GM Toyota and Kia

As many of you know I have been in the automotive industry for over 2o years and have experienced the ripple effect of positive and negative manufacturer culture and its effect on the retail experience. Ok I know what your thinking, what in the hell is this guy talking about? It’s simple really for all you Domestic car guys the last 20 or so years you have all seen the ill fruits of a defective corporate culture. For example for any of you who took the time to get to know your DSM (District Sales Managers) found out that they all seemed to know exactly how much more time they had until retirement but not just in years but months days and minutes. It’s seamed to be more of a prison sentence than a career. So what is the result of this mentality? A repressed or I prefer the word bullshit culture! And the product of this culture, you guessed it more bullshit yes that what the domestics and especially GM produced. There Arrogance and Denial of their executive management fueled an environment not fit to sew the seed of creativity and innovation. The passionate ,free thinking individuals who’s purpose in life is always driven by mission not money were kept out of their club because GM executives only wanted to hear there version of the story. Who paid the price, us the American consumers and by the way all of you non automotive readers so did many loyal car dealers who stuck by GM for years.
Toyota who in the 80′s and 90′s was progressive, lean and smart, and it was reflected in their products. They were the underdogs who saw an opportunity to grab countless amounts of market share with a whole new philosophy, take care of everybody. Wow what a fucking novel idea, build the right cars for the right generation (baby boomers) and support your dealer network to the best of your ability. Know I don’t have to tell you how the story ends but I have to say in the last say 5 years Toyota has been changing. Now of course some of the changes began when Jim Press the Former CEO left the company which will always create some change in organizational dynamic. It just seams that Toyota has become kinda super white, yea I said it super white and for all you super white people that’s why you love Toyota so much. It’s smart, safe and homogenized more that any other Brand in the US market. We see this in their corporate culture, don’t lie your Toyota reps and the nice boy and girl scouts money can buy and if they came to your front door selling cookies who would buy um just because they are so well adjusted. But if you needed someone to watch your back in a fight I’m betting you would prefer a gangster from the hood. Why the gangster, because they know struggle pain and how to exist in the flow, they don’t teach that in the suburbs. Don’t get me wrong there mass appeal combined with excellent engineering and quality is the reason why they are the number 1 brand in the USA for now. The question is for how long, other brands are coming who are the new underdogs and lets face it America is all about the underdog.
Rocky balboa before his fight said I can beat Apollo Creed, all I want to do is go the distance and if I can go the distance I’ll know for the first time in my life that I wasn’t just some other bum from the neighborhood. That’s Kia There not trying to beat Toyota or anyone else, they just want to go the distance and prove to world that they can. It’s that spirit and that attitude that is truly American. Their 3.3.5.5 Global Initiative is to be top 3 in actual quality in 3 years and top 5 in perceived quality in 5 years. There culture is cautions but open they make sure to get to know potential business partners, venders and support. They do not protest to know it all and are loyal to those who are loyal to them. They just want to grow and show everyone that products are the best value on the market and still provide innovative style and high level of technology and luxury. It’s working Kia Corporate culture shows in its product line and marketing. With innovative product with iconic marketing campaign Kia is bringing back the American institution of the underdog and I’m happy to see it!

Knock off or Improvement?

Recently I saw an ad from 76 Gas in which showed a pulled over car and a cop doing that cop walk thing. You know what i’m talking about cops, sure you don’t want to share the schooling of that walk, but i’m sure it takes more than 1 class to get it right.  I’m betting that a whole semester is needed to master that ticket strut.

Anyway In the ad (“Sorry it wont embed” copy and paste link below:

http://www.76.com/?gclid=CMKLsaG4_p0CFSWlagodHzETpA)

the cop walk’s over to the car as the announcer says “Is there anything i can say that will stop this guy from writing this ticket”  and then the poor speeder pulls out his iPhone, The mechanized voice from the iPhone says the hospital needs my kidney.

The announcer then continues “Introducing the ticket talker from 76 Gasoline” and some other comments then usher forth from the phone from “I’m in labor” to “there is a tornado behind you.”    The ad wraps with the announcer saying “the ticket talker another tool from 76 GAS.”

Ok kinda cute but hold on i think I’ve seen this commercial before… (the trunk monkey!!)

So being a huge fan of the Trunk Monkey Ad campaign, I was natural pissed off at the creative audacity of this commercial!  That is until i started trying to find it on line, so I googled “Ticket Talker 3000″ and found post after post of people commenting on the use of the app on their iPhones and sites where i can get the app free.

So bottom line, they ripped off the concept but they did go the extra mile and actually created an app for people to use and play with on their phones: “brilliant” . The commercial in itself is hokey and has that hackish quality to it, but to think that millions of potential customers are playing with this quite easy to create app is just outstanding.

And when you think of target market, Hmmmm who could that be ????  Maybe those driving the most like Gen X  (1965-1976) and Gen Y (1977-1997).  Not so many Boomers will even think to go online to actually find that app.

Let me say that even though at first i thought this campaign was a rip-off of old work, they have taken a gas station much farther into a consumer’s world that any of their competitors, they’re having fun with them.

Nice Work

j

Chevy Football and Beef

In the latest ad campaign by GM’s all american brand, Chevrolet,they are targeting all you weak pussies who need “man steps”, or have heated steering wheels, or even  purchase your vehicles from a manufacturer that builds a lawnmower.

Thats right,  Howie Long famed Defensive end and NFL hall of famer is telling you americans that you’re pussies. They accomplish this by making fun of features from other truck manufacturers (Ford and Dodge) and by depicting their buyers as weak , stubby and high talking.

In a direct competitive ad against Honda where Howie the hansom, intelligent, well built hunk of man makes a vehicle to vehicle comparison on how the Chevys have better gas mileage that its Honda equivalent.  The punchline to the ad:  “There is one thing we cant compete with Honda.” They then show the GOD LIKE Howie with a Jockish pity-ridden grin as the camera shows Him and a lawnmower with the words HONDA on it, “Oh the shame felt by so many accord owners.  It’s reminiscent of the time in the high school boys locker room where the jocks looked with disgust at the
poor nerds and geeks.

Of course there are a number of problems with this ad:

1. Its Screams of Desperation  (just like the jocks of yesteryear)

2. There are a whole bunch of Ford and Dodge buyers pissed off

3.  Honda compared against Chevy???   Chevy: first crawl, then walk, then run maybe. Start with Mitsubishi or Mazda first then go after Honda.

4.  Chevy’s brand Identity: Big, Good Looking , Cocky, but not so smart. Just like Howie, who’s just like GM, because what do they care as long as they get paid.

And the worst part

I think the ads are working!!!

Yes mark my words, this campaign will help bring past Chevy buyers back.  By no means will it conquest any Honda buyers, they are a little too savvy to get played 80′s style by a super jock.  Will loyal Ford and Dodge buyer’s convert? No, but some will take the insults against their manhood to heart– which may result in a conquest sale of the most coveted kind, Ah ha ha ha!!

So what does this ad tell us?? Nothing says economic stimulus better than “smear add”.   Maybe GM’s next ad will be a bunch of card-carrying republicans going on a rampage through some of america’s most liberal towns. (Look out, Portland!)

Imagine in Burlington VT: Rush Limbaugh and former jock Bret Farve pissing in the Ben and Jerry’s ice tanks and then speeding off in their Buick! Or perhaps imagine Glen Beck and Mike Ditka raiding a Greenpeace effort to save a whale -  only so they can drag the animal back to Chicago in their 3/4 ton GMC pickup for a tailgate whale roast.

Thanks GM. …and  you’re welcome to my ideas– for a price.

the ugly truth