GM Taps Social Media for Recession Communications

WSJ’s Digits blog tipped me off to this commercial from GM that was launched online via YouTube and Facebook, I assume in lieu of media buys, as it filed for Chapter 11 protection.

To call this a case study in crisis communications is an understatement. GM lost nearly $82 Billion in the last four years. The 10-year-old company filing for Chapter 11 protection makes for the fourth-largest filing in U.S. history and the largest for an industrial company.

This topic is worthy of its own web site. And there is one.

GM Reinvention is harnessing the dividends of GM’s social media 401(k) program when it needs it most. The company is being as transparent as possible to tell their story on what’s next. If GM had not been establishing itself over the years in social media, this effort simply would not be as effective. Social media won’t solve GM’s problems, but it will help the company keep an open line of communication in troubled times as it prepares to rebuild. Let’s hope they reach their new goals.

Comments

[Katie S.]

They're also using traditional media for this campaign. I saw it this morning during The Today Show. My first thought was to question why they'd invest in such expensive air time!

[Kathryn P]

The strategies used by GM, that of targeting a large younger audience via 'youtube', succinctly highlights the struggles they have faced in light of the recession. It is a great PR tactic as it clearly garnered a lot of attention and cost virtually nothing to air on the popular social media outlet (youtube).

[Michelle K]

I agree that the use of social media, in this case YouTube, is an effective tactic in the GM campaign. By using traditional media, such as The Today Show, the key messages almost get lost in the medium since the bottom line comes down to money. The company is already receiving criticism for wasting money on advertising, so they need to find a new, creative way to market the reinvention of the company. It will be interesting in the long run to see how this is done, as the company’s dependence on social media could lead to a case study, not in crisis management, but on the power of social media.

[Ginevra]

GM's also run a blog for a long time, so they do "get it" at a core level. But I wonder sometimes for behemoths like this if it isn't too little, too late.

[Ziarul Strada Mare]

Youtube is nice, really...for cirisis management...but...

[Debbie Meltzer]

The question is - is the reinvention going far enough?
In the end social media is a tool, but without articulating a bold vision, not sure that new and fewer car models, stronger branding and better tool work is going to reignite the great American dream.

GM needs a bolder, more inspiring vision. A new model that looks oh so sleek but guzzles petrol is not a convincing brand promise. Sorry, there is more work cut out for them yet.
Debbie Meltzer