Away from the Youth Image

Like most auto manufacturers in headlong pursuit of the youth market, General Motors Corp. has saturated much of its car advertising with the hip jargon of the dragstrip. Yet for many consumers, including the young, the ads, with their mod vernacular, seemed as strained and unbelievable as a middle-aged matron attempting to dance the watusi. Now, faced with an uncertain economy and slumping car sales, G.M. officials have apparently decided to end their fixation with power and youth in advertising and focus it instead on value and comfort.

The first hint of the new advertising policy came in an unusual speech several months ago by G.M. President Edward Cole. "Too much emphasis is being directed toward the youthful segment of our population," he said. "I think that advertising has forgotten who the customer is--and how to reach him." Cole's words sent the company's division chiefs to their telephones with new instructions for their ad agencies. A picture-taking session for new Pontiac promotions was interrupted by an order that the young male models trim their sideburns and pose in conventional clothes. "Youthful" ad copy for the sporty 1970 Firebird, which will be introduced this month, was hastily rewritten.

The change in advertising emphasis was even more pronounced for Buick's new models. Last September, ads for the Skylark GS 455 and the Skylark Custom Sports Coupe were headlined: "Introducing automobiles to light your fire." The copy stressed such performance features as "a 455-cubic inch 360-horsepower engine with a high-lift cam and four-barrel carburetor which breathes through real air scoops." By January, ads for the Skylark were headlined "Something to Believe In," and the copy noted such features as hidden windshield wipers and six coats of paint, while stressing "product integrity."

Chevrolet was also affected. In October, ads for the Chevelle SS 396, featuring a blazing red model with black stripes and racing-style hood pins, warned that "In ten seconds your resistance will self-destruct." But by November, the ads showed a similar model colored a muted gold, and the value-stressing headline was: "We built more car into the car." Chevy is also emphasizing comfort and resale value in its "big rider" campaign for the Impala.

For the moment, Ford, Chrysler and American Motors give no sign of drastically revising their advertising. Yet the sober values of Middle America are rapidly replacing the often giddy priorities that characterized the nation's buying --and selling--habits over the last decade. As the consumer becomes increasingly cost-conscious, a rising stress on value in auto advertising is almost a certainty.

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