GM Enters Advertising Hall of Fame

Not sure how many of you knew such a thing like an Advertising Hall of Fame existed, but this hasn't stopped a group of advertising devours from choosing the best of the best companies for the past 62 years and place them where they belong: an exclusive list of “and this is how it should be done.”

The American Advertising Federation, the curators if you like of the Hall of Fame were apparently so impressed with the way in which GM managed over the years to send the right message to the right people that it decided this week to include the car maker on the elite list.

More precisely, it was not what GM has done, but what GM has done first. Over the years, the auto maker was responsible for some very interesting developments in advertising, the federation reckoned, enough to make it eligible for the induction in the Hall of Fame.

Below is a list of the firsts GM managed to impress with over the years:

• the first car song to make it big, “In My Merry Oldsmobile”
• sponsorship of television programs including “The Dinah Shore Show” and “Bonanza”
• sponsorship of a major sporting event, the PGA tour
• sponsorship of an attraction at Walt Disney World, “Test Track presented by General Motors”
• partnership with “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to give away 276 Pontiac G6 cars in one show
• iconic ad campaigns such as “See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet” and “Like a Rock”
• landmark product integrations in movies such as “Transformers”

“GM today is building on our heritage of inventiveness and creativity with aggressive advertising and targeted marketing," said Chris Perry, GM vice president, US Marketing. “Most importantly, we have great cars, trucks and crossovers in the market.”