Chevy Revives 'Heartbeat of America' Ad CampaignChevroletChevrolet is bringing back its "Heartbeat of America" ad campaign that originally ran from 1986 to 1993.The reborn campaign uses music from the Red Clay Strays and the sounds of actual Americans' heartbeats.The debut commercial was filmed in Texas and Maine and includes a cameo from the 2027 Chevy Corvette Grand Sport.Not all 1980s ad campaigns deserve a resurrection, but Chevy's "Heartbeat of America" was so perfect that it's surprising it took 32 years for GM to bring it back. The reborn Heartbeat campaign features music from Alabama's Red Clay Strays and the sounds of actual heartbeats, among them that of 91-year-old barbecue pitmaster Tootsie Tomanetz. And, of course, there's a range of Chevrolets doing wholesome Chevy stuff—off-roading, road-tripping, towing boats. The original campaign was so ubiquitous back in the day that you'd think it was the product of a deliberate corporate push to throw millions of dollars at a defining message, but its origins were a little bit more haphazard. "Heartbeat of America" wasn't inevitable, even if it later came to seem that way.The slogan was the brainchild of Campbell-Ewald associate creative director Jerry Burton, who in 1984 was assigned to write a special brochure commemorating the 30th anniversary of the small-block V-8. "There was a photo of a 1955 Chevy and the 1985 Camaro IROC-Z," Burton says. "I was looking at these two cool cars and thinking about how this engine bridges the two—that technology was so solid, and I think at that point the small-block V-8 had more race wins than any production-based engine in history. So I wrote 'Chevy Thunder' and 'Heartbeat of America'." But the heartbeat didn't catch on big right away.AdvertisementAdvertisementNASCAR team owner Richard Childress saw Burton's tagline at that year's SEMA show and decided to put it on the back of Dale Earnhardt's transporter. Then, at the 1985 Daytona 500, Chevrolet GM Bob Berger was walking the pits, saw the transporter, and the rest is history. "At the time, Chevy was trying to refresh its image," Burton says. "Their ads were defensive. This was bright and positive. It's like winning the lottery—I consider it pure luck that I was the one who got to be involved with it. I get satisfaction out of still seeing it, going to a car show and maybe seeing a Heartbeat of America license plate frame. It's cool that people happen to like it."ChevroletBurton is now retired from the ad business and working on a book about Betty Skelton, who set air and land speed records from the 1940s to the 1960s—some of which were earned in Corvettes. The Corvette was a fixture in the 1980s and '90s Heartbeat ads, and the C8 Corvette makes a blink-and-you 'll-miss-it cameo in the new spot, with a 2027 Grand Sport parked in front of a giant American flag mural. The Vette in question is blue, with a white racing stripe and red Grand Sport fender stripes. Of course.We'll have to assume there's more to come from the Heartbeat of America campaign. And also that this Heartbeat redux will, like the original, eventually run its course. When that happens, we have a great idea for a follow-up: Paging Mr. Bob Seger!➡️ Skip the lot. Let Car and Driver help you find your next car.Shop New Cars Shop Used CarsYou Might Also LikeGift Guide: Best Ride-On Electric Cars for KidsFuture Cars Worth Waiting For: 2025–2029
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