Regardless of where you stand on the GM/government bailout issue, it’s fair to say that General Motors isn’t helping the situation with their latest campaign: “Reinvention”. This campaign is a fine example of an instance where the “silence is golden” rule should have applied. Consumer confidence in GM is at at an all-time low, and this campaign is only going to exacerbate the situation.
Problem #1: The commercials blatantly insult the viewer’s intelligence. It’s just a mish-mash of random images of athletic accomplishments, missions to the moon and cheering crowds. What was the hope here? “Oh look, a sprouting plant, a bridge, a happy dog… General Motors IS changing!” As the commercial draws to a close and the voiceover promises “This isn’t about going out of business, it’s about getting down to business”, most of us are left with a pretty bad taste in our collective mouth.
Problem #2 is the obvious questions most people are asking themselves: “Why is GM spending money (read: taxpayer dollars!!!) on major media buys right now?” “Shouldn’t they be using that money to fix the company?” It’s a question GM should be anticipating, as they are pulling out all the stops: Full-page ads in national newspapers, a custom web presence for the campaign and prime time television ads.
As a marketing person, I can appreciate that GM needs to sell cars badly right now, and that PR at a time like this is important, but perhaps a few months of flying under the radar whilst they get their ducks in a row wouldn’t have been such a bad idea. Which leads me to the final issue with these spots: They don’t say anything.
A common theme we come back to often in this blog is that you must offer up something concrete that your audience can sink its teeth into. Don’t fill your message with generic “features” or promises. Tell me exactly what you do and why it’s different. GM would be better served to wait until they’ve made some real progress and then build awareness around that.
Sometimes the best PR campaign is a humble silence and noses to the grindstone. Given GM’s current public perception, this campaign shows a complete disconnect with the audience they are trying to reach, and comes off as desparate instead of strong… even with the galloping wild horses and hockey fights.
To see the Canadian version, you can visit GM’s reinvention site here.
UPDATE: Another great point that came up in feedback I got on this post – GM could have at least used the money to make ads that sell cars, instead of trying to redeem their battered brand. Offer the customer something – rates, deals etc. and they may just give GM a second chance. Give them something more than a happy dog if you want to change perception.