通用汽车品牌新生的推手

    坎贝尔•爱华德公司曾经策划了汽车广告历史上具有里程碑意义的几个广告方案。“开着雪佛兰看美国”（"See the USA in a Chevrolet"），“棒球，热狗，苹果派和雪佛兰”（"Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet"），“美国的脉搏”（"Heartbeat of America"），“坚如磐石”（"Like a Rock"）等广告语都堪称经典。然而，2010年5月，伊万尼克上任后的第一把火便是为通用汽车最大的品牌注入新的活力，于是他选择了自己熟知的古德拜•希尔福斯坦公司。伊万尼克负责现代汽车公司营销与广告业务期间，古德拜公司便是现代公司的广告代理，他与古德拜公司合伙人杰夫•古德拜保持长期的合作关系。这家公司因其牛奶广告策划案“今天你喝奶了吗”（"Got Milk?"）而名声大噪。

    但伊万尼克还没有完全满足。最近他还批评古德拜公司的作品“时好时坏”，要求其改进工作方法。他说道：“可以说我们已经度过难关。”他特别表示，自己对雪佛兰克鲁兹（Chevy Cruze）全新的电视广告非常满意。广告讲述了一个年轻人的初次约会：约会告别时，他在女孩的唇间留下轻柔的一吻，然后转身进入雪佛兰克鲁兹座驾中，按下OnStar按键（语音通信系统）。车上语音系统自动读出了心仪的女孩在Facebook上更新的留言：“有生以来最甜蜜的初次约会…”。通用汽车的这位新任首席营销官对这则“最甜蜜约会”的广告极其钟爱，认为它令人愉悦，情感真挚，并且传达出产品的特定属性，即可以通过OnStar语音通信系统为司机和乘客读出Facebook上的最新状态。

    伊万尼克因其一丝不苟的执行力和跳跃性思维而名声卓著。在经济衰退期间，他协助策划了“现代汽车失业回购保障计划”（Hyundai Assurance Program），该计划保证，若消费者在购买新车后遭遇失业，公司将购回新购的车辆。虽然当时消费者信心低迷，但这一计划却使得现代汽车的关注度飙升，市场份额逆市增长。

    而在通用汽车，伊万尼克与团队共同制定了雪佛兰和其他品牌的“品牌手册”，为广告商阐明了品牌的特质与属性。举例说，伊万尼克将雪佛兰的目标客户群描述为“平凡的英雄”，这个概念在全球市场上略经调整后就可以推而广之。而别克和凯迪拉克都属于豪华品牌，但结构设计和顾客群体上都存在差异。凯迪拉克线条更鲜明，更容易吸引个性张扬的顾客，而别克相对来说则比较温和圆润。伊万尼克称之为“侧翼战略”，用以区分购买豪华型轿车的顾客群。

    从1983年登上《财富》封面至今，通用汽车在美国的市场份额跌幅超过50%，目前仅在20%左右徘徊。车形外观相似的问题早已解决——但如今的市场风起云涌，新品牌和新制造商层出不穷，各种车型、风格与价格选择，令消费者眼花缭乱。伊万尼克必须小心谨慎，避免连军事战略家也常犯的经典错误：好高骛远，马失前蹄。

    翻译：富来细特\刘进龙

    Campbell Ewald had created arguably some of the most memorable campaigns in automotive advertising history. Classic taglines included "See the USA in a Chevrolet," "Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet," "Heartbeat of America" and "Like a Rock." However, when Ewanick took over in May of 2010, the first order of business was to instill new life into GM's largest brand. He turned to familiar territory -- Goodby, Silverstein and Partners. Goodby was Hyundai's ad agency when Ewanick led its marketing and advertising, and Ewanick has a longtime relationship with agency partner Jeff Goodby. Goodby is known for "Got Milk?," among other campaigns.

    Ewanick wasn't immediately satisfied though, recently criticizing Goodby's work as "inconsistent" and ordering up tweaks to its approach. "I can say that we turned the corner," Ewanick says, pronouncing himself especially pleased with such new Chevy Cruze TV spots as one highlighting a young man's first date: After giving the young woman a chaste peck one the lips, he gets in his Chevrolet Cruze and pushes the OnStar button. A voice reading his date's Facebook post says "Best. First. Date. Ever." GM's new chief marketing officer likes the "Best Date" ad because he says it's entertaining, emotional and communicates a specific product attribute, namely the ability of OnStar to audibly recite a Facebook status update to drivers and passengers.

    Ewanick built his reputation on meticulous execution and unconventional thinking. In the depths of the last recession, he helped to devise the Hyundai Assurance Program, which promised that new-car customers would be protected by insurance in the event they lost their jobs after buying a new Hyundai. It succeeded in raising Hyundai's profile and market share at a moment when consumer confidence was low.

    At GM, Ewanick and team have created "brand books" for Chevrolet and the others, describing for advertisers the qualities and attributes represented by the brand. Chevrolet, for example, is meant to appeal to what Ewanick describes as everyday heroes, a notion that can be adjusted in the respective worldwide markets where Chevrolet is sold. Buick and Cadillac both are luxury brands, though differentiated by physical design as well as type of customer. Cadillac has sharper lines, appealing to an "edgier" personality than softer and smoother Buick. Ewanick calls it a "flanking" strategy that differentiates luxury buyers.

    Since the 1983 Fortune cover GM's US market share has fallen by more than 50%, now hovering around 20%. Similarity of look has been cured -- but now the market is flooded with more brands and nameplates than ever, giving consumers unprecedented choice in size, style and price category. Ewanick must take care to avoid the classic mistake of many military strategists, fighting the last war instead of the current one.