GM Launches New Ad Spots for GM Goodwrench Campaign

Spots Add Sidekick For Stephen Colbert Character

DETROIT October 4, 2004; The search for Mr. Goodwrench continues. But this time, Stephen Colbert has a little help.

Colbert, a comedian who also plays a correspondent on "The Daily Show," returns in two new national TV spots in the next phase of the "Looking for Mr. Goodwrench" advertising campaign, which breaks today. The spots add a sidekick in comedian Brian Posehn and a golf-cart like 3-wheel vehicle, which the duo uses to search GM dealerships across the country for what Colbert thinks is the one and only Mr. Goodwrench.

Since the launch of the campaign GM Goodwrench has realized gains in key marketing areas such as: unaided brand awareness (100 percent), advertising awareness (31 percent) and brand consideration (28 percent).

"Mr. Goodwrench personifies the expertise and technology of our 100,000 professional technicians at GM dealerships nationwide," said Beth Grotz, Marketing Director for GM Parts and GM Goodwrench. "The next phase of our campaign builds on the buzz and momentum we've generated within a highly competitive industry."

The new TV spots continue to help GM Goodwrench stand out from its competition with the use of humor and a unique approach to reaching its target audience.

"GM has broken away from the pack with the 'Looking for Mr. Goodwrench' campaign," Grotz added. "Most vehicle service ads feature a technician holding a part in his or her hand, but we moved away from the typical spot and connected with consumers through unique settings in addition to the dealership environment, and through humor."

The three-wheel vehicle "serves as a comedy cue, but it's also important to the campaign as a branding element," said Tom Downey, senior vice president, group account director for Chemistri, the advertising agency which developed the campaign. "It allows us to place the 'Looking for Mr. Goodwrench' sign on the side of the vehicle helping the audience to connect with GM Goodwrench when the characters are seen away from the dealership."

One spot, titled "Stakeout," opens with Colbert, clad in his trademark safari vest, sitting in his 3-wheel vehicle in the parking lot of a GM Goodwrench dealership looking for Mr. Goodwrench through a telescope. He then goes to the back of the vehicle, opens the door and asks Posehn why he can't find Mr. Goodwrench. Posehn, sitting in cramped quarters with a computer keyboard on his lap and a headset around his neck, while a sonar device "pings" in the background, replies, "They're all experts, but I can't tell one from the other." Colbert says, "I thought you said you were in the service." Posehn responds, "I said I was in the service industry - I'm an aroma therapist."

After the call to action, "Find Mr. Goodwrench at all GM dealerships nationwide," the duo decides to try "Plan B," but ends up in the back seat of a police squad car wearing bear costumes. Colbert defiantly proclaims, "All right ... on to Plan C."

In the second spot called "APB," Colbert's character, sitting in his 3-wheel vehicle in a park, asks a mounted police officer, whom Colbert addresses as "Constable," to put out an APB (all points bulletin) for Mr. Goodwrench.

Colbert tells the officer, "He (Mr. Goodwrench) purports to train over a million hours a year. Do you know what that means?" The officer replies, "Expertise?" Colbert responds, "Two words: labor law infraction." Sidekick Posehn then pops out of the back of their vehicle, and Colbert identifies him to the officer as "my covert ops guy." Posehn turns toward the officer on horseback and says, "Yay ... a pony."

After the call to action the spot ends with the officer asking Colbert, "Is that a radar detector?" Colbert replies, "No ... that's my sonar. You know, 'PING' ... gotta go," and speeds away from the officer.

The two new spots will run through mid-2005, and more are planned for the next 12 to 18 months. The creative for the spots was developed by the Chemistri team of Daniel Hennessy, Jeff Postema, Nate Strong and Mike Talovich. The spots were directed by Rawson Thurber, whose credits include the motion picture "Dodgeball" and the "Terry Tate, Office Linebacker" TV spots for Reebok.