GM is launching a giant campaign in the US this week and will roll out phases worldwide to highlight the carmaker’s move towards electrification. The campaign was done by McCann, as well as the logo and type developed internally. This is a big change and will wrap up all of its products, including the old ICE vehicles.
GM’s ‘Every In’ EV Marketing Campaign
GM says its new ‘Everybody In’ campaign ‘sets an optimistic and inclusive tone for the company’s EV future and focuses on three themes’:
- Exciting for a new generation of buyers and faster use of EV;
- Demonstrating GM’s EV leadership, which includes the $ 27 billion investment in EV and AV products by 2025 and the launch of 30 new EVs worldwide by the end of 2025; and
- Emphasize the range, performance and flexibility of the Ultium platform.
Deborah Wahl, GM’s global head of marketing, leads the charge:
There are moments in history when everything changes. Bending points. We believe that such a point is on the doorstep to use electric vehicles. Unlike ever before, we have the solutions, capability, technology and scale to put everyone in an EV. Our new brand identity and campaign is designed to reflect this.
GM Influence
GM has named Malcolm Gladwell, author of Turning point, to highlight the maritime change that lies ahead in the industry. Gladwell will hold a conversation next week with GM President Mark Reuss at CES, which should be interesting. Gladwell, along with Cody Rigsby of Peloton fame and influencers like the surviving professional surfer and shark attack Bethany Hamilton and player Erin A. Simon, will also appear in GM commercials and promo videos.
GM logo
Here’s a look at the history of GM logos and to say there were 5 is a bit. There are realistically 3 with 3 iterations of the previous one that stretched from 1964 to today. It is an understatement to say that this is a big deal.
GM plans to spend a lot here, so expect to see these campaigns everywhere.
Electrek’s Take
A big part of me is like, “Just show me the cars at the dealers, I don ‘t need all this marketing!” But I have to remember that I cover EVs, and not be the typical buyer of GM, even though I rented a Bolt for three years that I loved.
The move here was definitely risky for GM. To say that they are betting the company on the Zero campaign of electrification, autonomy and security is almost an understatement. They are targeting this ocean tanker to the future (a little late, in my opinion) using traditional marketing tools.
But marketing is often a bunch of smoke, mirrors and muscle tissue. I want to see batteries, cars, specifications and the most important vehicles… in person. GM will have to withhold its reputation of having the first EV (EV1) and the first mass-market, long-range EV (the Bolt) and then squander its lead over Tesla.
That said, I like the direction GM is going here. They have combined their future into three priorities in their zero campaign which I think fits their brand perfectly. They want to bring EVs to more people, including downmarket, where Tesla and other EVs have not really gone yet. To be honest, this is exactly what I think GM needs to do to stay relevant in the future. They do get it.
Now it remains to be seen if they can follow it, or if they let these assets get stuck like the EV1.
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