Mr. Lutz, I can understand why you are puzzled by the Ad Age articles. The truth is that you are in an unprecedented executive position at General Motors and the future of this all-American company rests in your hands. You see Mr. Lutz, the function of marketing is about satisfying the needs of your customers; developing a brand experience, if you will. Although marketing is an extremely broad organizational function, it’s purpose is to create, communicate and deliver value to its customers while maintaining those relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders. Where General Motors has failed is in its ability to connect with their customers. Undeniably, GM has become a company focused on serving itself. To ensure GM’s profitability in this highly commoditized economy, you must refocus your attention on who keeps you in business; your customers. Indeed, there must be a shift from the GM’s current sales (how can we sell more aggressively) & production (what can we make best) orientation, to a more holistic market orientation. By utilizing the holistic marketing concept, we refocus the list of marketing mix activities to include people, processes, performance and programs (Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L., 2012). This change in orientation will improve GM’s market position as it includes four all-encompassing parts: relationship marketing (processes), performance marketing (performance), internal marketing (people), and integrated marketing (programs)
Company I chose was a multinational company which manufacturers and marketer which designs, manufactures, fabricates, showcases and conveys vehicles and vehicle parts and offers financial administrations, General Motors Company commonly known as GM (GM.com, 2016). GM does have an official mission and vision; There mission is “to provide products and services of such quality that our customers will receive superior value while our employees and business partners will share in our success and our stock-holders will receive a sustained superior return on their investment." As their vision statement, they wants “to become the world leader in transportation products and related services. We will earn our customers’ enthusiasm through continuous
To achieve these objectives with a limited budget, MM’s marketing strategy had to centre on value provision. Building on MM’s original strengths, we saw the opportunity to delight customers with superior power-to-size ratio. We identified Segments A and C as our primary and secondary target segments, as their needs fell within the optimal zone where our product positioning could provide a difference. With the need to reverse declining market share and boost customer satisfaction, aggressive investment in MM’s R&D was necessary to build a strong and positive brand name for our power-efficient motors and manage internal costs. This allowed us to price our motors to create value for customers while extracting value for our business. Enhanced increased in our sales representatives and marketing communications were identified as critical in communicating MM motors’ value to customers, and formed the key differentiators in managing MM’s dual sales force and distributor channels.
General Motors, the “mother company” has faced many troubles in the past, and surfaced. A research by the National Research Council in the United States has revealed in 1992 that there had many impacts and future impacts in the automotive industry, indeed; it would affect the jobs and the internal economy. However, General Motors understood the threat potential that this and established strategic plans to revert the trend. Furthermore, whether General Motor Company was able to change the trend, and it saw the internal and external factors, prepared a strategic plan, Holden being the first brand in Australia, with at least just the 10 % of the population compared with the USA, the way to get a plan looks easier. In addition, it is easier to see a trend in countries with low population and good policymakers. In 2008 General Motors faced again the limit to bankruptcy. A fierce plan to develop and a new business association with FIAT made that GM avoid the dissolution. Even do all Europe have had a similar crisis( Boudette & Choudhury,
This recession hits home with the automobile industry. During this current recession GM is facing the possibility of bankruptcy, but is hoping to be helped out by the government. History
The article discusses that “Marketing’s ultimate assignment is to serve customers’ real needs and to communicate the substance of the company—not to introduce the kinds of cosmetics that used to typify the auto industry’s
The goal is to increase the overall market share and profits of MM’s Motors in the current market environment by targeting appropriate customer segments and proper allocation of marketing resources.
General Motors has defined their organizational culture as "Design, Build and Sell the World's Best Vehicles". In the design portion of this definition, GM focuses on core brands in order to become a leader in research and development. In the build portion of this definition, GM strives to operate in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. In the sell portion of this definition, GM strives to maximize revenues, offer customers high residual value, and lower incentives. GM's mission statement reads, "General Motors is a multinational corporation engaged in socially responsible operations, worldwide. It is dedicated to provide products and services of such quality that our customers will receive superior value while our employees and business partners will share in our success and our stock-holders will receive a sustained superior return on their investment." This mission cannot be more ironic.
