Chevrolet wisely canceled a "Silverado Strong" promotion they had planned for Busch Stadium during Game 5 of the World Series. Chevy planned for Ozzie Smith to make a few comments about Chevy before the third inning and fans would hold up placards spelling out "Silverado Strong."
However, negative feedback through social media led to Chevy scrapping the promotion before it took place.
Good decision, Chevy. Though the company has run with the term "Strong" to describe the Silverado for the bulk of this year, in a sports context this promotion looks a bit too similar to the "Boston Strong" saying used by those in Boston after the marathon bombing.
Though the intention here appeared to be genuine, the end result would have felt like a brand trying to capitalize on a horrible event. Remember the huge backlash one Toronto Maple Leafs fan received when he created a "Toronto Stronger" sign? Chevy's promotion may have been met with similar anger.
Chevy commented on the canceled promotion, saying:
"Chevrolet had planned to continue the campaign tonight through an interactive in-stadium promotion. However, following today’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.”
(H/T USA Today)
