Case Study #9: General Motors – Renew the Vision, Drive It Like a Bumblebee

Apparently, I had an obsession with cars when I was a little. If I wouldn’t go to bed, my father would drive me around the block, so I could pass out to the whirring of the engine of his Chevrolet Concourse. If I wouldn’t eat, my mother would feed me outside so I could watch cars go by as she stuffed my face. By the age of five, I was able to identify most makes and models from a distance. So, it is no surprise that I am a big fan of Transformers, once as a tiny tot end-user and now as an adult who can sometimes be a kid at heart.

So, it is with all my heart that I applaud General Motors for its product marketing integration and brand invigoration strategies in Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen. The company is encumbered with several challenges: Severe contraction in the automotive industry, layoffs, excess inventory on dealer lots, market share attrition across multiple product segments and bankruptcy proceedings are just a few of them. However, this particular marketing and branding strategy seeks to rebuild the heart and soul of its company: its products.

Technical products, even if they are used for personal purposes (like cars), are generally positioned on tangible benefits. This car gets better 3% more miles per gallon over the other car. All-wheel drive is standard on this car. It is an option on others. This truck tows and hauls more than the other truck. But, what’s not done enough in automotive marketing is communicating an experience that a vehicle can bring to someone’s life, and how those values are aligned with the owner. In Transformers 2, Bumblebee, the Chevrolet Camaro, espouses values of friendship, heroism and protectiveness. Optimus Prime, while not a General Motors product, espouses values of leadership, commitment and integrity. While I am not pleased on how the Mudflap and Skids Chevrolet Trax concept car twins are portrayed, they espouse loyalty, sincerity and strength. They do some serious damage to an intimidating-looking Decepticon at least 100 times bigger than them.

As admirable as the product marketing integration and brand invigoration strategies are, they should not stop at the movie. The communication to the marketplace of potential car buyers shouldn’t just be about how the Chevrolet Camaro is spec’ed better than the Ford Mustang. It should also be positioned to its target customer in a way that is analogous to the way Bumblebee is portrayed in Transformers 2: a reliable sidekick on a road-trip (friendship), an escape from a tough situation (heroism) or an interaction that is intended to be safe (protectiveness). And these experiences and values must connect with the renewed vision of General Motors as a company. We know that the company can build small cars, hybrid powertrains, navigation systems and other technologies that are important for global commuters. However, most automotive manufacturers can do this with the appropriate resources. As the automotive industry rebounds, it is important for manufacturers to consider that the human value structure is evolving, and anything that rolls out of a plant (whether it is a sports car, pickup truck or motorcycle) must align with those values as much as possible. And if takes a few robots can help do that, then I expect there will be more sequels of Transformers to come.