GM Opens Cutting-Edge Green Dealership Near Detroit†

Earth-Friendly Move Offers a Rare Bright Spot in Publicity for Embattled Automaker

Advertising Age, July 16, 2008 — DETROIT (AdAge.com) — As it plots major spending cuts and bats back bankruptcy rumors, General Motors Corp. today celebrated the opening of a $15 million green dealership, LaFontaine Automotive Group's new Buick-Pontiac-GMC and Cadillac facility in suburban Detroit.

Did GM leak brand realignment to raise stock?

The Deal, July 7, 2008 — General Motors Corp., which has seen its shares fall to 1950s-lows in recent weeks on fears of a slowing economy and due to its overreliance on gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs, got a boost Monday from a Wall Street Journal story reporting that the automaker is looking to cut thousands of white-collar jobs and could sell or axe some of its brands.

Hummer Bummer: GM Wants Out of Guzzler Game†

Auto Giant Finds Out There's Less Green in Truck Brand Today

Advertising Age, June 9, 2008 — DETROIT (AdAge.com) — Hummer's rapid descent from hot to not is an automotive tale for our times.

As recently as 2006 the truck was still seen by many consumers as a fun — even cool — ride, making regular appearances in Hollywood (notably on HBO's "Entourage") and at big sporting and red-carpet events. It was also a sales success story for owner General Motors. Today it has become an economic, environmental and brand liability for the company — a fact not lost on GM Chairman-CEO Rick Wagoner, who looks like he wants the off-roader off the books

Eight-Brand Pileup Dents GM's Turnaround Efforts†

Wall Street Journal, March 4, 2008 — Michael Maguire has mixed feelings about General Motors Corp.'s coming launch of the Chevrolet Traverse, a seven-passenger crossover wagon that promises to boost sales at his family's Chevy dealership along Route 206 in Bordentown, N.J. The trouble is, the Maguire Automotive Group also owns a Saturn store a mile up the road, and the Traverse will crimp demand for the Outlook, a nearly identical crossover GM's Saturn brand began selling about a year ago. The arrival of the Traverse will mean "the window has completely shut for Saturn," Mr. Maguire said.

GM's New Spin: Buy a Hummer, Save Humanity†

New Campaign Aims to Rescue SUV's Image by Highlighting Its Exploits

Advertising Age, October 29, 2007 — DETROIT (AdAge.com) — Megan Stooke is a realist.

"Our brand has always been polarizing, and we've always said we are not for everybody," said the marketing director of General Motors Corp.'s Hummer macho SUV line, which has been swept up in almost a perfect storm of volatile gas prices, the war in Iraq and the rise in environmental consciousness.

'HUMMER HEROES': The campaign will show how rescue workers, among others, rely on the vehicle to help them help those in need.

Q+A: Orange Is the New Blue for GM's Design Guru†

Brandweek, April 16, 2007 — General Motors loves the color orange. So much so that nearly 75% of its upcoming stable of vehicles will be available in some variation of orange in the next few years. Its Trax concept, for example, unveiled at the New York International Auto Show earlier this month, was displayed in Blaze Orange.

GM Cuts $600 Million Off Ad Spend -- Yes, Really†

Automaker Says it's Less Than TNS Reported, but Media Owners Still Got Burned

Advertising Age, February 12, 2007 — GM slashed ad spending by more than $600 million last year, a drop so stunning it should convince even the staunchest doubters that the age of mass-media marketing is going the way of the horse and buggy.

Marketers Need Complex Maps

Government-Inspired TechnoGovernment-Inspired Technology Would Enable Consumer Targeting That's 99% Accuratelogy Would Enable Consumer Targeting That's 99% Accurate

CMO Strategy by AdAge, February 5, 2007 — With an average lifespan of fewer than 24 months and enormous pressure to measure and improve return on investment, chief marketing officers now more than ever require robust technologies that can assist in customer acquisition and retention.

The Law of Division

Jack Trout - Tales from the Marketing Wars

Forbes, January 5, 2007 — I noticed recently that soda has lost its fizz. For the first time in decades, volume has declined in 2005 and even more in 2006. Consumer demand for bottled water, sports drinks and energy drinks is exploding, and contributing to eroding sales.

The Best of 2006: Ideas

The concepts that are reshaping the business world -- and all of our lives

BusinessWeek, December 18, 2006 — The year 2006 may well be remembered as the annus mirabilis of free work. Whether it comes from open-source developers, obsessive fans, angry customers, or lonely Web addicts looking to burnish their egos with a little attention online