AdAge and Twitterville
This is a busy weekend in Las Vegas. At the risk of sounding oxymoronic, let me quickly add that I'm referring to BlogWorld & New Media Expo 2008, the convention for connectivity. I'm workin' the laptop, and my TwitterFox keeps catching my eye - so I invariably check out the new Tweets and read all about the after parties, the panelists, see the Flikrs. Good times had by all, it sounds like. Although I'm here and they're, well, there, the stream of updates and photos and even fresh posts has me feeling like I'm a partygoer. It's like being included without all the slot machine noise and long line hassle.
So to connect the bunny trails, there's the idea about inclusion without borders/distance. And I'm pairing it together with an 9/15/08 AdAge article about General Motors's historic branding and advertising strategies. And where this mashup leads (at least me, anyway) is a space full of opportunity for a brand whose lineage of positioning demonstrates tremendous success at building community through customer affinity. Only now there's the element of viral.
Connecting with Customers - Then
GM is celebrating their centennial, 100 years of invention and innovation, and the 9/15/08 issue of AdAge is chock-full of great articles even marketers who are non-GM fans should read. I've found the chronology of positioning and message particularly intriguing because at my age I can recall a good number of those campaigns, and by extension they resonate with periods of my life.
Author Nick Lico ("Chevy takes value, volume message, and wraps it in flag.") shares a graphic with the caption "Campbell-Ewald advertising draws a line from America's pastime to America's car in this mid-1970's campaign. Chevy's US unit sales topped 3.69 million during that 5-yr span." The graphic - I'll bet it rings a bell - pictures a baseball, a slice of pie, and a loaded hot dog. Yes, I'm referring to the Americana-esque campaign from your childhood that suggested Chevy's were as genuine and authentic as our country's favorite pastime, home-baked goodness, and nitrate-laden fun friend food. These trucks have long been a crucial element in Chevy's product portfolio. And American cowboys, firefighters, farmers, and construction workers - the elemental backbone of the country - were central to the campaigns.
Advantage Lost Due to Change in Clime
Consider that same iconic brand and today's tumultuous political, economic, environmental space. Legislation surrounding manufacturing, the rising cost of gasoline, an unbalanced national budget, consumer debt/spending woes, natural disasters (think Ike and refineries), and the dire urgency to conserve non-renewables. That's the makings of a marketing quagmire.
Enter brands like Toyota and Honda, with reputations as dependable and reliable. Their primary product foci have been (and continue to be) cars, which undeniably achieve higher fuel economy than their larger truck counterparts. The comparison may involve fruit, but certainly not fruit borne from the same tree (car vs. truck).
Connecting with Customers - Now
The necessity of focusing and promoting gas-friendly Chevy choices rather precludes the line of trucks because it lacks a ring of authenticity and credibility. While there are 8 Chevy vehicles that achieve over 30 miles to the gallon, the truck certainly isn't one of them.
The same message - and means - for reaching and connecting with prospective buyers just isn't applicable to those in the truck target set.
That's the Weaknesses and Threats (the W and T of the academic SWOT analysis). Let's consider the Strengths and Opportunities before Chevrolet.
Find Them Where They Live
Okay, so the green and efficient message gets worked over for GM cars. GM trucks, not so much. However the greater market may swing, there's still a very real need for quality workhorses. How might GM reach and message these prospects and potential evangelists? And what do they need to consider?
- Be authentic, be frank. Be real.
- These are key personality traits that consumers associate with the brand. They must be maintained. There's enough "duck & hide" going on elsewhere in the news.
- Self deprecation never hurt anyone. In fact, it could engender consideration and trial.
- Trucks have and will consume greater amounts of fuel/energy than cars. Talk about that. Not the kinetic mechanics, but the reality that trucks are what they are. And for a reason.
- Share a long-range vision.
- Realities shared, what about a peek into the possibilities of tomorrow? There's room for improvement, and I'll bet somebody smart is figuring out some opportunity areas right now.
- Reinforce smart decision-making.
- It's okay to need, or even want, a truck. Undeniable reality is that car's aren't appropriate for every body, every task, every locale, every family and its dynamic. If you're gonna buy, Chevy is the right place to look.
- Embrace the mediums that will encourage and cultivate connectivity
- The warm fuzzies of yesteryear have worked so well for Chevy, there's no need to completely abandon the implied invitation to join their proud and stalwart group. That group needs to be nurtured and community fostered through careful planning and management. Huge potential for leveraging SM platforms to link up like-minded individuals, and foster the affinity. Link up those with specific models, those with oldest models, those who have pimped out their wheels. What are some of those amazing stories just waiting for a forum?
- Continuity and sustainment required
- Like anything in life worth having, an active and vociferous social community takes time, attention, parenting, defending, and maintaining.
I'm looking forward to seeing what General Motors, and its agency partners, whip up. Things may look tough for the US automaker right now, but my bet is on their ability to stick it out, suck it up, and come out with guns blazing. For their sake, for ours, and for the planet's.
Timeline of Compelling Campaigns
1975 "Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet"
1986 "Heartbeat of America"
1991 "Like a Rock"
2003 "An American Revolution"
http://insightsandingenuity.com, Heather Rast's blog.