GM Slow To React... Or Right On Schedule With Create-Your-Own Ad Controversy?

from the GM-gets-the-second-bounce-as-well dept

News.com has an article suggesting that GM somehow screwed up with its online create-your-own ad program that allowed tons of anti-GM ads to be created and passed around online. The article uses the headline that GM was somehow "slow to react" and then quotes all sorts of horrified marketing experts who can't believe GM didn't plan ahead for this and filter all the ads. Except... if you read the quotes from GM, it seems that the story may be quite different. They say that they won't block the negative ads, and that they recognize there are differences of opinion and not everyone agrees with where GM stands. They have started screening for "offensive" content, which makes sense. However, it seems like perhaps GM understood what would happen a lot more than the so-called "experts" in the article give them credit for. In this day, anyone opening up such a contest has to know that it'll be used for "anti" ads. It's happened so often that they must have expected it. In fact, by then being open about it, GM is getting even more mileage from this campaign, and making it appear that they are more open to listening to those who disagree with them. Rather than reflecting negatively on GM, as the experts (and the reporters) would have you believe, GM actually comes out of it looking pretty good. So, it's questionable as to whether or not GM was "slow to react" or if they are simply doing everything according to plan.