Selling More Than a Chevy Tahoe: An Analysis of the Use of Guilt Appeal Within the Chevy Tahoe Green Marketing Campaign

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Date

2001

Disciplines

Communication | Public Relations and Advertising | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Advisor

Terence Check, Communication

Abstract

By visually placing the Chevy Tahoe within the context of a natural surrounding, Chevrolet is tapping into the value our culture places on preserving and maintaining a clean and healthy environment. Consumers are thrilled with the idea of being able to purchase power, comfort and luxury, yet maintain an image of environmental concern. Chevrolet acknowledges this feeling and utilizes it in their marketing technique. By using the concept of green marketing to alleviate the feeling of guilt many consumers face when purchasing environmentally harmful products, Chevrolet creates a false sense of environmental security within the consuming population. By exploring advertising and green marketing, the use of guilt appeals, the implications behind the visual and textual features of the advertisement, and the implications of this type of vehicular representation, the SUV advertisement was assessed in regard to its relation with consumerism and overall effect on the environment. The drawn conclusion was that the Tahoe advertisement relieved consumer guilt by enticing consumers to focus on nature's traits and project them onto the Chevy Tahoe.

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