DETROIT -- General Motors plans to relaunch the OnStar brand in a national ad campaign, directing focus back to safety and security from connectivity. This is the first national marketing campaign for OnStar in six years.
Gerard Connell, OnStar's marketing director, told reporters that statistically, it's not a matter of if, but when, drivers in the U.S. will require roadside assistance.
"It can be very hard to quantify the value of having that real human being who's there, and cares about you, when you're in a moment of need and need help the most," Connell said. "We believe we need to focus on that now more than ever before."
The campaign's theme, "Be Safe Out There," is more than just a tag line, Connell said. It's "something that you say to your loved ones every day."
The TV spot, titled "Horn" begins with long establishing shots of a lush green forest. Deer and other wildlife flash across the screen. An ambiguous GM vehicle, which had moments before careened off a road leading up to a bridge, seems out of place.
The OnStar adviser informs the driver from the speaker embedded in her rearview mirror that he has contacted help and asks her if there's anyone he can call for her. "My husband," she replies, as the tag line appears on the screen: "The last thing you want to be is alone right now."
Movie star Laura Dern signed on as the voice for the brand for the return of "Real Call" advertising radio slots, also part of the campaign launching Thursday. She introduces recordings of OnStar advisers assisting people in moments of need.
OnStar receives over 245,000 calls per day reporting severe accidents, heart attacks and natural disasters. There are happy moments as well -- OnStar call centers have contacted first responders to ensure the safe births of babies in several instances.
OnStar subscriptions have been on the rise since the service launched in 1996, the company said Friday; there are now nearly 14.5 million members in North America, Europe, China and South America. Talks with first responders in Australia are happening now, OnStar said, ahead of the plans announced in October to spread into markets in Asia Pacific in 2019.
