New ad campaign for the Big 3 plays the "Buy American" card
The Level Field Institute, a group comprised of retired domestic auto workers, is telling consumers "What you drive, drives America" in an attempt to convince car buyers to purchase vehicles from the-group-of-nominally-domestic-automakers-previously-referred-to-as-the-Big-3. The ad campaign uses a variety of statistics to drive home its point, including the fact that direct employment by the US automakers is roughly 3.5 times that of the "transplants" (foreign automakers that produce vehicles in the US). Jason Vines, Chrysler's VP of Communications and always someone that's good for a quote, states "Baseball, hot dogs and Toyota? Sorry, it doesn't ring a bell."
While we fully support the concept of buying domestically-produced consumer products, we also feel that this campaign has an aura of desperation about it - as is often the case when an advertising campaign deviates from focus on the product itself. There is also the simple difficulty in determining the origin of a vehicle; as we posted earlier this week, the domestic content "gap" is closing between "domestic" and "foreign" vehicles, and the information displayed to consumers on the origin of a vehicle's content is often difficult to understand (or perhaps even misleading).
[Source: Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
felonious monk 2:05PM (5/12/2006)
Oh, Christ. Here we go again. Another dumbass smoke screen. So much of "domestic" brand cars are built beyond our borders... making this arguement totally irrelevant.
I'm sorry. I don't feel compelled at all to buy cars that will not save any American jobs... but only to put money in the pockets of fat cat executives who continue to be rewarded by lavish compensation packages despite their piss-poor performance.
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dionysus 2:06PM (5/12/2006)
How efficient a Japanese carplant is.
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Bob 2:10PM (5/12/2006)
How could they NOT respond with ads of their own considering how the Asian companies are overplaying their impact on the U.S. economy? Toyota 10 plants? great, but I'd rather have GM's 70 or 80.
I like foreign investment too, but unfortunately for every asian job made here in the U.S, its several big three or spinoff jobs lost.
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Josh 2:12PM (5/12/2006)
The only thing that this ad makes apparent is that GM, Ford, and Chrysler have entirely too many employees. 2 Million employees, GM?!?
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Proud Japanese 2:12PM (5/12/2006)
One word: Capitalism. Noone is going to buy American just because it's American. Capitalism weeds out the weak.
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Gardiner Westbound 2:16PM (5/12/2006)
So which is the more patriotic purchase; a Kentucky-built Toyota Camry or a Mexico-built Ford Fusion?
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Paul 2:18PM (5/12/2006)
what the ad should say is that gm, ford and DC are stuck with 4.5 million dead beat overpaid employees that cant be fired but they would like to replace with 4.5 million hard working south american immigrants.
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Shawn 2:21PM (5/12/2006)
This is stupid. They should be pressing the US government to deal with the massive trade deficit and the trade restrictions that every country has on US goods. If we balance the trade, our various industries will equalize whatever gains or losses.
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gbh 2:25PM (5/12/2006)
Bunch of retired workers trying to keep their fat pension checks rollin' in. If these guys really cared they'd be trying to force management to get product in the pipeline that people might want to buy. Pathetic.
REAL Americans compete. Whining is not competing. We still have some businesses and industries that are the leaders in the world. Those businesses are run and staffed by people who simply care about being the best.
We can't pay people less than the Chinese/Indians/Hondurans/whoever.
There ARE other ways to be competitive. Make things that are cheaper through superior engineering. Things that last longer through superior materials. Assembled better by higher skilled workers. Give your customer value for their dollar. There's a multitude of ways to win this game.
The game is the same as it ever has been.
Compete and evolve, or be relegated to the dustbin of history.
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Ben 2:33PM (5/12/2006)
nice, I like this "if we go down, you are going down with us" ad campaign :)
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iQuack 2:36PM (5/12/2006)
Would be better for domestic auto companies to design and build the kinds of vehicles that people in the U.S. want to buy and advertise the advantages of those vehicles. Domestic products are getting better and that's good.
