GM uses a fairly effective visual to promote its college discount in recent ads.
A beautiful co-ed (for our younger readers, that means a female student), sitting in the passenger seat of a passing car, grins at a clearly embarrassed bicyclist, who tries in vain to hide his identity with an open hand.
As if the visual isn’t enough, GM backs it up with the headline, “Reality Sucks,” while encouraging college students to “Stop pedaling...start driving.”
The message GM is trying to portray is clear: Only socially rejected misfits ride bicycles on college campuses.
The League of American Bicyclists takes exception to that, pointing out that even discounted cars add long-term debt, pollute the environment, cost serious money to operate and often make drivers fat and unhealthy.
Bicycles, it contends, are easy to use, nearly free to ride (compared to driving a car, at least), promote exercise and provide some entertainment value to your daily commute.
The organization provided a link for readers to contact Chevrolet or General Motors, and its plan apparently worked. This morning, GM tweeted that, due to feedback received on the ad, it will be making changes to its college campaign.
For those of us who got through college entirely on two wheels--and still managed to enjoy a normal social life--we’ll just score this one in the “victory’ column.
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