Key Challenges

Research showed that the NNPA relied heavily on print circulation despite the societal trend of print readership declining.

This AA market’s interest in cars inclined toward trendy luxury vehicles, like the Cadillac Escalade.

The AA audience had a generational split, as the older generations remained loyal to print, while the millennials and younger had all but transitioned to digital.

Creative Objective

Create a 360-degree media campaign that would play to the NNPA and Chevrolet’s strengths while helping bridge the digital/social gap.

Solutions

The Discover the Unexpected Journalism Fellowship

Students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) would receive a Chevrolet-funded scholarship and stipend and go on a summer internship road trip, working with NNPA newspapers.

• Splashy events from Detroit to Atlanta to Washington, DC
• Print buys in NNPA newspapers that updated readers on the Fellows’ progress and showcased the Chevrolet Blazer
• Celebrity ambassadors and mentors
• Radio show promotion
• Audiences were able to follow the Fellows’ journey via film, blogging, and social media posts and learn about Chevrolet’s work in the community.
• Audiences subjected to nuanced branding of Chevrolet vehicles and features through the eyes of the Fellows.
• Fellows promoted the Discover the Unexpected (DTU) campaign by participating in community events that have included the NNPA Annual Convention, Congressional Black Caucus Weekend, Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Grand Prix, and Taylor Chevrolet’s Finish Line Event.

Achievements

• Exposure to the Discover the Unexpected campaign drove statistically significant lifts across the brand and Blazer brand metrics of awareness, familiarity, and opinion.
• Among exposed respondents, Men and $100K+ HHI were particularly important in driving lifts between the control and exposed groups, suggesting potential focus areas moving forward.
• Across the three media channels of video, print, and radio, video moved middle-funnel metrics like Opinion, and Radio moved upper-funnel metrics like Unaided Awareness.
• Respondents rated creative favorably, with notable memorability messages seen across the assets around Chevrolet, helping HBCU students, and being part of the AA community.
• The DTU program drove significant lifts in familiarity with HBCUs, with digital/social channels playing a formidable role in spreading awareness of the program as a whole.