Making an issue of American jobs when U.S. auto companies need to reduce labor costs is a phony issue for them.
Sounds like some crap dreamed up by an ad agency to increase its billings.
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John B 2:37PM (5/12/2006)
After finally buying two North American cars (both Fords), I fully agree on those numbers. The only problem is, from my experience, a large number of those jobs are for mechanics who were constantly repairing the autos. I have the repair bills to prove it.
I have given Ford two chances and they've blown it both times.
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Max 2:38PM (5/12/2006)
American automakers need to spend less time whining that people are turning to foreign automakers and more time figuring out WHY and what they can do to stay on top of innovation, engineering, management, design, and marketing.
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bgdc 2:38PM (5/12/2006)
Won't change anything. i'm not buying american until they produce something I want. There's no such thing as a manual, RWD compact sport sedan made by a US company.
Mopar = big, ugly 300C clones and no manual.
Ford = nothing. Nada. Zip.
GM = bug ugly CTS things and...that's it. A boat that drives like one.
Why would I buy American? They have no interest in me as a consumer. I have no interest in them as companies.
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Jason 2:42PM (5/12/2006)
Holy desperation, Batman.
Well, pathetic marketing is a thousand times easier then building a better product, I guess.
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Bob 2:43PM (5/12/2006)
Most of you people, are spoiled ass jerks who probably never worked a day in your life. You'd rather feel good about your lame Toyota than provide a person a job.
And don't give me a bunch of crap about x car is better than y. No country has quality locked up anymore.
Yes, people are trying to protect your pensions. Are you going to give up yours? I am sure not.
The Asian companies have fat assistance from their own countries in the form of blocking our products, as well as export subsidies and we should accept them as "American" here? Screw them. Korea allows what 2% imports into their own country?
So the Japanese have full access to the two biggest car markets in the world: The U.S. and Japan's, but the big three have to make the same money in just this one? Is that "capitalism" to you? It sure isn't free trade.
If we had the same trade barriers to Japanese products as they have to ours, Honda would still be strapping engines to bicycles.
The average Japanese car is about 30% U.S. parts, the average American nameplate is 70%.
Oh, BTW, I wouldn't buy an import U.S. brand wither, there are plenty of other choices.
Most of the pro-Asian car people morons who post here have screwed up priorities based on ignorant beliefs about American car quality and their origins.
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bgdc 2:46PM (5/12/2006)
Bob....or the american car companies simply don't build the kind of cars we want. No such thing as a compacy RWD sport sedan with manual in the US carmarkers inventories.
Maybe they should start building cars people want?
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hj 2:46PM (5/12/2006)
The vast majority of domestic brands are still made here in the US. Just check out www.consumerguide.com to see.
As for the mexico ASSEMBLED fusion what about it's ohio built V6?
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BK 2:47PM (5/12/2006)
#9 (GBH) "We can't pay people less than the Chinese/Indians/Hondurans/whoever.
There ARE other ways to be competitive. Make things that are cheaper through superior engineering. Things that last longer through superior materials. Assembled better by higher skilled workers. Give your customer value for their dollar. There's a multitude of ways to win this game."
I couldn't have said it better myself. And to underscore GBH's point, BMW and Mercedes are doing just that: higher-skilled German workers using superior engineering and materials to assemble automobiles that are high value for the dollar. I don't understand why American car companies can't follow the same concept.
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Nate Wesley 2:50PM (5/12/2006)
They might as well tie-in the purchase of a non-Big 3 vehicle to terrorism. I can see it now: The Bush administration finds 'intelligence' toward plans that Japan is planning a second Pearl Harbor (with ninjas and hybrid airplanes, of course).
That'd make about as much sense as this campaign. Even considering the plight of American labor and factories, that won't be what makes buyers sign on the dotted line for a Mercury versus a Mazda.
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