Imagine getting the brief from General Motors: Create a TV spot that acknowledges we're in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, without using the words Chapter 11 or bankruptcy. Be transparent but not entirely clear. Show why this is the best thing that could have happened to us, other than it not happening. Don't be too graphic -- we're not dead yet! -- but don't be too celebratory, either.
In other words, an impossible assignment. It's also no-win: If you try to sound positive and confident, you come off as arrogant and clueless, the same guys that ran the thing into the ditch and are shamelessly asking for billions more in bailouts. At the same time, if you sound too apologetic, then your once-powerful brand comes off as weak, and that makes people -- and potential car buyers -- fearful.
And even if you strike just the right chord, critics and consumers can reply (in loco parentis GMis, which is what we are): "We own you! Now is not the time to spend our money on elaborate 60-second TV ads, even if they're decent! Make some decent cars instead!"
Given all that, I think last week's "Reinvention" spot from Deutsch/LA does an OK job. It fits all the parameters, so obviously it's not a revolutionary piece of creative, and it does give off that generic corporate-manifesto vibe at times. (GE has a spot airing now that also opens with the sun coming over a city, backed by a gentle instrumental score. And how many times have we seen the raising of a house frame as a metaphor for rebirth?)
But the copy has its poetic moments, and some difficult truths are told. The voiceover opens with: "Let's be completely honest. No company wants to go through this," which at least acknowledges that what's happening isn't something the corporation would choose. Even "this" is used instead of the B-word.
There are only so many ways to say "reinvention," which itself is a bizarre euphemism for bankruptcy. (Talk about denial! Plus, everyone knew it was coming, and it doesn't seem to have affected sales.) The ad says GM "needs to start over," which sounds like something a mom might say at a play date after a scrap over Hungry Hippos, not an admission of being $90 billion in debt. But it gets the copy moving to where it can make strong declarative statements, such as, "There was a time when eight different brands made sense. Not anymore. There was a time when our cost structure could compete worldwide. Not anymore." The copy really hits its stride with: "So, here's what the new GM is going to be: Fewer, stronger brands. Fewer, stronger models. Greater efficiencies. Better fuel economy. And new technologies." That's vigorous stuff.
