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November 28, 2005
Unconditional surrender
Did I hear this right? Is Buick's new slogan actually "Built to Change Your Mind"? Perhaps I'm being cynical, but this sounds to me like an admission that the product is terrible, or was until very recently, and an invitation to drop 30-odd grand to live as a motoring guinea pig.
More distressing for GM than any one slogan, I'd say, is that other than the Rendezvous (which I'm told practically invented the term "crossover"), I had never heard of any of Buick's other models: the Allure, which doesn't; the Lucerne, which provides a new (better? even less practical?) level of sophistication; the Rainier, which is a GM product starting at $50,000; and the Terraza, which I thought was a type of Mexican flooring.
If it weren't for that $35 discount waiting for me on my Visa card I wouldn't even consider a General Motors product. And hey, what the hell? They don't even make the Aztek anymore!
[UPDATE December 3. From the back page of the October/November issue of The Beaver, which somehow found its way into my bathroom reading rack, another gem of a Buick catchphrase: they would have us know that the 2006 Buick Lucerne is, ahem, "The next chapter in the evolution of change."]
Posted by Chris Selley at November 28, 2005 11:15 PM
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Comments
This may have something to do with it:
And make no mistake, GM is in a horrible bind. That $1.1 billion loss in the first quarter doesn't begin to tell the whole story. The carmaker is saddled with a $1,600-per-vehicle handicap in so-called legacy costs, mostly retiree health and pension benefits. Any day now, GM is likely to get slapped with a junk-bond rating. GM has lost a breathtaking 74% of its market value -- some $43 billion -- since spring of 2000, giving it a valuation of $15 billion. What really scares investors is that GM keeps losing ground in its core business of selling cars. Underinvestment has left it struggling to catch up in technology and design. Sales fell 5.2% on GM's home turf last quarter as Toyota Motor Corp. (TM ), Nissan Motor Co. (NSANY ), and other more nimble competitors ate GM's lunch. Last month, CEO G. Richard "Rick" Wagoner Jr. and his team gave up even guessing where they'll stand financially at the end of this year.
- from http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_19/b3932001_mz001.htm
Posted by: Brian Ivanovick at November 29, 2005 02:41 AM
The Allure is named "Lacrosse" in all other markets. Quebec focus groups apparently generated plenty of giggles.
I've driven one and the idea of it competing with Toyota, Honda and (lately) Hyundai products definitely made me laugh.
Posted by: Jay Jardine at November 29, 2005 01:02 PM
That's almost as bad as the slogan New Jersey paid for: "New Jersey: We'll Win You Over"
Still, I can't think of anyone even remotely seriously considering buying a Buick these days, so maybe their strategy is realistic.
Posted by: Ginna at November 30, 2005 02:46 AM
The best slogan is in New Jersey, but it belongs to Trenton. "Trenton makes, the world takes."
Posted by: Firehead at December 1, 2005 03:33 PM