Bringing Bling to GM Through Pop Culture
Click the above image for more shots from the GM Style Event
How many people associate the Chevy Monte Carlo with cool? How about the Buick Rendezvous? GM's doing everything it can to overhaul its lineup with more competitive products like the Saturn Aura and the Chevy Silverado. The battle to change perception that GM's marketers are waging may be a more daunting task then the design and engineering renaissance that the General is in the middle of. Stars like Gwen Stefani and rapper 50 Cent are being used to show that GM has found its "inner Fonzie." Stefani drove a gold Tahoe in one of her latest videos. Jay-Z helped design a special blue paint finish for the new Denali. Want more examples? The GM Style Event on the eve of NAIAS was a celeb-fest, and Tiger Woods, who's been endorsing Buick for years, unveiled the Enclave at the LA auto show last November.
Will America buy GM's push to be cool? We don't know. We are pretty sure, however, that products like the new Camaro, rear-drive Impalas and the forthcoming Pontiac G8 will probably help their case.
[Source: Detroit News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Craig 4:48PM (1/28/2007)
GM is to cool what Wal-Mart is to chic.
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Buster Hymen 4:54PM (1/28/2007)
I just love how GM has hired skanky or has been actors to represent their crappy cars. Their marketing people have no clue.
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robino 5:16PM (1/28/2007)
Anyone who's opinions are influenced by celebrity is an idiot.
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LosBurritos 9:09PM (1/28/2007)
That Camaro looks good only when you got Carmen Electra standing next to it. The car as a whole is ok but the front headlights are too small.
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BOB 5:31PM (1/28/2007)
The first 2 comments are true -- the third is elitist, foolish, and shows no understanding of human nature, otherwise, it is true, lol
After I paged through about forty-leven photos of some blond guy and a person I desperately hope is his daughter, I was looking to suggest two new feature for all the gallery shots Autoblog runs:
1) CAPTIONS
2) APPROPRIATE E D I T IN G PLEASE! -I find that trying to decipher the tiny thumbs, then the HUGE photos, gets tiring when they are extremely repetitive, and I stop, missing, I am sure, some of the best.
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ryan 5:41PM (1/28/2007)
Does anyone know when the above-pictured Camaro will be redesigned, it's getting old.
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J Finz 5:57PM (1/28/2007)
I've driven an 06 Monte SS and I DO associate it as being cool, with it's looks, power(band), and sound. The saturn aura doesn't compare as far as being cool.
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mwells 6:38PM (1/28/2007)
I don't care about any of this, and I'm sure this post will quickly degenerate into a flamefest even faster than it already is, but could somebody please tell me what car this is?
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-auto-show-cars-and-stars-gm-style-event/125347/
I like to think I keep up on this stuff really well, but I've never seen this car before.
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mwells 6:43PM (1/28/2007)
Oh hey I guess I'm kind of retarded, I guess it mentions what it is up in the left corner of the picture.
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theo 8:49PM (1/28/2007)
Mwells, that's the T2X:
http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet?target=http://image.emerald.gm.com/gmnews/viewmonthlyreleasedetail.do?domain=520&docid=21878
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naggs 1:19AM (1/29/2007)
its really hard to try to be cool
its much easier to just be cool
make cars that people are into and the cool will come
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far jr 10:46PM (1/28/2007)
I'm with Robino (#3)... Worry about the product GM. Although there are many people who do not think for themselves and would just love to drive the same thing as actor "XYZ" in the movie "ABC".
Toyota does a better job of selling product not just image. I just read a brochure for the new Tundra... very informative and factual... not just feel-good-make me wanna have it stuff. Altough there is some of that as well.
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ac 12:15AM (1/29/2007)
uhhh, but where are the -hot- chicks?
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ZO 1:55AM (1/29/2007)
I have owned GM products from day 1, and they are MUCH better than before. So how can anyone call the new Camaro junk when i can almost guarantee nobody here has taken out for a drive. Remember this: "GM is #1 and will stay #1"
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LaughingTooHard 12:01PM (1/29/2007)
I have to say I am confused. I work with about 20 fresh college grads (23-25) 60/40 split women to men. The lunch room conversation (yes we have a lunch room) is consumed with TV, Movie and Music star activities, gossip and such. Sorry, people listen do and pay attention to stars. They always have and will.
The confusing part to me is: If the average age of the AutoBlog.com posters is about 25 (or so it seems) how can there be such a brutal disparity? Given most of the 20 somethings I work with are Ivy league grads with high IQ's, who have starting salaries in the 60-80K range but...it just doesn't add up. I am just at a loss.
Now, back to will this help GM? I do think so. Product presence is important and "Bling" sells cars. Better products will help, but GM using Star Power to push their best products will get them in the minds of the age group they have lost the most: impressionable 15-34 males and females.
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Tal D 9:16AM (1/29/2007)
Drool when looking at the gorgeous ladies but my wife says I can have the Camaro but not any of those ladies.
I think I'll take the car. Its looks will last as long as I take care of it, The ladies will only age.
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Galley 9:27AM (1/29/2007)
I saw Carmen Electra on Mad TV this past weekend. She was definitely "skankafied". I know I won't be buying a GM because of her.
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The Truth 10:13AM (1/29/2007)
"Remember this: "GM is #1 and will stay #1"
Remember this, GM is #1 is sales because they provide almost every company and goverment agency in the US with cheap trucks workers "HAVE" to drive, not want to. Plus factor in fleet sales (rent-a-impala/malibu) and wholah, your re #1 in cars sales Americans HAVE to drive, not want to.
I betcha this chode believed there were WMD's in Iraq too.
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Sheth 11:27AM (1/29/2007)
You cant be a Toyota/Honda fan and then criticize GM for not being cool. Toyota spent millions on silly "youth oriented" ads to lauch the Scion brand only to have 45 year olds become the primary buyers. Honda is a little bit better in terms of image but Toyota is more stodgy than GM at this point, unless you consider hybrids exciting. I don't.
Contrary to what the haters say, having celebs associated with your vehicles isnt a bad thing and it's foolish to think people dont care about what celebrities wear and drive. GM knows they have to provide better vehicles in order to upgrade their image and they are doing so. Honestly, even if Toyota wanted celebrites to tout their products they wouldn't be able to do it because they dont make anything you could roll down a runway.
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Jeff 11:17AM (1/29/2007)
"That Camaro looks good only when you got Carmen Electra standing next to it."
Wow, I have something in common with the new Camaro, the only way I'd look good is to have Carmen Electra standing next to me.
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