• by Karl Greenberg , April 3, 2012

General Motors' Chevrolet division is hoping to get a lot of new direction from Viacom Media Network's MTV Scratch marketing consultancy. The firm is sort of a creative swat team at Viacom -- leveraging the entire portfolio of Viacom media brands, primary creative teams, talent and research to come up with marketing solutions.  

The automaker is in a consulting relationship with Scratch on how to market Chevrolet vehicles to millennials.    

Viacom research on Millennials does't offer a lot of good news for automakers who are hoping to bring in younger consumers the old-fashioned way: with sexy designs and horsepower. The data finds Millennials are six times less likely to have a driver's license; only 37% say they enjoy driving; they are more likely to delay life events associated with adulthood; only one in five is married by their late 20's; and most see a car as driven by needs not passion; fewer than one in three thinks a car needs to express who they are.

Says Scratch SVP Anne Hubert: "While the car used to be major source of self expression, there are endless new platforms for that, it's not just clothes and cars. What that means for GM is that the car isn't about defining your identity." 

Seventy-four percent of respondents said they are so connected they never really are alone. "Millennials have lived their whole lives being connected," says Hubert. "It's part of the fabric of their lives. So when you put that in the context of a car, where they are potentially disconnected from that -- it feels unnatural and creates anxiety for them."  

Hubert says the Scratch/Chevrolet has included a program that puts "Innovation Labs" on college campuses. The program, which focused on Chevy Sonic, got students to imagine what the future of the Sonic car might be. "

Kevin Mayer, director of advertising and sales promotion at Chevrolet, says the company has seen an inflow of young customers for the Cruze car. "We are seeing a new buyer for the car. We are looking forward to amplification through their celebrities, shows and platforms."   

The next car for Chevrolet will be the sub-compact Spark. And while the Sonic benefitted from a broad national campaign he says the Spark will be marketed in urban centers. "It will be more focused geographically," he says. Mayer adds that television advertising as a means of reaching younger consumers is useless unless the advertising is part of a 360-degree relationship with the content provider. "And you need a combination of digital and TV to reach audiences."  

He says the automaker is also parsing traditional media in terms of segments of customers. "We look at TV as video. You buy the idea and the partnership [with the show, network, or media company] and then buy the 360 degrees around it. It's not enough just to advertise."