General Motors has always had a reputation of diluted products. They had many vehicle lines with many differend brands. This idea was to offer a product that appealed to many different target markets. They have since simplified their product lines by selling off certain brands. Oldsmobile, Saturn, Saab, Hummer, and Pontiac have been disbanded and the new General Motors is a tighter more organized business as a result. Cadillac and Buick have seen steady growth within their sector and have been marketed very well to date. Cadillac is seen as prestigue symbol and has a larger pricetag than any of the other models. Buick is showing phenominal growth with an introduction of new products that is taking the focus of
General Motors enjoys a major market share in global automotive industry. One of its major strengths is its strong branding and market position. General Motors can be considered as one of the pioneers of modern vehicles. As per data monitor, GM had a leading share in North America and South America and in Europe it held fifth position. Similarly, it holds second position in other major segments. GM bears a strong branding. A lot of prestigious brands are provided by General Motors such as Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac and Opal. Like Toyota, GM also has various production facilities in 31 different countries. This strong global presence allows GM to have access global markets way easily as compared to manufacturers with centralized structures. Thus, GM relies less on exports, manufactures its brands locally and is also involved in
It is significant in understanding the cultural values and perception of the consumers you are trying to target since cultural values can change over time. Recent observation of the vehicles General Motors offered was viewed negatively by society. This allowed competitors to expose that weakness by comparing their vehicles in a greater light. In summary, changing the public perception of General Motors is vital, especially with their upcoming products since their standards need to adhere to the current cultural values.
Creation, acceleration and emotion are the key components for any automobile industry to deliver its goods to the expected standards. General Motors, popularly known as GM has been a pioneer in the global autoindustry for more than 100 years. Developing from horseless carriages to the latest sports cars, innovations have always excelled at putting the world on wheels. In fact, there are a lot of exciting things to share about the company. GM’s corporation started in 1892 by R.E. Olds, with a solid financial foundation, which enabled him to produce great vehicles for customers and build a bright future for employees, partners and shareholders. GM slowly initiated its staff of experts in the factories which are located in different parts of the globe and acquired the brands like Chevrolet, Pointiac, GMC, Buick, Cadillac(General Motors Corporation, 2015). Leading the way is their tailored leadership team who set high standards for the company so that they can produce the best cars and trucks. This means that GM is committed to deliver vehicles with compelling designs, flawless quality and reliability, leading safety, fuel economy and commercial features. All are intended to create that special bond that can only happen between a driver and a vehicle. General Motors is a customer driven company and aims at earning customers
1. Marketing is: a) About invention of new markets, new products and new services b) About the invention of new ways of distributing and reaching customers c) About researching, finding, understanding and making new markets d) About creating and changing market processes that change markets e) All of the above 2. A responsibility of marketers is to sell new products and ideas to decision-makers in their organization. a) Yes b) No 3. The focus of companies needs to be on winning: a) The product innovation race b) The distribution innovation race c) Both a and b d) Either a or b e) None of the above 4. There are times when it helps for a marketing executive to support the status quo and to promote long established and
Faced with an overwhelmingly complex situation, Alan Mulally has been brought in as Ford Motor Company's new president and CEO. As diverse global dynamics confront the company and competitive pressures continue to build, he has the challenging task of improving Ford's brand image and returning the company to profitability. Mulally has invited your consulting firm to advise his management team on restoring the company's reputation and viability. Assigned to the project, you have been asked to evaluate Ford's situation and prepare a report with the following content:
The concept of marketing has evolved over time. Whilst in today’s business world “the customer is king”. In the past this was not the case, some businesses put factors other than the customer first. Product focused companies define themselves by their products. For example Kodak originally defined its self as being in the photo processing business. This definition impact the culture of the company in a way that hamstrings thinking and creates impediments for action. When the shift to digital cam Kodak resisted this because of the impact on its “products photo processing”.
Over the years, marketing orientation has evolved and shifted. At first, when the production concept was found, firms were primarily production-orientated meaning they were more focused on the production, manufacturing, and efficiency issues than the customers [4]. The orientation assumes that consumers will favour products that offer the most quality, performance and features and that the organisation 's objectives will be most readily achieved by a concentration on these [5]. Narrow product lines, pricing based on production costs, technical product research, packaging focused on product protection, and minimal marketing are all common traits associated with a production orientation. These traits are all opposite a marketing orientation, where the company attempts to drive demand through marketing efforts. Production orientation soon became outdated as the marketplace turned into an increasingly crowded and global one [2]. This orientation was prominent during the industrial era and in the capitalism period of the 1950s [6].