electric car and gets harassed by a little kid. Short, sweet and sarcastic, just how we like 'em:
One more ad, for the Chevy Cruz Eco, got me to chuckle as it featured a young -- and expecting -- couple zipping around on a day of house hunting. Another simple ad with a dry sense of humor ... and there I was, still on the couch:
Chevrolet hasn't rewritten the ad book here by any means. But by taking a detour from its brand of American machismo it managed to catch my eye on a Sunday in front of the TV. I may not have had the ability to fast-forward through the game I was watching, but I still had the remote in my hand and these ads didn't cause me to click.
What do you think of the Chevy spots? Catch any other good commercials lately? Click on over to Facebook and discuss.