We once worked in a small office where the bathroom reading consisted of Inc. and US News and World Report. A co-worker of ours used to leave Inc. open to articles he thought would be useful to our company, which, of course, were never read by the man upstairs. Or even if they were, they went in one ear and out your mother. And despite the fact that he susbscribed, we don't think he ever read US News, either. Letting go, for a moment, of our disdain for US News' conservative bent, we think their interview with GM marketing guy Mark LaNeve hit hard, and some of LaNeve's answers were surprisingly candid.
LaNeve admits that consumers were basically getting the same deal they would've received before with GM's Employee Discount marketing program, saying "Prices are a lot more consistent now. What consumers worry about is whether Joe down the street got his Suburban for $2,000 less than I did. Now everybody's paying the same price."
He also admits that despite the priority placed on GM's new truck platform, the company's expecting less in the way of sales than they've had recently, given the rampant increase in fuel costs. We're not quite sure where the piece puts GM; LaNeve gives some of the more honest soundbites we've heard from the General in ages, but there's a sense that the classic GM arrogance is still intact. While a trademark of captains of industry, we're not entirely sure that GM's massive, wallowing hulk can make the turnaround. That said, if they're in line with LaNeve's words/projections, they've still got a fighting chance. Here's to hoping Wagoner recognizes that.
Q&A: GM's Marketing Chief [US News & World Report]
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