ON THE TABLE
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 12:24PM October 27, 2010
GM Marketing, Chevrolet. Editor-in-Chief's Note: You'll get a glimpse at Chevrolet's new advertising campaign tonight on the 2010 Major League Baseball World Series broadcast on Fox. The new campaign is aimed squarely at reconnecting the Chevrolet brand with America and the American fabric - without directly wrapping the work in the flag - and it uses the theme line "Chevy Runs Deep." On the surface the new tagline doesn't seem substantial enough - criticism of it runs deep to say the least - but within context of the visuals and themes as presented in the new work it does fit. But I keep going back to the question: Is it big enough? Or is it just a positioning line short-handed to fit the spots? That remains to be seen. Right now I'm willing to give Goodby, Silverstein & Partners the benefit of the doubt, but I'm wondering how long it will take for "Chevy Runs Deep" to register with the American consumer public, if it's able to resonate at all. I have no quibbles with the strategy, because it is dead nuts accurate and it's presented in executions ranging from a :60 anthem spot - which is too wordy but does have some outstanding visuals - to three :30s that "illuminate Chevy's connection to defining moments in American life" as Chevy operatives put it, that are downright charming in their execution and powerful in their simplicity. Joel Ewanick, GM Marketing's Chief, is right to go after work that captures the essence of Chevrolet and its role in American life and in the American fabric, because that's what Chevrolet has meant to this nation and to deny it is just plain silly. I'm more favorably disposed to the work overall than I am to the tagline, but the net-net of it is that I think it's a fine first effort for the new Chevrolet creative and marketing team. Do I expect more? Yes, of course I do. I expect subsequent developments and executions of the campaign to be that much better. But for now, I'll take it. - PMD
Steven Rattner. The "Ratt Man" gets his comeuppance in a fairly scathing review of his book "Overdrive" in The New Yorker By Malcom Gladwell. In recounting Rattner's loathing of the fact that he had to physically come to Detroit - as opposed to just phoning it in - Gladwell writes: "One would have thought that a man as savvy as Rattner would have made the Detroit visit sound a little less of a burden. The Auto Czar should want to see the industry he is supposedly fixing, shouldn’t he? But this is what makes 'Overhaul' so unexpectedly fascinating. It is the product of someone so convinced of the value of his contribution, and of the private-equity model, that he feels no need to hide his condescension." Rattner and his fellow Wall Squeaks were nothing more than carpetbaggers empowered to "fix" an industry by force, which in turn allowed them to enhance their natural state of unbridled arrogance and "Masters of the Universe" hubris even further. Read Gladwell's review here.
Sergio Marchionne. A rare "up" arrow for the Fiat-Chrysler CEO, as he blasts the unions that have paralyzed Italy and the Italian auto industry for decades, suggesting - on prime time Italian TV no less - that all five Italian car factories could not match the productivity of Fiat's single Polish plant, and that Fiat would deliver better results if it wasn't tied to the country and its Byzantine unions. This in turn set-off a political firestorm in Italy with much hand-wringing and patriotic bullshit spewing forth from the usual gaggle of opportunistic politicians trying to make hay while the sun shines, but it didn't change the fact that the gist of what Marchionne said is true, that the Italian union structure is a joke and that the country will never be able to compete in this age of globalization unless the unions are permanently neutered. Nicely done, Sergio.
Japan, Inc. Reuters reports that Nissan's COO, Toshiyuki Shiga, warned that the sky-high value of the yen - a fifteen year high - was reaching crisis levels. "We're way past the point of talking about how the yen's rapid appreciation would damage our earnings, or that we're worried about it," Shiga said on Tuesday. "I feel a huge sense of crisis over the strong yen." It's becoming obvious by now that much of Japan Inc.'s success in this country - and a huge chunk of its profits - were directly the result of the Japanese government's ongoing policy of artifically keeping the yen and check. Now? Not so much.
BYD Co. The Chinese automaker's third-quarter profit dropped 99 percent (!) as its sales fell off a cliff and its shares subsequently declined 10 percent in Hong Kong trading. You may remember that BYD is underwritten by a huge load of cash from Warren Buffett, who went "all-in" betting that BYD and the exploding Chinese auto market would have a bright future together, with even long-term potential of doing business in the U.S. market. How's that whole "automotive industry expert" thing working out for you, Warren?
(Images courtesy of Chrysler)
It's SEMA Show time again next week and here's a small sampling of the vehicles Chrysler will be showing. The Red Liine Charger, a Fiat 500 Euro version and the Dodge Durango Citadel "Black & Tan." The vehicles were created by the Mopar Underground group and the Mopar design team. Projects originated in the Chrysler Group Product Design office and were led by Mark Allen, Chief Designer – Head of Jeep Design Studio, and Jeff Gale – Advance Studio Design Lead. In addition to image vehicles, other “Moparized” vehicles for the show were developed under the direction of Brian Rogos, Head of Accessories and Performance Parts and Pat Muldoon, Head of Mopar Product Development.
(Chrysler)
Not a SEMA show vehicle, the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 receives a boost in horsepower - 470 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque - and ride, handling and braking tweaks to go with it. Dodge will build 1,492 Inaugural Edition models of the Challenger SRT8 392, all with exclusive content including two colors and new full-body stripe combinations: Deep Water Blue with standard Stone White stripes or Bright White Clear Coat with standard Viper Blue stripes. All Inaugural Edition models will ride on standard 20-inch SRT-exclusive wheels that feature a polished face and satin black painted pockets. The "392" reference is to the original 392 HEMI engine, which was introduced in the 1957 model year, replacing the 354 cubic-inch version of the original HEMI launched in 1951.
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Publisher's Note: Check-out John McElroy's daily news show covering everything about the auto biz by clicking on the graphic below. Good stuff guaranteed. - PMD
See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" with hosts John McElroy, from Autoline Detroit, and Peter De Lorenzo, The Autoextremist, and guests this Thursday evening, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv. By the way, if you'd like to subscribe to the Autoline After Hours podcasts, click on the following links: Subscribe via iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=311421319 http://www.autolinedetroit.tv/podcasts/feeds/afterhours-audio.xml
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