The New GM?

Get ready folks, here it comes the new GM. I’ve even read that they are considering adding the color green to their logo. I’m sure that will do it.

They may have emerged from bankruptcy, but the real question is will they emerge from the bankruptcy of thinking that made them fail to begin with?  No matter how loud they yell, it’s not because of the cost of healthcare. It’s because they went from a product that used to put goose bumps on my arms when I was a teenager, to a committee-driven boring drive. Aside from the passé Corvette, they made “old men” cars. You couldn’t tell a Pontiac from a Buick or an Olds. They forgot something fundamental.  In order to sell your product, you have to make a product that people actually want to buy.

I”m sure for months we’ll all be treated to commercials about the power of the leaner, meaner, “more conscious” GM. But as a former Madison Avenue ad guy, I’m certain they won’t tell any of us what’s really new. My bet is they’ll make the classic Marketing 101 mistake. It will be all about them, and not about you.

Will they suddenly make a car we really care about? One with style and verve? One that gets (heaven forbid) great mileage? Will they make a car that actually fits the needs and wants of today’s (like now) American consumer? Will they do the unthinkable and go all hybrid? Or will they just deflect our attention from the real issues with the Chevy Volt which will take years to catch on?

It all comes down to the same basic issue — which ultimately is relevance. Relevance in the products you make and relevance in how you communicate it. Perhaps instead of showing us footage of cars doing things none of us probably do (of course, all of it legally disclaimed on a closed track with professional drivers), instead they should make cars that save us fuel, get us where we need to go safely and efficiently, come in at a price that most of us can afford, and then perform and last.

Personally, I’d love to buy American and with that purchase help another American have gainful employment. That’s what a healthy economy is built on. Maybe now that we own them, we can force them with our votes or our dollars to come out of their corner offices and enter the real world and make a product we actually want.

All the slick marketing in the world won’t do the job.  I just hope the new GM doesn’t end up like the old GM — with a little green in their logo. And that will do it.

What do you think?

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