At GM, brands are part of the problem
The AP reports that General Motors is now mulling the sale of struggling car brands Saturn, Saab and Buick in addition to its plans to unload the Hummer brand. A while back I noted the Hummer’s brand strategy problems. The other three brands are in a similar predicament: too much company, too little customer.
A Saturn brand that went nowhere
Of all these brands, Saturn is the most painful failure. It was launched with great fanfare in the early ’90′s as a Japanese import killer, a high-quality, high-value brand aimed directly at Toyota and Honda. The Hal Riney ad campaign that got it off the ground was a classic. Yet, after a few years GM neutered the brand. It’s been an afterthought ever since—while Toyota and Honda are stronger than ever.
A hefty dose of kaizen in the Saturn brand might have made a difference.
