Old Dogs, New Tricks 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition. General Motors© How would you like to build your own Corvette engine, at the plant? Or maybe you’d like to badge your Subaru the way a Girl Scout might adorn her uniform? Or maybe you’d like to play a version of the old classic “Slug Bug”? These are some of the latest tactics employed by some “old” automotive brands to win the attention of new customers. Let’s start with what could be the ultimate badge of Corvette enthusiasm: Building your own engine. GM is offering customers who order a 2011 Corvette...

It’s been all over the news: Last week the Lexus GX 460 was given the extremely rare “do not buy” rating by Consumer Reports. On the heels of Toyota’s PR disaster surrounding recalls over cases of unintended acceleration, the once-esteemed carmaker has stepped in it again. Toyota’s response was typical: A calculated surprise that betrayed a more general confusion. The initial statement offered to the media read, in part, “Lexus’ extensive vehicle testing provides a good indication of how our vehicles perform and we are confident that the GX meets our high...

Follow me. This is just one of Toyota’s latest requests to its loyal (and not so loyal) public. In recent days, Toyota has jumped on the social marketing bandwagon with some gusto. Prior to their much-discussed recall, Toyota had what I would consider a rather lackluster effort in the social marketing arena. Today however, you can go to www.toyotaconversations.com to follow the latest happenings on Toyota, from Toyota and others. This is a branded channel on TweetMeme that was produced with the help of Federated Media. When you come here you can read their latest posts from their Twitter...

“Oh what a feeling!” — Toyota’s old corporate advertising theme — must be taking on a far different meaning these days at company headquarters. From some data we’ve seen, it appears Toyota could face problems regaining the trust of female consumers as it rebuilds its image in the U.S. The story just keeps getting worse and worse for Toyota in terms of announcements, Congressional hearings and a litany of bad press. On the marketing side, many of us, including yours truly, have offered thoughts and ideas on how to learn from Toyota’s mistakes should your...

Over the past week I have been asked numerous times about my thoughts on Toyota and its recall woes. This past Thursday, I spoke live with Brian Sullivan and Dagen McDowell on Fox Business News on this topic as well. There is no shortage of opinion and while I am not a fan of Monday morning quarterbacking, I do think that there are steps that should be taken to mitigate the damage. Click to read the full post

I have been asked to write for AOL Autos as a blog contributor. The section is called Slash Marketing by Julie Roehm. I write at least once a week and will keep this link up on my homepage here so that you can easily connect to it and comment.  This week I have an entry on Chevy dropping its tagline as well as an entry on what to expect from the autos in the Superbowl. Feel free to comment either here or there.  I hope you enjoy!

No one can dispute the power of the Cadillac brand. Its identity is so strong that it lingers in our cultural consciousness — and that’s precisely the problem. First, Cadillac couldn’t shake the decades-old association with drivers “between the age of 80 and deceased,” as former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca said. Then a half a dozen years ago, the brand acquired new status among the hip-hop crowd, which enthroned the $60,000 Cadillac Escalade as the ride of choice. It’s not that General Motors hasn’t been trying to change Cadillac’s image and broaden the cars’ appeal. The embattled...

Instead of commenting on the retail sectors ups and downs for this past weekend (looks like shopping was up but basket size was down), I thought I would write about my favorite apps for the holiday shopping season. I spent about two hours online last night searching for gifts for the kids on my Christmas list and did manage to find some great deals.  But now that the deals have expired and I still have some shopping to do, I am tapping, literally, into some retail apps to help me find the best deals. *RedLaser*:  I like this one a lot.  I was at Target this morning and scanned a toy with my...

What changes are coming? Roehm: With the further development of video on demand, IPTV, mobile, and many other emerging media opportunities, we have seen several “bad” user experiences. All too often, the focus is on “if we build it they will come” or “technology for the sake of technology.” Finally, we are seeing more and more content distribution companies match the channel and devices to the message or content; thus, creating a positive user experience. However, we need to keep in mind that sometimes everyone just wants to sloth on the sofa and not have to “work” to consume media...

Last week, Shelly Palmer wrote an article regarding the definition of broadband and some of the issues facing us as a nation as our government seeks to make new laws that will have an impact on our future for a very long time. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this article. Last week, Shelly Palmer wrote an article regarding the definition of broadband and some of the issues facing us as a nation as our government seeks to make new laws that will have an impact on our future for a very long time. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this article. Over the next few weeks, the FCC is going...