Chevy #DayItForward Campaign Promises Smiles in “Unexpected Locations”
Apparently, Chevrolet Marketing Vice President Paul Edwards and I were both shown the same cloying Kevin Spacey movie in sixth grade, because that is the only thing that would explain the bowtie brand’s odd new #DayItForward campaign. According to a press release that the automaker put out this morning, Chevy is celebrating the extra 24 hours that we’re getting on February 29th this Leap Year “by encouraging everyone to put their added time towards simply doing something nice for someone else.”
What will we call this once-every-four-years act of altruism? #DayItForward, of course.
“Today,” the PR continues, “Chevrolet kicks off #DayItForward and predicts smiles to start appearing in unexpected locations.”
Whoah. Like where? On beloved internet icon Grumpy Cat? On Edvard Munch’s The Scream? On the face of Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej?
Actually, I’m guessing the smiles will mostly be found on Chevy’s YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media accounts. Chevy promises that “your favorite entertainers, websites and companies” will participate in #DayItForward, so expect lots of videos of famous people surprising regular people with free stuff on Leap Day (Monday, February 29, 2016).
But you can get in on the act, too! Not sure how to be nice? Chevy has some suggestions: “Whether you buy a cup of coffee for the person behind you in line, help carry someone’s groceries to their car or buy a stranger the vacation of their dreams, there is no act too big or too small that a person can do.”
Ok, if any eccentric millionaires are reading this and feeling inspired to buy a stranger the vacation of their dreams, I’ve always wanted to see Paris before I die.
As for the rest of you normal people, I’ll take my free coffee with two sugars, no cream.
Patrick Grieve was born in Southwestern Ohio and has lived there all of his life, with the exception of a few years spent getting a Creative Writing degree in Southeastern Ohio. He loves to take road trips, sometimes to places as distant as Northeastern or even Northwestern Ohio. Patrick also enjoys old movies, shopping at thrift stores, going to ballgames, writing about those things, and watching Law & Order reruns. He just watches the original series, though, none of the spin-offs. And also only the ones they made before Jerry Orbach died. Season five was really the peak, in his opinion. See more articles by Patrick.