GM Reinvents Itself In 60 Seconds
At least that's the message the automaker is hawking in its new 60-second ad set to begin airing Wednesday.
The spot, heavy on sports imagery and self-effacement, centers on the theme of reinvention – the new GM's goal after it emerges from the bankruptcy process it entered into Monday.
"Let's be completely honest. No company wants to go through this," the ad begins.
Behind the slick "mea culpa" are pictures of a man running on a prosthetic leg and a hockey player with his face buried in the ice. But it also contains some pretty brutal honesty.
"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."
But GM doesn't stay down for long. The ad confidently proclaims that "we're not witnessing the end of the American car, we're witnessing the rebirth of the American car."
"Reinvention is the only way we can fix it. And fix it we will," the ad says before laying out a revamped strategy of "fewer, stronger" brands and models along with investments in new technologies. All in an effort to make GM "leaner, greener, faster, smarter."
The optimism is matched with images of Joe Louis, World Series celebrations and butterflies spreading their wings.
"This is not about going out of business. This is about getting down to business. Because the only chapter we're focused on is Chapter One."
Watch the ad below: