Hasta La Creative!

You’re almost certainly aware that General Motors is currently suffering through a scandal created by its lack of tech savvy. Yet, even as the terrible PR is somehow increasing sales numbers for the automaker, a new spot created by Commonwealth/McCann indicates that Chevrolet wants customers to know that it’s moving on. In fact, we might say that the brand has begun “a new journey.”

This spot is ostensibly all about the 4G Wi-Fi available in new models, but in a larger sense it’s about how Chevrolet is moving forward on all cylinders and bringing its customers along for the ride.

The July 4th debut was no accident, either: as Chevy’s VP of Marketing puts it, “What better time than the Fourth of July to celebrate the new independence that Chevrolet provides”…via working Wi-Fi.

In order to reinforce this point, the team at Commonwealth/McCann Detroit adroitly make the sort of “that was then, this is now” juxtapositions that one sees in many campaigns for products with tech components.

Credits after the jump.

(more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Well, this was the tip that we received verbatim yesterday afternoon that pretty much nailed it: “gary pascoe – ECD at Team Detroit.. or was. he’s gone. Left on his own. Leading up some other DET shop.” And yes, the McCann camp has announced that Pascoe is indeed leading another Detroit shop, namely its Chevy-focused, IPG-owned unit Commonwealth. Pascoe is joining as agency as chief creative officer, North America. Most recently, the creative exec spent three-and-a-half years as ECD at JWT/Team Detroit, serving as ECD on not only various Ford accounts, but others including Sports Authority and Etch-a-Sketch.

In a statement, Linus Karlsson, chief creative officer for global brands at Commonwealth overseer McCann Worldgroup, says, “Gary is an incredible talent who is going to bring the kind of creative passion and leadership that will help define Commonwealth moving forward and build on the momentum we have seen over the last few months. He is behind some of the best work in the category and we are incredibly happy to have him join the team and help us tell the Chevrolet brand story in exciting new ways.”

While we reported about cuts last week at Commonwealth, our sources mentioned that the agency was also hiring aplenty and Pascoe is actually just one of several additions to the creative team. Along with the new CCO, the agency has also brought on Bob Guisgand, Duffy Patten and Erika Kayuk as creative directors. Prior to joining Commonwealth, Guisgand and Patten served as CD/art director and CD/copywriter, respectively, at Fallon while Kayuk, who will focus on Chevy.com, arrives from Organic.

As for Pascoe, the newly minted CCO also spent several years as a senior creative at the likes of BBDO Detroit/NYC as well as TBWA\Chiat\Day L.A., the latter of which he worked on past and present clients including Nissan, PlayStation and Taco Bell.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.