When we first ran across this mysteriously silent video, our first thought was, “Who is this guy with the voluptuous locks and how the heck did he get his hands on a C7 Corvette?” After all, the highly anticipated 2014 model isn’t set to hit any of the very select 900 showrooms until the end of next month. So, we did what any nosy media outlet would do and went on a digging spree. No one is allowed to have a new Stingray without us knowing about it!
Turns out, the meticulously well-groomed man at the end of the video is self proclaimed style guru, Paul Wharton [1]. In the past, the freelance fashionista from Washington had been known for bit reality TV roles on VH1, MTV, and the CW. These days, Wharton has been given his own platform to talk fashion, beauty, models, and home and health, by way of a weekly lifestyle show on the CW called Paul Wharton Style, which includes an array of celebrities chiming in on what’s hot and what’s not.
[2]At this point, you might still be asking yourself, “What does Paul Wharton have to do with the C7!?” Well, we’re getting to that. Lo and behold, the show is sponsored by none other than General Motors. Now it’s sort of coming together, but still, why all of the silence and what comes next?
Unfortunately, when we contacted Mr. Wharton, although he was very nice, he didn’t really give us much to run with other than the fact that the video will soon have sound, and to check out his website [3]. So, that leaves us to our own devices and we must resort to some speculation based on a little common sense.
Obviously, the show’s target audience is comprised of mostly women. Maybe this is GM’s way of specifically reaching out to the female demographic. It makes sense when it comes to marketing, at least. Even if the car wasn’t specifically designed with women in mind (and we aren’t saying that is wasn’t), it’s a fact that in this day and age women literally control the purse strings.
[4]
According to She-conomy.com [5], 85% of all brand purchases are made by women, including 65% of new car purchases. To bring it all full circle, maybe this is why it is rumored that the C7 Corvette Stingray ads will target Porsche. According to Edmunds.com [6], of all automakers, Porsche made the largest relative market share gains among women nationwide in 2011. Something to think about.
As the old saying goes, “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” Maybe Corvette has secretly figured that out—and that’s what Paul Wharton has to do with the C7 Corvette.