Online Product Reveals: Cutting Edge & Informative

2010 Chevrolet Camaro

GM Rolls Out The Camaro Online

I write extensively about the automotive industry, operating several sites including The Auto Writer which is, by far, my busiest blog. I am by no means a mechanical expert when it comes to cars, but I am an admirer of the technology and engineering that goes into making the vehicles we drive and I like to keep my pulse on this dynamic industry.

Today, General Motors revealed the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, bringing back a nameplate that the company marketed from 1967-2002.  Fans of the Camaro and its sibling vehicle, the Pontiac Firebird, were bitterly disappointed when GM stopped production in 2002, especially as Ford continued to produce its arch rival pony car, the Mustang.

But, it was that same Mustang which helped resurrect the Camaro. When Ford introduced its latest generation pony car in 2005 to heralded acclaim, both General Motors and Chrysler realized that they needed to get back into this important segment. Like the Mustang, both the new Camaro and the current Dodge Challenger have taken their styling cues from earlier models, exactly what Ford did when it redesigned the Mustang.

GM’s Masterful Online Reveal of the All-New Camaro

Today, GM did what many companies in the 21st century are now beginning to do: unveil a new product offering via the internet.  Instead of waiting for a major auto show as the venue for the Big Reveal, GM showcased the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro to the entire world online.  The ten minute ceremony began promptly at 4 p.m. at the GM Tech Center in Warren, MI. with short speeches about the Camaro followed by a reveal of a bright orange pre-production model.

This is how GM succeeded with their market reveal today:

• Wisely, to get people to tune in, the company “leaked” images of the production version Camaro last week.
• These images were posted all over the internet creating a buzz which rocked the blogging world, stirred leading internet sites, and became feature articles over the weekend in the Sunday papers.
• This morning, I checked the Chevrolet Camaro site and found that GM had updated the page to announce the unveiling for later in the day.
• Immediately, many of the key automotive blogs relayed that information to their readership, causing the buzz to reach a fevered pitch.

Harnessing Internet Driven Buzz

My point with this article isn’t so much what was revealed but how it was revealed. By creating the necessary buzz leading up to the product release and taking full advantage of the strength and breadth of the internet, millions of people from around the globe were able to witness the Camaro’s introduction at one time. All of that free publicity will certainly benefit the car and the company, fueling additional free publicity for months to come.

The internet hasn’t just arrived — it is a real game changer in the way that we market our products. The key, of course, is generating the buzz and then following through with a timely and informative product reveal.