‘Tears streaming down my face’—New Chevy commercial hits home with Americans
‘Tears streaming down my face’—New Chevy commercial hits home with Americans
Declaring ‘let’s make today a good day,’ a new ad released by Chevrolet offers a ray of hope for the families of Americans affected by Alzheimer’s and dementia
USA Today
November 29, 2023
An emotional holiday commercial from Chevrolet is hitting home with many Americans and could very well become one of those ads we’ll never forget. The automaker’s more than five-minute ad, called “A Holiday to Remember,” opens with a family gathering. A man and his daughter are talking about the declining well-being of his wife, who has early-stage Alzheimer’s. “There’s some days she doesn’t even recognize me,” he says, answering his daughter’s question about whether her mom has more bad days than good. A young woman, presumably the older couple’s granddaughter, overhears the conversation and makes a decision. “Let’s make today a good day,” she tells her grandmother—who sits with a vacant look—before carefully leading her to a blue 1972 Chevrolet Suburban in the garage. As John Denver’s “Sunshine On My Shoulders” plays, the young woman drives her grandmother through town, reminding her of pivotal places in her life, like her childhood home, her high school, and a drive-in theater that triggers a memory. It was there the now elderly woman’s husband first kissed his wife-to-be, the granddaughter says. Her grandmother then corrects her: “No, I kissed him. He was far too shy.” She then tells her teary-eyed granddaughter: “Bill! I need to see Bill.” The pair return to the family home, where the longtime couple hold each other and kiss with tears streaming down their faces. He has her, for a moment. The ad was created with help from the Alzheimer’s Association because most importantly, the commercial showcases what people living with Alzheimer’s and their families go through, especially around the holidays. ... “We’re not going to go spend a trillion dollars in media,” [Steve] Majoros [Chevrolet’s head of marketing, told Ad Age] said. Focusing on the holidays is a way to appeal to consumers with “warm, emotive stories.” The commercial was first shown during Fox’s Thanksgiving Day NFL broadcast. ... The ad is still making its rounds on all social media platforms and will likely continue to throughout the holiday season. ... Automotive News wrote in its reaction to the ad that “the holidays can be a difficult time for family members of loved ones with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.” But Chevy’s new ad “portrays how the season can also spark moments of joy, however fleeting.”
[Editor’s Note: To view the five-minute ad, click here.]