Comments on: GM’s ‘Chevy’ Screw-Up: A New Coke for the Twitter Age

By: Joe Ray

Joe Ray — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:46:31 +0000

I don't think raging teenage hormones are quite the same with trying to entice someone in the back seat of their Chevrolet. Chevy's much sexier…

By: Socialstacy

Socialstacy — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:07:44 +0000

If they're going with consistency, why not go with the moniker that everyone uses! Chevy instead of Chevrolet. Problem solved!

By: Joe Ray

Joe Ray — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:46:31 +0000

I don't think raging teenage hormones are quite the same with trying to entice someone in the back seat of their Chevrolet. Chevy's much sexier…

By: Socialstacy

Socialstacy — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:07:44 +0000

If they're going with consistency, why not go with the moniker that everyone uses! Chevy instead of Chevrolet. Problem solved!

By: Socialstacy

Socialstacy — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:07:44 +0000

If they're going with consistency, why not go with the moniker that everyone uses! Chevy instead of Chevrolet. Problem solved!

By: Jordy

Jordy — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:26:23 +0000

Appreciate the YouTube link, the context is good to have.You should be happy about the quick response, having the context and clarity out there this fast (while the 'issue' is still fresh in my mind) has forestalled any further ranting I might ever do on the topic. I was telling a buddy yesterday over beers about the situation and we were both scoffing and huffing and puffing about it. Now when I see him later today I'll have the opportunity to give him the context as well.Thanks again!

By: AndyPemberton

AndyPemberton — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:32:52 +0000

Chris, Well said!

By: Christopher Barger

Christopher Barger — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:18:46 +0000

Hi Matt – thanks for the post. My first response, posted around 7 this morning (give or take), was just a reply to a friend of mine. At that point I had no idea (having just woken up) that the internal memo had leaked or that there was anything going on.I got in, saw the controversy, knew that the memo had been about official branding efforts in emerging markets… and realized that people were reading it as "we're trying to tell you that you can't say Chevy." So that's why I went out and tweeted that people had my "permission" (as if they really needed my blessing?!) to keep using Chevy. Since then, we pretty much have spent the whole day on Twitter and Facebook trying to clarify and explain. (We also had the VP of Mktg, Alan Batey, shoot a quick video explaining what we were thinking, which you can find here: http://bit.ly/cRA7an.)Really didn't think it would end up being a big deal… especially since the memo was internal and was never meant to see the light of day. It sucks, but stuff happens — and when leaks do, it is all too easy for the context to get lost. In this case, it really was less of a deal before it leaked than it was made to seem, though after the leak I realize that it was no longer important whether we intended it to be a big deal or an afterthought; it was a big deal at that point.As for what I was thinking today… Do I wish it hadn't happened? Sure; it made for a crazy day today when there were more important things to focus on. Do I think it got blown out of proportion? Yep – especially because people seem to love painting any big company (but especially us) as clueless, and this 'story' gave anyone who wanted to do so a very juicy opportunity. :-) Do I think it reflects some sort of huge disconnect or organizational shortcomings? Maybe — but not in the sense that I think you meant, because as I've spent the day telling people, we never intended to "ban" Chevy, so the 'tone-deaf' move you refer to was never there to put a stop to. In my opinion, maybe we do need to get smarter about realizing that anything put on paper/pixels will likely be seen by *somebody* outside the company. But as for the social web implications of what happened today, I'm actually relatively pleased with how quickly we were able to respond today. Within a few hours of the storm hitting about this, we were able to get not only a traditional media statement out, but: a Facebook post with follow up comments, several people (me, @GM_Joe, @jasonlaird, @lisagilpin) out on Twitter trying to engage people and explain, and even a flipcammed video of a VP explaining to the audience what we'd meant in the memo. Storm really started brewing by mid-morning, and by 1 pm we'd done all these things. That doesn't make the whole thing better and I don't pretend that it wasn't embarrassing…but we moved relatively fast when we realized how big it was getting. So I'm taking my hope in that.Now, about that whiskey & rye… where are we going, when are we starting, and who's got the first round? :-) Thanks again for your post.

By: MattCreamer

MattCreamer — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:01:20 +0000

Nicely done!

By: jfd8

jfd8 — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:45:34 +0000

The bargain GM transportationRemodels with new ostentation; If you're seeking cachetYou must say 'Chevrolet'Or you'll get a Chevy Citation.http://twitter.com/JFD8