For its Silverado line of pickup trucks, Chevrolet has never been afraid to compare itself to Ford’s F150, especially when it comes to using reinforced steel instead of aluminum. But a series of three new spots really tries to drive the point home.

The first spot from Commonwealth/McCann is a long-form version of what one might consider the typical pickup truck ad. It features long-time spokesman, pro football analyst and NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long, talking with Chevy’s chief engineer about the structural benefits of using reinforced steel instead of aluminum.

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Some of you might have a hard time getting through three minutes of a former defensive lineman pretending to be interested by science talk, so there’s also a video that is more in line with the tough-guy vibe associated with pickup drivers. A bunch of real people are sent into a room to examine two cages, one made out of steel and the other out of aluminum. They’re then made to hide in one when a grizzly bear is sent in after them.

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Well…that was a bit intense. Is there a way to get that same message across in a way that’s a little more our speed? Oh, you have a room of comic book nerds? They complain about why a superhero called “Aluminum Man” is a terrible idea? Perfect!

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The tone of the last two spots is a bit hyperbolic (aluminum is lighter and more malleable, making it a more logical material for car manufacturers increasingly conscious of things like fuel efficiency) and perhaps needlessly aggressive (“You’re going to get into an F-150? Even a bunch of geeks think you’re a stupid pansy and you deserve to get eaten by a bear”), but if you’re going to get all “we’re tougher than our biggest competitor” in a campaign, you might as well go all the way.

Credits:

Brand: Chevrolet Silverado
Agency: Commonwealth/McCann
Creative Chairman: Linus Karlsson
Chief Creative Officer: Gary Pascoe
Executive Creative Director: Bob Guisgand, Duffy Patten
Associate Creative Director: Vic Quattrin
Senior Copywriter: Scott Wolf
Executive Producer: Kelly Balagna
Senior Producer: Adam Davis
Account Director: Bill Wilt, Derek Chappo
Account Executive: Amanda Collier
Production: Make
Director: Zach Merck
Executive Producer: Dana Locatell
Supervising Producer: Tim Mack
Editor: Jeff Ferruzzo, Arcade Edit
Effects: Arsenal FX
Flame Artist: Mark Leiss, Jameson DeSantis, Matt Motal
Colorist/Telecine: Shane Reed, Apache Color
Sr. Audio Engineer: Loren Silber, Lime