Bringing a Powerhouse Spokesperson to Life on Screen, on Social and In Person!
Well-known throughout the Midwest as “the Chevy Powerhouse,” Jim Butler is the region’s #1, top-performing Chevrolet dealer, thanks to their well-defined selling points: Jim Butler guarantees the best price, a huge selection, more value for trade-ins, great financing options and a smooth buying experience.
The Challenge
With help from Stealth’s savvy media team, Jim Butler Chevrolet had secured a Super Bowl spot to run in the St. Louis market area. They wanted a bold, memorable and disruptive branding spot that celebrated the dealership’s newly minted status as the STL area’s top-selling Chevy dealer for over 10 years.
As that sort of airtime is no small investment (even at the local level) it was up to the creative team to make the most out of those 30 coveted seconds while clearly communicating the client’s key branding pillars.
Bonus challenge: deliver a concept that could extend past broadcast, in social media and beyond…
The Big TV Debut
Our goal was to powerfully embody the brand’s spirit through a rather in-your-face spokesperson. To take it up a notch, we developed the character specifically to be portrayed by St. Louis comedian Rafe Williams.
Meet “Powerhouse:”
Because what’s more “Chevy Powerhouse” than a hard-hitting, bone-smashing, semi-retired wrestler who happens to be a big fan of the Jim Butler car buying experience?
Stuffed into leather pants and teeming with enthusiasm, one of the funniest people in St. Louis perfectly nailed the part; he became a larger-than-life character that even non-wrestling fans could root for. See for yourself:
The Campaign… Extended
Live Event Activation
Powerhouse was not only bold and disruptive enough to be a talk-of-the-town Super Bowl commercial star. He made the jump from screen to live appearance as a referee/wrestler drawn out of retirement by Glory Pro Wrestling at their “Live at the Pageant” event.
It made perfect sense for Jim Butler to sponsor the event and have Powerhouse himself there to host a special “Powerhouse Showdown,” playing right into the established rivalry between two of the top Glory Pro wrestlers.
Social Media
With access to the combined social media audiences of our client, our main star (Rafe Williams Comedy), and Glory Pro, Stealth’s team strategized and helped develop reels and posts to generate maximum hype during the buildup to the event. Alternative station 105.7 the Point even gave the event a boost on their morning program, The Rizzuto Show!
Radio and More TV
The campaign continued with radio versions of wrestling madness, two :15 TV spots, as well as the bonus promotional social content that was developed by Rafe Williams.
As he’s now proved… you never know when Powerhouse will come back out of retirement to enthusiastically stump for Jim Butler. AND you never know what other forms the Chevy Powerhouse might take in the future!
Sarah Souders Photography
Sarah Souders Photography
From Screen to Ring: Behind the Scenes!
For advertising creatives, there’s nothing quite as gratifying as seeing your campaign’s main character literally burst off the screen to make an appearance at a real-life event. And that’s just what we got to do with Powerhouse! But it took one critical element to make it happen: trust between client and agency. Hear more about the importance of that trust directly from Jim Butler President, Brad Sowers, and Stealth Owner, Dan O’Saben, in the quick behind-the-scenes video below!
RESULTS
Because Jim Butler trusts Stealth when it comes to enhancing their brand presence and upping their creative game, this campaign has achieved some impressive results:
TV (Super Bowl Airing)
Spot Overdelivered with a 43.5 Rating (vs. the 42.2 goal rating)
Social Media
More than 70,000 organic impressions
Live Wrestling Event:
Number of tickets sold:
350+ tickets sold/4.9K live stream views
Number of crowd members singing Jim Butler’s jingle:
(see above number)
Number Jim Butler T-shirts
given away:
At least 150
Number of “Powerhouse” mentions: Too many to count!
Jim Butler Chevrolet has been the top-selling new Chevy dealer in the Midwest for over a decade. As their exclusive broadcast media and creative partner, Stealth has helped Jim Butler secure their place consistently among the best-performing Chevy dealers in the nation, as a multi-GM Dealer of the Year winner and as a JD Power Dealer of Excellence for the Customer Sales Experience.