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CEOs from America’s Big Three automakers botched another PR opportunity this week.
Chief executives from GM, Chrysler and Ford returned to Washington, D.C., to request bailout money. The first time they asked for federal dollars lawmakers rebuked them and wondered why these CEOs—desperate for money—each traveled in private jets.
This time, all three drove cars their companies produce to D.C.
“The prospect of the executives motoring along more than 500 miles of highway to Washington—a trip of about nine hours, not counting a possible stop in Pittsburgh for a sandwich at Primanti Brothers—introduces an element of ritualistic public relations gamesmanship,” The New York Times' John Schwartz wrote.
Rick Wagoner, CEO of General Motors, took a Chevy Malibu hybrid.
Ford’s Alan Mulally drove a Ford Escape hybrid.
Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli also drove a hybrid, although the company did not tell The Times which model.
Of course, many people are arguing that this PR “gamesmanship” is too little, too late. The Big Three should have done this—or at least flown commercial—on their first trip to the capital.
I think they should have gone one step further.
Why not have a contest: “Win a road trip with Wagoner or Mulally or Nardelli”? They could have solicited entries and then during Thanksgiving holiday pulled the winners in a lottery style drawing broadcast across all TV networks.
The CEOs can come off as regular guys, plus it’s the ultimate test drive for the lucky few who win. Of course, the Big Three pick up the tab—and, if the carmakers get their way, the U.S. taxpayers reimburse them.
But why not go two steps further and cut the CEOs out of the deal altogether?
Fly them to D.C. on private jets. (After all, was it really that big a deal in the first place? Or did Americans need another scapegoat for their anger and frustration about the economy?)
Hold the contest and Thanksgiving drawing, and the winners get a road trip with Steve Martin. Forget those stuffy old CEOs. Then, all three winners and Martin pile into a GM, Ford and Chrysler, which they rotate in and out of periodically, and drive to D.C. And, of course, it’s all filmed.
The networks will call it GMs, Fords and Chryslers—a play off Planes, Trains and Automobiles—and regardless of what Congress does for Detroit Americans will be delighted by the mad cap hijinks of this zany road trip.
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It doesn't, Colin. Here are four reasons why:
1. This story has yet to gain traction. People are talking about it, and...
Comments (10)
The most disappointing thing was that the Times mentioned Primanti Brothers in Pittsburgh. I spent many a college early morning in that place and now it's risen above the radar to the wine and cheese crowd in New York. I guess the college drunks and blue collar stiffs will now be replaced by a bunch of dressed-in-black tweeners in funky glasses, looking for the low-fat version of the legendary "garbage sandwich." This place rivaled the Billy Goat in its hey day.
Posted by Tim | December 4, 2008 11:47 PM
Posted on December 4, 2008 23:47
Whew! TRB and Keven and CG are SERIOUS. (Did you notice how people seem to be MAD these days?)
Anyway, I read the header for this item in Ragan's Daily Headlines and KNEW it would be a spoof. ("Win a trip to Washington with the Big Three" was definitely not something I'd see in the Wall Street Journal!) You didn't let me down, Michael. It was funny. Thanks for a great post. I notice that you posted it at 1:57 a.m. Great stuff so late - or early.
Posted by Jean F | December 4, 2008 2:04 PM
Posted on December 4, 2008 14:04
Why didn't they carpool? They're out of touch with economic realities and have poor time-management skills. They drove hybrids that get worse mileage than my Toyota Corolla (especially on long trips, because hybrids are best for city driving). Those are the messages I got from those long, strange trips.
Posted by John H | December 4, 2008 12:59 PM
Posted on December 4, 2008 12:59
TRB, I am sort of messing with you.
This whole thing is so absurd that the only way to confront it is with even more absurdity. GM and Chrysler are failing quickly; Ford is in a tight spot. It's symptomatic of a tanked, and tanking, economy. And we're outraged over a private jet ride. What happens when the private jet industry asks for a bailout?
However, even more absurd is the Big Three's notion that they'll do catch up public relations. They look far more ridiculous on their road trips because it seems like an obvious and trite plan.
So, why not go way over-the-top? Blow everyone's expectations out of the water and have this contest. Everyone loves a circus, a spectacle. So why not give it to them. If you thrill them at least you've done something for the money. Blockbuster PR might do the trick.
The Steve Martin part was a put on. I thought it was funny. Kevin did not.
Posted by Michal Sebastian | December 4, 2008 12:26 PM
Posted on December 4, 2008 12:26
I hate to be critical, but this is the problem with the takeover of today's communications by blog-style casualness: you go to a page looking for something interesting and thought-out, and find one promising (but undeveloped) idea wrapped in a lot of conversational nonsense.
The teaser from the daily Ragan e-mail looked promising, but I'm left feeling like this was a fairly lazy, tossed-off post without any real work put into it, and lots of padding.
That feeling will wean me off of reading the daily e-mail teasers very quickly.
Posted by Kevin | December 4, 2008 12:07 PM
Posted on December 4, 2008 12:07
Flying in on a private jet to ask for public money sent a message to the common man (most of us) that they are out of touch. If it helped bring them back to earth, it was a good thing.
Posted by Diane | December 4, 2008 12:03 PM
Posted on December 4, 2008 12:03
You must be messing with us. Clearly, for the Big Three, this is a time for seriousness, not stunts.
Posted by TRB | December 4, 2008 11:54 AM
Posted on December 4, 2008 11:54
No, it's not REALLY so bad to have the CEOs fly on private jets... and I'm sure they've wasted $$ on worse things. But to do it to come to D.C. to beg for public dollars? That's just bad form, not to mention sheer stupidity.
Posted by Jacquie | December 4, 2008 11:20 AM
Posted on December 4, 2008 11:20
I completely agree on the private-jet, missing out on promoting the drive to DC the second time around...shame on their PR for not thinking ahead. But, the old saying that "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" goes in hand here. When you have bad leadership, bad business, bad industry, it's hard to expect a level of good"ness" here. You get what you hire and expect.
Posted by cm | December 4, 2008 11:08 AM
Posted on December 4, 2008 11:08
I get what you're saying, but aside from having the same number of words and an "and", how is GMs, Fords and Chryslers a play on "Planes, Trains and Automobiles"?
That's like saying Burgers and Fries is a play on War and Peace.
C'mon, you can do better than that!
Also, I agree that the whole "flying on private jets" thing is overblown. Is it really so bad for a company that has tens of thousands of employees at operations in far-flung locations to have its CEO fly on a private jet? The Federal government is trillions of dollars in the red, and I haven't heard anyone suggest the President fly commercial. There's enough legitimate reasons to attack the leadership of the Big 3 without grasping at straws.
Posted by cg | December 4, 2008 10:55 AM
Posted on December 4, 2008 10:55