Ex-VP of marketing says GM is "so bureaucratic it stifles all passion and creativity"
Michael Jackson was hired by General Motors in 2000. In 2006, he was made the VP of marketing and advertising. Less than a year later, he retired. In a recent column in Automotive News, he wrote a commentary calling on the bankrupt automaker to "overhaul marketing," saying "GM needs passion and creativity – not incentives." Now, in an interview with Advertising Age, he says that GM's bureaucracy doused the fire of innovation.
His specific indictments were that "U.S. operations have too many layers for approval of ads," that GM is a "bureaucracy of meetings culture," that GM put "engineers and finance people with no marketing training in key marketing positions," and that GM doesn't "treat its ad agencies like partners but rather as vendors. If an agency doesn't fall in line with the marketer's demands, the client threatens to move the business." That turned agencies into factory stampers that would "present work they know will get approved, not cool, risky creative."
We can all see how that could have been true at GM. Yet before anyone aims the truncheon at GM, as one of the Ad Age article commenters wrote, "Mike Jackson's comments are emblematic of many large, lumbering companies that place process above performance." Anyone who understands the comic strip Dilbert knows exactly what Jackson speaks of. If his sentiments are accurate, it doesn't excuse what GM has become, but it's certainly fair to say that the automaker is far from alone. The point of bankruptcy is to let GM start over. Hat tip to Grahm!
[Source: Advertising Age]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Avinash machado 10:32AM (6/16/2009)
Now that GM is owned by the government, imagine the extra layers of bureaucracy.
Reply
BigMcLargeHuge 10:39AM (6/16/2009)
Yup, it's like idiocy begets idiocy.
At one time, people learned from mistakes. Now we've learned how to 'justify' mistakes so that we can continue making them.
audi_arena 10:44AM (6/16/2009)
Call me an optimist, but I think that this Government spanking was long overdue. Case in point- everyone has known that GM is short in the "passion and creativity" department for decades, but this is the first time I'm hearing someone from inside the company actually talking about it. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you make the changes you need.
John P. 10:45AM (6/16/2009)
Exactly, unless of course The Chosen One's Omnipotence includes car design/engineering/ad creative. Then we'll be in for a real treat where his singular vision for GM will make all other options moot.
audi_arena 11:00AM (6/16/2009)
I have a feeling Obama's a little more concerned with the economy as a whole rather than what color the new Silverado is going to be offered in next year...
J.Crew 11:16AM (6/16/2009)
He may be right in his comments, but I think he is pissed his pension just got slashed by 3/4 and now feels compelled to speak his mind...
Redeemed 11:20AM (6/16/2009)
"I have a feeling Obama's a little more concerned with the economy as a whole rather than what color the new Silverado is going to be offered in next year..."
I certainly do not share your optimism. Obama and co. have already micromanaged Chrysler's business plan and told them to change the advertising budget and product development cycle. They will be mandated to build small cars whether there is a market for them or not in the interest of the "green" obsession.
Nothing good happens with the fed's take over.
Kitko 12:45PM (6/16/2009)
Because when GM wasn't owned by government, it experienced years of creativity.
I'd built on what Jackson said. The add targets certain demographic and reflects a product. And I'm sorry but GM's target audience is as uninspiring as 90% of their cars. You cannot shock conservative customers with overly creative ads for boring cars.
Better product inspires better advertising.
Human Powered 1:43PM (6/16/2009)
I'm inclined to agree with Kitko. But adding to that the ad guys have a long history of avoiding accountability and putting together "creative" that appeals to their need to push boundaries and and challenge themselves, not necessarily to sell cars. There needs to be accountability, unfortunately this will often turn into bureaucracy. It's tough to find the right balance.
Azael 2:19PM (6/16/2009)
Hey, the government running GM cant be as bad as this dumb cop who pulled over an ambulance while they were transporting a patient to the hospital and then tried to arrest the EMT's.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4G37Ouy164&feature=channel_page
Todd 10:34AM (6/16/2009)
Thanks Captain Obvious!
In other news, the sky is blue and GM's corporate culture of "We're too big too fail, who cares if our cars aren't competitive with foreign imports." caused them to go bankrupt.
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BoxerFanatic 10:43AM (6/16/2009)
Exactly.
How can anyone look at the majority of GM's mainstream offerings and not come to that conclusion? It is so plainly obvious that no insider information is required.
Or their decisions to starve, then kill Pontiac...
It is somewhat amazing that the Corvette has survived, and the Camaro has returned at all...
The sad part is, the rest of the industry is right behind them. Toyota/Lexus, Mazda, Ford/Linc/Merc, Chrysler, VW...
Subaru, even. That is the only explanation for the ugly, dowdy, bloated 2010 Legacy.
There will be no niche brands left with any passion intact. It is sad when an enthusiast like me can look across the field of offerings.... and with a budget in mind (less than 35k new), and not wanting something overly heavy, or styled like it is 40 years old, but not handicapped with FWD either...
Under those criteria, there are so few truly attractive options, if any can be considered attractive. Hyundai Genesis Coupe, but even it has its visual issues. Subaru Impreza, but it looks like the hunchback of notre dame. Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart/EVO looks like a hoover vacuum for pavement, on steroids.
Passion for making truly good cars is under pressure, if not crushed entirely already, at least below the luxury price points.
zamafir 11:00AM (6/16/2009)
I'm not so sure, the GTI's a truly good car, so is the G8, so is the WRX, the v6 accord coupe, the camaro, there are several truly good cars at each price point, the fiesta will soon ad another.
