Nov 01 2006
Don’t Cry for Me, General Motors
Read a recent article on New York Times. The author wrote a scathing review of a recent truck commercial where GM invoke tragedies to sell its trucks. I found some of his remarks relevant to our studies.
Some quotes:
“The first time I saw it, I thought, holy mackerel, they are using negative images to generate positive emotions,”
“I don’t mind when they have a tent sale on President’s Day, but those guys have been dead for 200 years. I’m not sure I’m ready for a Rosa Parks sale-a-bration.”
“The message seems to be, ‘If you don’t buy our truck, we will go bankrupt,’” said Al Ries of Ries & Ries, a brand consultancy. “The kind of people who buy trucks are not going to buy them because a company is in trouble. People like to buy from winners.”