I really like the spirit of GM's "May the Best Car Win" campaign, even before seeing the execution.Ed Whitacre, the company's government-installed chairman, was reportedly unhappy that the marketers had done such a crappy job letting consumers know that many of GM's vehicles were best-in-class. or nearly so.
I'm hoping we don't see shots of long, winding roads, or get forced to listen to faux folksy pitchmen. I certainly hope they don't resurrect that CEO-speaking nonsense a la Lee Iacocca. The concept itself is brilliantly simple and direct: comparison shop, even if you hadn't originally planned on it. And it comes with a 60-day satisfaction guarantee (full refund, no questions asked).
Here's how I would do it:Focus on GM, not the brands. The labels GM puts on its cars are artifact of a bygone era of branding; Buick isn't a stand-alone company with its own people policies, design paradigm, manufacturing processes, and services approach, but rather a pretty logo that stands for all those things that it isn't. Why not articulate the common attributes that should be present across its divisions, and encourage people to test them?Declare a purpose, and thereby guarantee success.
What will success look like for the campaign? An increase in test drives, or outright purchases, or some really small number of returns? GM should specify it, then cut it in half, and announce the goal. Doing so would give the campaign a tangible sense of direction, and it would let GM exceed the target(s) so it could declare success.Use social media to narrate/allow participation in the campaign.
GM couldn't stop people from sharing their experiences, so why not actively encourage them to do so? "May the Best Car Win" campaign could go beyond the typical Twitter/Facebook nonsense and provide substantive tools for getting involved: tips for test drives, by geography; reports on car performance, by speed or handling maneuver; buying experiences, reported by dealer. You get the idea. Make it real.Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing what GM delivers. If the company is selling the best cars, I hope the marketing campaign steps up to the challenge.
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