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Running Head: DOES CHEVY HAVE THE LONGEST RUNNING TRUCK?

Chevy Mayan Apocalypse, Longest Running Truck?

The Longest dispute in Truck/SUV History
Trent W. Tynan
ENGL 1302
University Of Texas at El Paso

Authors Note this paper explains the insight to the Chevy apocalypse commercial and the
retaliation seen by The Ford Motor Corporation that happened right after the commercials
airtime.

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Running Head: DOES CHEVY HAVE THE LONGEST RUNNING TRUCK?
Abstract
Throughout the time that vehicle makers have been producing trucks and SUVs, there has been
no greater feud than the one between Chevrolet and the Ford Motor Company, regarding who
has the best and longest running truck on the market. This came to a boil with the emergence of
the Chevy 2012 Mayan Apocalypse commercial. This commercial blatantly called out Ford
stating that Ford Trucks did not last as long, nor are as safe, as Chevy trucks, based on the
content found in the commercial. This caused Ford to retaliate against the ad threating to sue if
the ad was not removed in a timely manner. This examination of the commercial will help give
insight as to why such accusations could be true. This is based on facts centered on both
companies.

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Running Head: DOES CHEVY HAVE THE LONGEST RUNNING TRUCK?
Chevy the Longest Running Truck?
On February 5, 2012 during the commercial airtime of Super Bowl XLVI the Chevy
Corporation debuted its crown jewel of Super Bowl ads which was a humorous ad centering
around the Mayan apocalypse date of December 21, 2012. The commercial depicts a postapocalyptic world run over run by large robots, aliens, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions; as
well as other natural and unnatural disasters. The intent of the commercial is to show how
rugged, dependable, and long lasting their brand new 2012 Silverado is during a post cataclysmic
event on the world. The commercial starts off with a new Silverado emerging from the rubble of
a torn down building as the owner of the Silverado and his dog venture out to see whats left of
the world passing various debris on the way through a devastated city. The commercial goes on
with the song, Looks like we made it sung by Barry Manilow playing in the background as the
man runs into meet his buddies at the crossroads of a street. He then proceeds to ask his buddies
where their friend Dave is, when a short silence entails until one of them tells him that Dave
didnt drive the longest, lasting, most dependable truck on the road Dave Drove a
Ford.(Extreme Sport, 2013) The commercial ends with one of the friends offering the man a
comical meal of a Twinkie, since they are the only thing that can survive a disaster of magnitude.
The screen zooms out with the song replaying in the background while a spokesman of Chevy
comes out stating the slogan that is presented in strong bold letters Chevy Runs Deep. For this
analytical representation of the commercial I will explain all aspects of how effective it is and the
overall outcome of it.
The overall purpose of this ad is to convey sense of dependability with regards to the
Chevy Silverado and to add comical humor to the approaching doomsday of the Mayan calendar.

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Running Head: DOES CHEVY HAVE THE LONGEST RUNNING TRUCK?
This shows that the intended audience is centered on those who at the time of the Super Bowl
were looking into buying a new truck, and since the Super Bowl is the most watched televised
sports event in the U.S, it is only natural for the Chevy Corporation to televise the commercial
during that event to gain as many new customers as possible. Both based on the humor in the
commercial, the overall standing of the truck in the commercial, and or the fear of the supposed
total system collapse of December 21 2012. This commercial caused Ford to go on the defensive
stating its name was slandered because; Dave Drove a Ford, and Ford trucks were not as
dependable or as long lasting as the Chevy Silverado. In return the, CEO of Ford stated that such
accusations were false and if Chevy refused to remove the ad from airing, legal actions would be
taken. If Chevrolet does not comply with the above terms prior to the start of the Super Bowl,
then Ford will take all appropriate steps to enforce and protect its reputation.(Hardigree, 2012)
This eventually adds to the rhetorical appeal of the ad, with regards to ethos, logos and pathos;
this greatly empathizes with the ethos part of the commercial which will follow in greater detail.
Ethos is the overall credibility of the author of whatever work or idea that is being
portrayed, which in this case is the credibility of how good Chevy trucks really are with regards
to a disaster. This is usually done by the overall signifies that is found in the commercial itself
with regards to several elements that deem them a credible and reputable truck maker. The use of
bond text for instance that is shown with Chevys slogan Chevy Runs Deep showing that there
Trucks produce a bold statement that they are very dependable trucks. This is because the slogan
is meant to instill that because many people pass the tradition of owning Chevy trucks to their
loved ones that the tradition will stand true even now.