BoxerFanatic 11:39AM (6/16/2009)
GTI: FWD, looks like the box a tiny car comes in.
G8: good-ish looks, but no stick on a sport sedan below GXP. OVERLY HEAVY.
WRX: love the drivetrain, of course. Like I said, looks like Quasimodo.
v6 accord coupe: NO WAY. FWD, bloated for a coupe, and bland bordering on ugly.
Camaro: Re-living 40-years past glory days, like G8, it is overly heavy. Challenger is the same, Mustang isn't AS heavy, but still not lithe, and still doesn't have IRS, even optional.
Fiesta: Thanks, but no. Again, FWD. Fords answer to the CIVIC. Not their answer to the GenCoupe's challenge to Mustang, nor Ford's answer to under-cutting G37 coupe.
Again, criteria:
1: not FWD.
2: offers stick shift.
3: not retro-tastic, I am not 40+ years old, I don't want styling that is.
4: less than 2 tons of behemoth car. ~3500lbs or less.
5: looks like something you turn around and look back at while walking away from it in a parking lot, because it is that slick of a car. Not a refrigerator box or an ogre.
6: affordable for someone working for a living, less than $35k somewhat equipped.
2, 3, 4, 5 doors... but not a truck, SUV, or CUV.
G37S 6MT is just at the break over point. BMW 1-series, but it is TINY inside and ugly for what it is supposed to be.
Genesis Coupe, it is not the greatest looker with the puckered grille and sagging rear quarter windows, and tiny trunk lid, rather than a lift-back, but probably the closest to that target right now.
But where is Ford? Where is GM and Chrysler?
Mercury could have such a modern car, but no.
Pontiac is now DEAD, which they might not have been if they had offered something like this, half way between Kappa and Zeta chassis architectures...
Chrysler could have brought in a Firepower, or other name for a more lithe, modern variant of the Challenger.
All three could have had a sporty sedan, 2+2 coupe, and convertible trifecta on their respective platforms. Infiniti G does. Lexus IS tries, at least. Honda is just nuts, because who can tell where Acura is headed... BMW has 1 and 3 series, although 1 is not my cup of tea, and 3 is a bit spendy. Audi has A4/5.
Subaru could have done the same thing. They could have split the 05-09 Legacy into a coupe, somewhat of a re-booted SVX successor, with better economics from sharing a good chassis with other models, instead of being expensively unique from every other Subaru, as original SVX was.
Mazda could have split RX8 into a proper 4 or 5-door sport sedan, and a proper 2+2 coupe or 2-seat sports car coupe, instead of the limbo between the two that the RX8 currently occupies. Offering optional piston engine drivetrains along-side the rotaries might actually sell a few of them, especially now that Mazda 6 is bloated and bland, after losing the 5-door and it's stick shift/6-cyl.
But bureaucracy stifles passion and creativity. So no such lineup exists for the big 3, and is getting more scarce across the market.
Frank 11:59AM (6/16/2009)
I don't think that is a fair statement. The corporation as a whole suffered from a right wing ideology. Nobody in there would acknowledge Al Gore's presentation and they thought the Germans lived in ghettos and east produced dangerous junk. The French were traitors and India had nothing to offer except cheap labor. They were full of themselves and gasoline was cheap.
Oluseyi 12:38PM (6/16/2009)
I agree with BoxerFanatic. I've started window shopping for a car, at first looking at new cars and then expanding my range to any car made in the last 10 years that really excites me. I don't know if it's regulation (IIHS, CAFE, etc) or stagnation, but none of them capture my imagination. I have to go back to vehicles produced in the '60s to start to find aesthetics that speak to me, generally.
Add my generous height (6'6") to the mix and entire swaths of econoboxes and so-called full-size sedans fall out of contention. For someone who loves cars and driving as much as I do, contemporary automotive design is really starting to depress me.
urdaddy 12:51PM (6/16/2009)
and now there half the size and their upcoming/current line up is, in my eyes, one of the best, if not the best.
cruze
malibu
camaro
corvette
volt
equinox
lacrosse
cts
srx
tahoe/suburban/escalade
traverse/enclave/acadia
and whatever else i may have missed. everyone of those cars i listed i would take over whatever else is in its class.
Chase 1:47PM (6/16/2009)
You're awfully picky BoxerFanatic. I can get excited about almost all of those cars, but its certainly your right to complain as much as you want.
For 30 grand you can pick up a car that is at the same time more refined than a 1990s era luxury car and faster than a 1990s era supercar. What's there to complain about?
Whiny whiny. Go make a car company if you're so discontent with the way things are.
BigWill 2:35PM (6/16/2009)
Spend $100-200 and replace the grille on the Genesis Coupe and I think BoxerFanatic is in business. Makes a *huge* difference in how the Coupe looks. As a bonus, discounts are now available; I saw a manual Turbo Premium Coupe for $23,600 with sunroof, pushbutton start & Infinity stereo.
Frank 9:32AM (6/17/2009)
@Frank
You don't understand. Corporations are not right wing/left wing (with very few exceptions). They are about making money. They are Amoral and Apolitical. That's why a company can make a big huge truck that drinks a lot of gas and develop a new eco-friendly car that "saves the planet". No, I'm not talking about GM, I'm talking about Toyota. See, it can be any company. As for aknowledgment of Al Gore, I wouldn't give him the time of day because he's full of more hot air than any of his fear mongering (and profiteering) about global warming.