Chevrolet Engages with the Groundswell

The groundswell can be a great tool for companies to use for public relations, marketing, but mostly staying relevant and successful for a new generation of consumers. Li and Bernoff state that listening is often one of the most neglected skills in business (pg. 93). If a company is going to prosper then they need to listen to the groundswell around them in order to actually find out what the consumer wants and what they think of their brand. However, as smart a decision as listening is the only next logical step is to interact with the groundswell and devise the best next course of action to take. As far as auto manufacturers go Chevrolet has been on top of this interaction for years.

Bigger companies like Chevrolet that have been around for decades have been using the older way of advertising for years and you would think might be hesitant to change. However, for a company that has dealt with bad press keeping up on the current trends in advertising will go a long way to helping the brand in the long run. By starting small while thinking big Chevrolet has listened to the groundswell around them and the auto industry to try and market their brand to whole new generation of consumer. Talking with the groundswell through the four most effective methods of posting a viral video, engaging in social networks and user-generated content sites, joining the blogosphere, and creating a community has brought the company recognition as being innovative and active in the their industry.

Like many companies, Chevrolet has used clever marketing ploys in an attempt to create dialogue through social networks like Twitter. The #TechnologyAndStuff campaign was started by accident when company spokesperson uttered the phrase while awarding a free truck to World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner

For a company like Chevrolet they know that something like this will get the groundswell's attention but it won't sustain them. The companies insight and devotion to staying relevant has led them to some energizing social media campaigns. By energizing the groundswell they can tap into the power of word of mouth by connecting with the consumer (pg. 131). To Chevrolet's credit their social media presence has done a lot to energize consumers especially first time buyers. More than a third of sales to the company's new Spark, Sonic, Trax and Cruze models are Millennials that are new to the brand. The buzz created by the company's social media marketing team have aided in spreading the brand and attracting a new base of consumers. This new base of consumers are more likely to talk about Chevrolet via additional social media outlets which will be attracting additional consumers.              


Energizing the groundswell in a positive way is great for a company, but helping that groundswell support itself is what will be beneficial to sustaining interest. Chevrolet has taken this step as well be creating their own community forum which allows Chevrolet enthusiasts from around the world to talk about the product, ask questions, and receive input from others like them. called The Block this the online community allows automotive enthusiasts to upload profiles that can be shared with friends and contains information about the latest Chevrolet news and events.

The Block provides an outlet for Chevrolet enthusiasts to express their passion for their cars and support other like minded people by answering their questions. Something like this helps the groundswell around Chevrolet to support itself and helps Chevrolet learn more about their consumers and where to fix faults within their products. Instead of telling the consumer what they want and need, Chevrolet can now adjust to what their most loyal consumers are actually saying. It gives the company an ability to adjust their marketing and product designs as it stays relevant to what the groundswell is currently saying.