Integrated Marketing Communications-How Brands are Built

Posted: August 5th, 2013

How Brands are built

Part I. Proposal: General Motors Company

History

General Motors (GM) is an international automotive company located in Michigan, in the United States of America. The growth of General Motors throughout the 19^th century was spurred by the numerous buyouts of Oldsmobile, Cadillac and Pontiac among other firms. The scope of General Motors extends up to 157 countries worldwide with a work force totaling up to about 200, 000  in number(General Motors Company, 2012). Currently, it is the world’s largest automaker in terms of the number of units sold. The Company has its listings on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), where it is listed as (NYSE: GM), and on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), where it is listed as (TSX: GMM). Apart from operations in America, General Motors also has joint ventures with Chinese firms (General Motors Company, 2012).

Brand identity and relationships

General Motors posses a very strong brand image and a similarly strong brand identity. GMs brand identity before the 2007 restructuring was not focused on competing with other rival technological advancements. The new identity, however, focused on bringing out newer models that are more eco-friendly such as the Chevrolet Cruze. In terms of brand relationship, General Motors have stuck to their logo and marketing images for close to a century (General Motors Company, 2012). This standard has been duplicated worldwide in all its branches. Therefore, GM has maintained a good brand relationship with its customers. The very existence of the same logo since 1908 evokes particular emotions among car owners and potential buyers (General Motors Company, 2012).