The Chevrolet Volt dancing debacle was pretty embarrassing. So embarrassing that GM felt inclined to step in. Fox News reports that Maria Rohrer, the marketing manager responsible for the “dancing on taxpayers’ money” débâcle has been reassigned to become director of Chevrolet truck advertising. David Darovitz, GM’s PR spokesperson (the poor sod who had to explain the dancing spectacle to the public), confirmed that Maria Rohrer had been transferred but added that “The move had nothing to do with recent events in LA”. Which brings a couple of interesting scenarios. 1: Did GM think she did a good job and promoted her to director of Chevrolet Truck advertising? or 2: Or do GM value the Volt so much, they place it above their lucrative truck business? The Tweet by GM’s VP for Global Communication pictured above certainly indicates the latter. Either way, I’m filing this along with “Cadillac Cimarron”, “Saturn division” and “An American Revolution”, under “GM marketing disasters”.
So is Howie Long going to dance that dance in front of a Silverado?
Given the negative press that still continues, I’m going to call this dance the “Pontiac Aztek” of promotional dances.
Or 3. The trucks pretty much sell themselves, so a skilled marketing person isn’t as vital as with Volt, etc.
And WTF does that tweet mean, anyway? Maria may not be the only one drinking their lunch at RenCen.
Way to throw an employee under the bus. I think way too much has been made of a typically goofy car show attention-grabber. Didn’t TTAC just publish photos of the Volkswagen NCC premiere with some hair-gelled dorks flipping around? This is what happens at car shows. It might have turned out as infectious as the Geo jingle that everyone in eighth grade incessantly repeated for no reason at all but unfortunately for her (and GM, ultimately) no one’s going to try that again lest they give management another opportunity to smack around an employee so that internetters get to taste blood.
Yes, there’s the issue of government money and all but even the poor kids show up at prom with snazzy threads or else you don’t go at all.
+1
Thank you. GM does not need risk-averse employees.
I don’t believe for one minute that Susan Docherty was not the mastermind or at least final approver for the Volt Dance.
Somewhere out there a dance troupe has discovered their ‘Pirates of Penzance’ costumes have been stolen.
I used to assume people in executive positions with big corporations were talented and smart thus they get to make the big calls……..HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
1. I am no fan of GM and wish it had died the death it deserves
2. I didn’t see what the big deal was with the dance number; it’s goofy, it’s at a car show — I’m with midelectric on this one.
3. I completely do not get the Tweet pictured. Can someone enlighten us of the innuendo? What is it supposed to imply? I feel the nudges and I see the wink, but I don’t get it.
The suggestion is that the Volt dance video is as entertaining as being water boarded…..
“Please: don’t show it again , I’ll talk.” That sort of thing.