That Time GM Accidentally Made An Ad For The VW Rabbit

A single of the items I love most about GM is that it’s a enterprise with colossal engineering and creation might that quite frequently proves alone capable of generating some of the most baffling decisions recognized to humankind. Like a genius you received drunk and then smacked with a 2×4. A terrific illustration of this has to do with an Isuzu that GM offered as a Buick Opel, and the wonderful way they decided to market it in 1977 that ended up with them essentially marketing the Volkswagen Rabbit. Bang-up career, fellas!

Ok, let’s describe what was likely on: for a when in the 1970s, Buick was importing and marketing German Opels so they’d have a good little automobile to sell to compete with Volkswagen and the new crop of Japanese imports.

This worked moderately well until eventually 1974, when exchange rates with Germany changed so much that the minimal Opels were no longer an reasonably priced possibility. Fortunately, GM had other selections, including an possession stake in Japanese carmaker Isuzu, who experienced a minor vehicle called the Gemini that was in fact based mostly on the Opel Kadett C.

So, in 1975, GM re-badged these Isuzus as, at first “Opel by Isuzu” which was at the very least form of correct, then decided to re-badge them as Buick Opels, that means this Isuzu was named for two businesses that weren’t the providers that developed it.

I suppose this isn’t that distinctive than any captive import, like the Mitsubishis offered as Dodges, but it’s not like Chrysler made the decision to toss in an excess manufacturer that did not create the automobile also, these as if they tried out to market it as a Dodge Sunbeam or something.

Okay, we could go down an Isuzu/Opel rabbit hole in this article, but I want to continue to keep some kind of concentration, and that focus is on GM’s very perplexing advertisement marketing campaign for the Buick Opel.

In 1977, Buick did a big PR stunt identified as the “Buick Opel 5-Car or truck Showdown,” in which they in contrast the Isuzu-created Buick Opel towards a bunch of other well-liked little vehicles of the period: The Toyota Corolla, the Subaru DL, the Datsun B210, and the Volkswagen Rabbit.

All were being basically fairly respectable cars, so it is not like Buick was sandbagging the check. In actuality, I’m pretty sure they weren’t sandbagging since, perfectly, they did not get.

Yep, in Buick’s own examination, the significant media stunt paid out for by GM to provide Buick Opels, the Buick Opel came in second position.

I signify, I admire GM’s exceptional honesty here, and coming in next out of that pack of cars and trucks is not shameful—but it’s not successful, possibly. There’s so a lot of baffling items about how GM dealt with this.

For illustration, why did not they just throw out the Rabbit solely and make the full campaign the Buick Opel 4-Vehicle Showdown? They could have just couched it as they had been placing their car up towards the prime three Japanese imports, and nobody would have definitely questioned that, suitable? This was the era when Japan was to start with really turning out to be a significant competitor on the U.S. sector, so probably no 1 would have even questioned, hey, why didn’t you invite VW?

And, substantially, they could have claimed to have received.

Probably GM assumed they could enjoy on the old VW marketing components of great-natured self-deprecating humor, but that only seriously will work if you, you know, aren’t also just coming out and indicating that one particular of your competitors is greater.

If GM assumed that probably VW would just be great about this and not make a major factor of it, then I’m sorry to say, uh, wake up, GM. Due to the fact of training course VW took this inadvertent present from GM and ran with it:

I indicate, what did they imagine was heading to come about? Essentially, GM invested a great deal of internet marketing dollars to develop a amazing advertisement for Volkswagen, and then doubled the sum of times it ran by jogging the similar simple advertisement on their own, as nicely as VW’s very own consider on the advertisement.

Also, GM really really should have seen this coming. Of that lineup of 5 cars and trucks, only VW and Subaru experienced space-productive front-wheel generate layouts, VW was the only a single with a actually up-to-day transverse FWD setup, and the VW was, arguably, a much extra modern layout, overall.

Someone really should have perhaps walked this through a bit additional just before committing to a full big media blitz and test.

That reported, I really do admire GM’s forthright acceptance of the consequence, which is the sort of factor I actually can not imagine happening nowadays. No carmaker is heading to undertake a community head-to-head examination unless of course their victory is unquestionably confirmed, or can be at least taken by way of innovative scoring or regardless of what.

Ah, I sort of miss out on previous lovable-loser GM! It was a significantly much easier enterprise to relate to, at minimum for (with any luck ,) loveable losers like myself.

(Thanks again to industry agent Hans for bringing this to my awareness!)