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Running Head: DOES CHEVY HAVE THE LONGEST RUNNING TRUCK?
Pathos appeals to the emotional aspect of the ad; in other words the mood and visual
elements of the ad and the emotional responses to the visual elements. The first are the overall
colors used to express what has initially happened in the ad, dark dismal grey, and a harsh, dark
colored environment, to express a sense of dread from the or this apocalyptic nightmare that has
befallen this man as he searches for survivors with his dog in the back. The second element that
portrays an emotional response o relief to this ad is the fact that most of his friends survived this
disaster since they all drove the same type of vehicle all except Dave, which subsequently
renders an emotional response of sadness with the loss of a friend all because Dave Drove a
Ford. (Extreme Sport, 2013) Thirdly, would be the use of the song being played in the
commercial rendering a feeling of strength knowing that Chevy owners endurance will survive
the apocalypse. As the song in the commercial states, Looks like we made it, shows that they
were the ones that made it through this ordeal. The last emotional appeal, even though it may be
small in the commercial, is that of his friend as he offers him a Twinkie which gives the man
new joy after finding out his friend didnt make it. The last appeal to be explained for this
commercial is the logos or logical aspect of why Chevy is dependable.
The logos or logical part of the commercial has to do with the overall dependability and
durability of Chevy Trucks. The way this is shown in the commercial is the fact that even after a
cataclysmic event such as the one shown, all Chevy trucks where still driving around as if no
damage has come to them. This shows that even with extreme conditions the truck will keep
running. The man and his dog with the durability of the truck survived a building crashing over
them and just drive out of the rubble. This engine in this specific truck from the commercial has
been hailed by many as the best engine ever made, and gave birth to the LS series of motors
which is also the top rated series of motors ever built based on reliability and durability. (Fuller,

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Running Head: DOES CHEVY HAVE THE LONGEST RUNNING TRUCK?
2014) The LS series of motors has been the recent development of Chevy engines that are used
in this specific Silverado and in other newer Chevy Silverados that have followed, which shows
just how reliable the truck is, based on those who will do the research after watching said
commercial as apparent be recent polls which put the engine at number one. (Petrany, 2014)
In Conclusion I have shown how a simple commercial will have a very strong impact on
those who watch it. This is apparent through the various rhetorical appeals that are portrayed in
this commercial that give sustenance to what is being said and done in the commercial. This is
also apparent by the back lashing they received from Ford for slandering their name during the
commercial because it hurt their reputation while building Chevys at the same time. This is lastly
shown through the overall sales increase that Chevy had over previous years compared to this
particular year and by the overall polls taken with regards to their engines. Thus this this
concludes my analysis of the Chevy Apocalypse commercial.

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Running Head: DOES CHEVY HAVE THE LONGEST RUNNING TRUCK?
Work Cited
Chevy Silverado HD Superbowl Mayan Apocalypse Commercial. (2013, January 30). Retrieved
October 18, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbttLJA5biU
Fuller, D. (2014, January 26). Top 10 Engines of All Time (#1): Small Block Chevrolet (Gen 1)
350. Retrieved October 18, 2014, from http://www.onallcylinders.com/2014/01/26/top-10engines-time-1-small-block-chevrolet-gen-1-350/
Hardigee, M. (2012, February 5). Ford Tells GM, NBC To Pull Apocalypse-Themed
Chevy Super Bowl Ad. Retrieved October 18, 2014, from
http://jalopnik.com/5882408/chevy-claims-ford-begged-them-nbc-to-pull-apocalypsethemed-super-bowl-ad
Holmes, J. (2013, January 3). GM 2012 Sales: Chevrolet Silverado, Volt End
Strong - GM Sells One Million 30-MPG- Cars. Retrieved October 18, 2014, from
GM 2012 Sales: Chevrolet Silverado, Volt End Strong - GM Sells One Million
30-MPG Cars Read more: http://wot.motortrend.com/gm-2012-sales-chevroletsilverado-volt-end-strong-gm-sells-one-million-30-mpg-cars309669.html#ixzz3GqkC4rib
Petrany, M. (2014, January 28). The 10 Best Engines Of The Last 20 Years. Retrieved October
18, 2014, from http://jalopnik.com/the-10-best-engines-of-the-last-20-years-1510676043