• by Karl Greenberg , May 16, 2007

Chevrolet is pitching fuel efficiency to Hispanic consumers via exclusive automotive sponsorship of the 2007 Maná "Amar es Combatir" U.S. Concert Tour.

The Mexican band, which founded The Selva Negra Foundation, an environmental organization is, per GM, the first Latin-American band to break into a Top 10 spot on the Billboard 200.

Last year, the band won a Chevy-sponsored Latin Music Award for its community and environmentalism, and Chevrolet began using the band's music in its Hispanic market advertising last fall, as the music track for its "La Marca Que Dura" campaign, which started running during last year's World Series.

A Chevrolet spokesperson says the band's music will be used in forthcoming ads for Silverado and for Chevrolet's hybrid and flex-fuel technology, and that the band will probably be Chevrolet's spokespeople for the Hispanic community.

The company says the tour, kicking off Aug. 29 in McAllen, Texas, is supported by Internet elements, grassroots and promotions. The spokesperson says the tour will be large, and that the band is also part of the lineup for "SOS, Live Earth," on July 7.

"There will be more ads with their music, with the 'milestone' theme," she says.

"We aren't looking for the creative team to make them talking heads; rather, we are looking for them to be spokespeople--particularly within the Hispanic community."

The band's music has backed Chevy's Spanish-language advertising, via Accent Marketing, Miami, since last year.

Maná's song "Justicia, Tierra y Libertad" in part of the integrated Hispanic-market campaign for the 2007 Chevy Silverado. The ads, running on networks like Univision and Telemundo, link Chevrolet's brand heritage to Hispanic milestones in U.S. history. The song focuses on the battle cry made famous by Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata, but in a modern, rock style.

The new TV spots and associated print ads show glimpses of Hispanic-American history, from workers building the Hoover Dam to fighter Roberto Duran as a youngster. Ads use the Spanish tagline for Chevrolet, "Subete."