Chevrolet Put the Brakes On ‘Silverado Strong’ Promo During World Series

Photo via Reddit.com

A plan to promote Chevrolet’s latest line of Silverado vehicles during Game 5 of the World Series was axed at the last minute because advertisers feared it would offend viewers and baseball fans.

Leading into the top of the third inning, fans in attendance at Busch Stadium in St. Louis were supposed to hold up white placards on their seats, which were going to spell out “Silverado Strong” in large letters that could be seen from the sky.

But due to the motto “Boston Strong,” Chevrolet, and officials from Major League Baseball, who were co-sponsoring the message, decided to pull the plug on the in-stadium endorsement.

“Following [Monday’s] rehearsal, we realized there was the possibility that we may offend some of the very fans we were trying to honor, for that reason Chevrolet and MLB decided to cancel the promotion,” according to a statement from Chevrolet Spokesman Michael Albano.

Photos of the in-stadium ad were circulated online prior to Game Five, eliciting a negative response from viewers, and prompting the change in plans.

The message was supposed to be accompanied by a video played on the scoreboard during the third inning. Both the Chevrolet logo and the MLB’s silhouetted batter logo were going to appear on either side of the placards when held up by fans.

Although Chevrolet has been running the “Strong” campaign since July to promote their 2014 Silverado line, celebrating what Albano called, “the strength of hardworking, honest and dependable men and women,” the use of the term in advertisements has recently been called into question.

“Boston Strong” was originally coined by two Emerson College students, who raised more than $1 million for the One Fund through the sale of T-shirts, to help support the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. The term “B Strong” was later adopted by the Red Sox, and the logo even appears on the field at Fenway Park during the post-season.

Luckily, the paper reserved for the advertisement at Busch Stadium didn’t go to waste Monday night, and attendees found other uses for them instead:

So these unused "Silverado Strong" signs make great paper airplanes … pic.twitter.com/0llWy5mQ0p

— Drew Silva (@drewsilv) October 29, 2013