Chevy Volt takes aim at the Prius with SXSW marketing blitz

GM has big hopes for the Chevy Volt but their marketing push has been a little lackluster. The now infamous Chevy Volt dance looked more like a rejected routine from the TV show Glee than a proper marketing effort. Their push towards smartphone integration and social media couldn’t have better timing considering the problems Toyota is facing with the Prius.

Hybrid or plug-in cars are often pitched as a gas saving choice or a responsible way to get from point a to point b. Chevy is spinning the Volt in a different direction towards a tech savvy crowd at the SXSW Music, film, and interactive conference and festival. The event is a perfect fit for their new push considering that Adweek the called it “a sort of Burning Man festival for digital technology.”

With the convergence of over 12,000 people, mobile devices are sure to lose power as SXSW roars on. Chevy created the Volt Recharge Lounge within the Austin Convention Center where attendees can charge up their cell phones, laptops, and grab a drink. The Volt is on display inside and outside showing a normal and stripped down model to display the technology behind the car.

Not just Chevy cars are on display, but their employees are as well. They aren’t there to make a pitch for the Volt as much as they are looking for some genuine feedback. GM’s director of global communications and technology, Christopher Barger, said that SXSW “offers a rare opportunity to get feedback from people who are really smart and who are willing to give advice.”

Chevy is getting feedback inside and outside the convention center. Fourteen cars including the Volt are making loops around the city giving attendees rides from the airport and staging test drives. GM’s Phil Colley posted pictures on Twitter of tech legend Guy Kawasaki taking a spin in the Volt while videos popped up on Chevy’s YouTube channel. One such video features C. C. Chapman, a self professed “UI guy.” He had a lot to say about the design and interface of the car and even pulled out his iPhone to take a picture.

Chevy’s three year deal as the automotive sponsor of SXSW may have seemed like a gamble a few months ago. However, they’ve got a buzz going while Toyota has lost a lot of ground with the Prius. Let’s see if GM can keep the tweets flying and those pesky dancers off our screens.