An interesting discussion about advertising took place recently on a music community message board I frequent. It had to do with this Chevy Silverado ad.

The question at hand: Does the use of images of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, the Katrina flood and 9/11 to sell a truck cross the line?

Wrote one poster: “The fact that MLK and Rosa Parks are considered to be so iconic that GM wanted to include them on an ad like that could be seen as a good thing.”

I suppose. Maybe the John Mellencamp soundtrack helped mellow reactions to the ad; after all, this discussion took place in a music community. Many of the comments on YouTube were pretty anti-Chevy. Still, it all begs the question: Is any image or icon off limits when it comes to using it to sell a product?

It’s not unlike the dilemma comedians have. When is it appropriate to make jokes about 9/11? Certainly not on 9/12. But at what point does inappropriate metamorphose into acceptable?

The Chevy ad is certainly tasteful, evoking a certain tone and spirit of America without making the icons look like shills. Good taste can go a long way toward trumping potential backlash.

While pondering the issue, check out this parody of the Silverado ad.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 1st, 2006 at 6:30 am and is filed under Marketing Stuff.