With his typical marketing-wise view of the world (or worldview, as he would say), Seth Godin starts with the assertion that marketing works (people can be sold) and concludes that businesses have a responsibility to the right thing. Don't take my paraphrasing for it; it's always worth reading his dramatic interpretation of the business world's approach to marketing.
In between, Godin focuses more on the bad that a business can do before closing on an Optimistic high note (a link to Patagonia.) The part that struck me most, and a topic I'll definitely revisit frequently since I'm from the region and agree entirely with his readers' quote, is his example of "Detroit's" fatal approach to cramming SUVs into the marketplace.
Disclaimer: I drive a big piece of Detroit myself, and yet the environmental impact of our beloved gas guzzlers is only part of his message. It's really about one of Godin's favorite themes, and it's not just an indictment of the Big Three but also the powers that be in the automotive world: if as much time and energy and resources were spent aggressively innovating safer and more efficient vehicles as were instead spent on defending life span of the current production, the hole in the ozone would be a little smaller and a lot more people in the "Rust Belt" might still be employed.
More specifically, I've recently adopted the mindset (not my own unique thinking) that Motor City business and government leadership missed a GIANT opportunity, not only to keep pace with the foreign brands but to more aggressively and more publicly and more enthusiastically pursue BETTER vehicles (better for consumers, for safety advocates, for fuel consumption, etc.) instead of trotting out tiny incremental improvements every year in addition to a slew of useless tradeshow novelties. Simple example: They could have thrown a tiny share of their lobbying budgets toward luring alternative fuel start-ups to the region.
But they didn't, so on the Optimistic side, there is still a GIANT opportunity out there for a company- and now it could be any sized or stage company, really, given the endless avenues for prototyping and production- to become the leader in better vehicles. And that means there's still opportunity for an entire region to become the home to one of the biggest industries in America (transportation), the way Henry Ford did with Detroit a century ago.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Godin on Bad
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1 comment:
Good post. As a current resident of the SE Michigan region...let me be frank.
What the Big 3 really need to do is start thinking inward. The Japanese are making great cars...but the Big 3's job shouldn't be about keeping up with foreign brands in terms of fuel economy. Its much larger than that. "Green" cars are good...and I think in time, we'll see some good things coming from the Big 3, but it will take time. But like you said in your post, there still is a great opportunity there for success.
For example: Stop making brand-exclusive models. Its time for the boys at GM to start sharing with Ford and Chrysler. It makes so much more sense if you could have one manufacturing line producing cars for all 3 companies instead of three (or more) plants running 3 shifts to make cars that frankly, most people aren't buying. Call them different names...put different interior appointments in each brand's model...but share the production costs.
Its not the idea of the century, but its a start. If Detroit wants to reign supreme again...they should start playing nice with each other. Its probably the only way Ford or Chrysler will be able to stay in business 10 years from now.
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