Tuesday, June 2, 2009

GM wants to communicate with you and me about its bankruptcy and its reinvention.

The automaker posted the ad below on YouTube on Monday, the day it also filed for bankruptcy protection. Pay attention to the opening: a narrator saying, "Let's be completely honest. No company wants to go through this."



The ad comes along with a new website, and a GM Fastlane Blogs entry from President and CEO Fritz Henderson.

Here's how Henderson closed his entry on Monday:

Today marks the beginning of what will be a New GM dedicated to building on only the very best of our recent progress in fuel efficiency, world-class quality, green technology development and outstanding design. Above all, the New GM will be rededicated to our customers. We don’t do that by working in a bubble. We do it by engaging with you, our customers and critics, our partners and champions, who are interested in our progress. I hope you’ll join us as we begin a new and better era for General Motors.


There's even a link to a Spanish translation, in the spirit of better communication.

Advertising Age reporters Rupal Parekh and Jean Halliday wrote about the advertising effort on Monday. Their article said GM plans to directly contact GM vehicle owners throughout June and that Henderson and other GM execs will host a series of live Web chats.

Transparency or a transparent attempt to manage image? Or both?

1 comment:

George Schwarz said...

Karen,

Love the post. Beth and I got a direct communication from GM just this week. It was a recall notice on her 1999 Olds Intrigue.

In the context of your post, I love the irony.

Oh, by the way, you know my take on the honesty of these big corporations. Hogwash. Crooks all.

George Schwarz