Comments on Rob Frankel - Branding Expert: Saturn Orbits the Drain

All pretty true, Andy, and as you know, I can't ex...

2008-12-05T15:06:00.000-08:00

All pretty true, Andy, and as you know, I can't excuse their incompetence OR their denial. From what I understand, Buick is actually a very popular brand in China (of all places) and that may provide a clue: There's already talk about loosening those little-known restrictions and regulations that forbids the Big Three from importing their more successful, efficient cars from other markets into North America.

I have faith in the brands, but not their managers. But hey, I'm a Cadillac man....

As I've been saying all week, any company that thi...

2008-12-05T14:19:00.000-08:00

As I've been saying all week, any company that thinks Buick is a viable brand and wants to kill Saturn and Saab, is just too far gone to be saved. This might sound crazy, but I truly believe they should have killed Buick instead of Oldsmobile, but rebranded Oldsmobile as "Aurora" as had been floating around the rumor mill. Besides Saturn, Oldsmobile was the only GM brand even attempting to make credibly compete head-to-head with the Japanese brands, with the extremely innovative Olds Aurora and well-designed Intrigue. Instead, they kept grandmotherly Buick and tried to position it against Lexus (ha!), and cheap-o Pontiac and tried to position it against Nissan and BMW (as if!). And they've done everything possible to bastardize the Saab brand, from rebadging a giant Chevy SUV as a Saab, to giving a very good but totally unstylish car (Subaru WRX) a barely-there makeover and calling it a Saab. I don't have any faith that Chevrolet has any brand value, but maybe I'm too West Coast-elitist to see it. Cadillac? OK, maybe. But other than that, GM is just one giant, epic fail.

Barry, that's the whole problem: American busines...

2008-12-04T15:16:00.000-08:00

Barry, that's the whole problem: American business didn't think it through. If they really wanted to save jobs, they would have re-tooled American plants the way they've done overseas, where all three brands do well with more efficient cars!

Even if "giving the people what they want" was the right thing to do (and it isn't), why not give Americans what they gave the rest of the world -- more efficient cars -- especially since all three companies are doing far better with those outside North America?

Nope. This was harikri American style. The only difference between these American executive managers and institutional inmates is that their uniforms fit better.

The problem with the American auto makers is that ...

2008-12-04T14:44:00.000-08:00

The problem with the American auto makers is that they made vehicles that the American people wanted. Namely SUV's and let the car manufacturing go to the Import brands.
Chrysler was screwed up by Daimler Benz. Mr Nardelli doesn't have a good history but just below him is someone from Toyota.
I'm tired of everyone blaming the AMERICAN AUTO MANUFACTURERS for everything.
When your job gets outsourced to China or India then you can stand in the unemployment line with the workers of the auto industry!
Give wall street 700 billion and they want to buy each other out. Give the automotive industry 35 billion and you save jobs.
Think about it people

Barry