In its unceasing campaign to lose market share to Japanese companies that understand the American consumer, GM has rolled out new promotion, the “You're a Great American” car giveaway. And they've hired Sean Hannity as their spokesmodel.
You have to wonder how small the ratio gets between the IQs over there and the MPG ratings of their cars: what sort of genius does it take to identify your (struggling) company with a guy who routinely insults more than half the country? As Think Progress reminds us, this is the guy who,
- said a Democratic victory in the midterm elections could be a “victory for the terrorists”
- said that “making sure Nancy Pelosi doesn’t become the [House] speaker” is “worth … dying for.”
- compared voting for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) to voting for terrorist groups Hamas or Hezbollah.
And GM thinks this will help them sell cars? Short the stock now.
Hannity is a terrible choice. Note: A small IQ/MPG ratio implies possible high MPG ratings, which GM doesn’t have generally.
As I explained elsewhere, the logic is simple: GM produces crap so they bring on someone who has demonstrated a talent for selling crap with a audience which has demonstrated an appetite for the stuff.
If anything is surprising it’s that they went with a minor leaguer like Hannity.
They’re going after the NASCAR market. It tends to buy pickups, the only thing GM makes money on. GM’s ad agency thinks pickup buyers are all “NASCAR, hot dogs, apple pie, and republican.” They only want a few tens of thousands of sales.
But it costs them with people who care about American jobs but don’t want to buy shit (I’ll be looking soon and might have considered GM vehicles that work, if that isn’t too much of an oxymoron), and it costs them with people who don’t think companies that make their living selling to the general public shouldn’t line up too overtly with political parties and ideological stances. Both would be me.
They’re carrying market segmentation to an amazing extreme.
Makes a lot of sense, actually. They’re pitching to the idiot market. It takes one to sell to one.
My girlfriend works for a big pharaceutical company (that’s a whole ‘nother conversation) and gets a pretty large discount on GM cars and trucks. I WAS considering buying a GM pick-up after graduation, but now I think I’ll forgoe the discount.
This makes me think of something else though …
A few weeks ago I had a discussion with a VERY far right Uncle. He brought up Bernie Goldberg’s Book on the 100 people whom Bernie believes are “screwing up America.” I asked how Barbara Streisand was screwing up America. Uncle Ghengis responded, “Do you know what she’s doing now?!?!?!? If you try to book her, she makes you donate thousands to the Democratic Party!!!!”
My response … “So what. Don’t invite her to Yom Kippur this year.” In a way, this is similar to the Hannity – GM relationship. In the end, I won’t buy a GM and Uncle Ghengis won’t buy tickets to a Barbara Streisand concert. I can always buy a Toyato, and my Uncle can always go see Bette Midler.
Publius
I’m sure all those Saab owners will rush right out to get a new one once Hannity tells them to …
Top Gear (The UK drive program) test drive an Ford F100 or F150 with the supercharged 5.4 V8.
It got an absolute panning. Not because it is a stupid SUV, but because it’s build quality was crap, its steering was crap, its brakes were crap etc etc etc.
I’m assuming the GM products aren’t much better, since the Ford sells more.
Sean Hannity, Repug ‘thought’ and GM cars go together.
If your stupid enough to listen to Hannity, stupid enpough to support Bush after all the f^&*% ups, then dammit, you deserve a vehicle that is consistent with your lifestyle choices.
=my2c
No joke, somebody in demographics must be telling these guys they have no Democratic customers.