SILVER — Chevrolet—“Glee-mercial,” Starcom US

While most marketers blow their budget on the pregame buzz and the in-game commercials, Chevy aimed to different itself by be the sole brand continuing the conversation in the post-Super Bowl vacuum.

For a brand like Chevy, Glee was the perfect match. The show made popular music from as far back as the 50s and 60s years ago relevant for today’s audiences. With an aging customer base, that was exactly what Chevy was trying to do for itself. Working with Glee’s creators, Chevy created a two-minute mini-Glee episode that ran immediately following the Super Bowl, going right into an all-new episode of Glee. In a stunning rendition of the 1950’s Chevy jingle (“See the U-S-A in your Chev-ro-let!”), series star Michelle Lea led the story with the other Glee characters in a production worthy of TV’s biggest event and the reputation of the medium’s hottest show.

The Glee-mercial lifted opinion of Chevrolet by 22%, the “likeability” score was 367% higher than Chevy ad norms, and the ad spurred social network conversation among youth audiences essential to Chevy’s growth.