by Marty Bernstein | Dec 11, 2009
Eight days and out! Not too long ago the line workers in automobile factories used the phrase, “30 and Out!” meaning after thirty years one could retire with full pension and benefits. GM’s new executive paradigm beats the old by 29 years and 358 days without pension...
by Marty Bernstein | Dec 4, 2009
Lalaland, aka Los Angeles, Auto Show Redux Thirty claimed product introductions, lots of interviews, chats with colleagues and friends … all in a day and half is a lot of car reveals anywhere, but especially in LA. Maybe it is the image of Tinseltown. The wrong way...
by Marty Bernstein | Nov 30, 2009
Just over three years ago, I attended the ground breaking ceremony for the new Kia factory in West Point, Georgia. The weather was soggy and damp and there wasn’t much to see beyond a hilly, 2,100- acre site that the Korean automakers promised to turn into one of...
by Marty Bernstein | Nov 20, 2009
International Road Safety Conference underway in Russia Hundreds of representatives have gathered in the land of terrible drivers and worse roads, Russia, to attend the “First Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety.” It’s sponsored by the United Nations World...
by Marty Bernstein | Nov 16, 2009
Borrell Associates Auto Advertising Outlook for 2010 Not good, but not that bad. The respected advertising research and consulting firm, which concentrates on online media annual report, is titled this time “Running on Empty.” Over the years, I have found the...
by Marty Bernstein | Nov 6, 2009
Bring back Phil! Bring Back Phil! Bring Back Phil! Please! It’s been nine years since Philip Guarascio retired as vice president of corporate advertising and marketing of General Motors and, in my opinion, that void has never been filled. Phil was and is an...
by Marty Bernstein | Oct 23, 2009
Nissan Refreshes and Updates its 2010 Sedans Light trucks may still be a critical segment of the American market, but passenger cars for Nissan are down just 18.6% compared to the industry’s drop of 26%, so far this year and are a very important category to the...
by Marty Bernstein | Oct 16, 2009
The bow-tie brand has come undone. For almost a century Campbell-Ewald Company (Ceco) has been the custodian of the Chevrolet brand, the creation and production of all its advertising and the spending of billions of dollars in various media. For much of this time the...
by Marty Bernstein | Oct 14, 2009
Second only to the famous John Wannamaker truism of “Half my advertising doesn’t work, I just don’t know which half” is the wise advertising adage, “An agency is only as good as the client let’s them be.” That is why last Friday, when the newest GM marketing news...
by Marty Bernstein | Oct 9, 2009
Toyota’s Big Bucks Marketing & Ad Spend Despite a significant drop in retail sales since CARS, aka Clunkers, made them king of the hill, Toyota, according to industry reports is about to spend $1 billion … yes the “b” word on marketing and advertising in the...
by Marty Bernstein | Oct 6, 2009
The name Ferrari, its prancing horse logo and of course those special red vehicles are world famous icons of speed and style. But, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the long time chairman of Ferrari, SpA and of Fiat, SpA, has a relatively low business news profile outside...
by Marty Bernstein | Oct 2, 2009
Chrysler Accounts Leaving BBDO in Detroit In recent weeks Chrysler has been decimating BBDO ‘s Detroit — actually Troy – office. The Jeep account has gone to Global Hue in Southfield, MI, which had been the specialty minority agency for Jeep, and is now...
