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- The force is too strong in Chevy

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and Cartoon Network's new anti-racism PSA

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sees plenty of color.

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I'm Jeff Beer and this is
"Fast Company's" brand,

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"Hit Miss of the Week."

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The miss this week goes to Chevrolet.

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During the new season
premier of "American Idol,"

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Chevy launched a massive new ad campaign

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for its Bolt line of electric vehicles.

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The spot opens with an electric
car charging in the garage

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as a family packs it up for a road trip.

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Mom calls the little girl, Tink,

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and a little princess waves
her wand to start the car.

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And so begins a truly
weird brand collaboration

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with Chevy tapping into the Disney-verse

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for it's EV pitch.

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Part Bolt ad and part
Disneyworld promotion,

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all set to Bob Marley's "Sun is Shining."

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This is as big advertising
as you can possibly get.

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Clearly, Chevy didn't
wanna take any chances

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in getting as much attention as possible

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for its new Bolt line.

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So, it looked to the most
popular pop culture factory

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on the planet for some of
that sweet, sweet halo effect

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and it's milking every moment.

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There's even a 14-minute making of feature

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about the commercial,
more branded content.

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Chevy's parent, General
Motors, has committed

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to making 30 new EV models by 2025.

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And this Magic Kingdom sized
partnership appears consistent

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with the company's
overall marketing playbook

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of recruiting reliable icons

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of pop culture to generate excitement

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around a new technology.

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For the Super Bowl,

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it was Will Ferrell trash talking Norway

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now it's the Millennium Falcon.

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This type of thing is obviously
nothing new in marketing.

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Hell, it's not even new in
electric vehicle marketing.

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See Ford's holiday-related
blasphemy last Christmas,

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using the Griswolds to
sell its electric Mustang.

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But collaborations like this work best

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when, as the Jedi like their
force, there is balance.

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Two brands of equal or
close strength come together

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to make something
special for fans of both.

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Think Adidas sneakers or
General Mills cereals,

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but the Bolt is completely overshadowed

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by the Disney overload.

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And when the scale tips too
heavily one way or the other,

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that unique element is lost

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as is typically the lesser known brand.

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And in this ad, the car
remains almost as forgotten

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as a certain conspicuously
absent Disney dog.

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This week's hit goes
to the Cartoon Network.

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One thing that gained momentum
this past summer was the idea

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that it wasn't enough
to just not be racist,

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to truly be helpful, to
be part of the solution,

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was to be actively anti-racist.

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This week the Cartoon
Network launched its third

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in a PSA campaign called,
"Crystal Gems Speak Up,"

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featuring members of the Crystal
Gems from Steven Universe.

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It starts off as a typically generic PSA,

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until Amethyst, a purple
alien, interrupts to point out

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that color actually does matter

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and how it makes no sense to
equate her purple alienness

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to these two humans.

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- My experience with anti-black racism,

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it's really specific.

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Other people of color experience

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other forms of racism too

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but you won't see any of
that if you don't see color.

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- Dude, so this entire
public service announcement

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could be a ploy to avoid talking
about racism all together.

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- It's weird, funny, and
probably the most clever

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and insightful anti-racism PSA,

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starring a purple alien you'll ever see.

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Before we go, I wanna let you know

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that "Fast Company" is launching

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a new issue later this year
called, "Brands That Matter."

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The goal is to showcase brands

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from the largest
multinational conglomerates,

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to small-but-mighty,
family-owned companies

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that are more than the products they sell

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or the services they provide.

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That have achieved relevance

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through cultural impact,
social engagement,

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and whose branding
authentically communicates

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their missions and ideals.

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Is this you and your company?

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Apply today.

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That's it for now.

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Thanks for watching.