Corvette Manta Ray: GM's bold new plan
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12-06-2018, 12:45 PM
#242
Melting Slicks
Hey all - professional marketer here and I'm bored, so I'm going to break down this post and analyze it to figure out 1) if this person is a GM leaker and 2) SEO implications for news outlets.
Many have already commented on how the author diffuses responsibility and distances themselves away from clarification opportunities. It's standard playbook for leakers and fakers, so no news there. As is the same with any forum post, the admins/owners of CorvetteForum could IP trace and zero in on these authors to potentially reveal more information/authenticity. Something interesting here is that the author decides to uppercase "Eagle has Landed"...which doesn't align with grammar usage throughout the post. For the most part, AP style is used in this post (proper use of hyphen, periods in quotations in the correct place, etc.), so it's odd to see a misstep in grammar like this, unless it's a style choice. If it's a style choice, it's kind of repeated in the "Joey the Chevy Cruze expert" jab.
I'm interested in the fact that there is little keyword stuffing in this post. If GM wanted to this post to spread organically, we would see more instances of "Corvette Manta Ray" throughout the post. Instead what we see is lower-tier websites report on this (ie Motor1, GM Authority), which makes sense. These sites are hungry for clicks, so of course we're going to see them pick it up. It's interesting to see The Drive report on this as well, they are in the middle regarding auto-journo sites. Must be a slow news week. Either way, if this is a post from GM, it would be a test of viral-potency rather than seeding SEO for the "Corvette Manta Ray."
Speaking of keywords, we see more instances of "Grand Sport" more than "Manta Ray" in the post. Chevrolet has a confusing brand story when it comes to model trims and versions (ZR1, ZL1, Z51, Z71, RS, SS, GS, Z06, etc...) so re-positioning the brand around "Grand Sport" makes sense from a strategy perspective. Buyers are more likely to remember a car called "Eldorado" more than "XTS."
Again from a brand story and cohesion perspective, this is a tough sell for most buyers who have an affinity for GM. One of the biggest value props that GM leverages is the fact that any Chevrolet dealership is able to work on a Corvette because of the repair/maintenance framework GM has established to sustain their product lines. Taking away ease of access cannibalizes the perception around "America's Sports Car."
In my opinion, most of these "leaks" are bogus. Real leaks come in the form of solid evidence (think CAD schematics, photos, etc.), and I've seen PR/HR/fraud teams come down hard on leakers and plug the hole ASAP. I had key art leaked a few years ago and we were able to track down the source within 48 hours. That person worked for a third-party adjacent to the product I was working on, and because they broke NDA, they were terminated immediately.
Nobody wants to lose their job. We all need to eat. The risk/reward is minimal when it comes to leaking real information.
Now if this is GM seeding information and building anticipation among the faithful...it's possible. But highly unlikely. GM marketers aren't young guns breaking into new media to impact their target audience. No, they are box-product, old school marketers, who take pride in their marketing activations for their product. They rely on traditional beats for amplification and promotion across channels.
Many have already commented on how the author diffuses responsibility and distances themselves away from clarification opportunities. It's standard playbook for leakers and fakers, so no news there. As is the same with any forum post, the admins/owners of CorvetteForum could IP trace and zero in on these authors to potentially reveal more information/authenticity. Something interesting here is that the author decides to uppercase "Eagle has Landed"...which doesn't align with grammar usage throughout the post. For the most part, AP style is used in this post (proper use of hyphen, periods in quotations in the correct place, etc.), so it's odd to see a misstep in grammar like this, unless it's a style choice. If it's a style choice, it's kind of repeated in the "Joey the Chevy Cruze expert" jab.
I'm interested in the fact that there is little keyword stuffing in this post. If GM wanted to this post to spread organically, we would see more instances of "Corvette Manta Ray" throughout the post. Instead what we see is lower-tier websites report on this (ie Motor1, GM Authority), which makes sense. These sites are hungry for clicks, so of course we're going to see them pick it up. It's interesting to see The Drive report on this as well, they are in the middle regarding auto-journo sites. Must be a slow news week. Either way, if this is a post from GM, it would be a test of viral-potency rather than seeding SEO for the "Corvette Manta Ray."
Speaking of keywords, we see more instances of "Grand Sport" more than "Manta Ray" in the post. Chevrolet has a confusing brand story when it comes to model trims and versions (ZR1, ZL1, Z51, Z71, RS, SS, GS, Z06, etc...) so re-positioning the brand around "Grand Sport" makes sense from a strategy perspective. Buyers are more likely to remember a car called "Eldorado" more than "XTS."
Again from a brand story and cohesion perspective, this is a tough sell for most buyers who have an affinity for GM. One of the biggest value props that GM leverages is the fact that any Chevrolet dealership is able to work on a Corvette because of the repair/maintenance framework GM has established to sustain their product lines. Taking away ease of access cannibalizes the perception around "America's Sports Car."
In my opinion, most of these "leaks" are bogus. Real leaks come in the form of solid evidence (think CAD schematics, photos, etc.), and I've seen PR/HR/fraud teams come down hard on leakers and plug the hole ASAP. I had key art leaked a few years ago and we were able to track down the source within 48 hours. That person worked for a third-party adjacent to the product I was working on, and because they broke NDA, they were terminated immediately.
Nobody wants to lose their job. We all need to eat. The risk/reward is minimal when it comes to leaking real information.
Now if this is GM seeding information and building anticipation among the faithful...it's possible. But highly unlikely. GM marketers aren't young guns breaking into new media to impact their target audience. No, they are box-product, old school marketers, who take pride in their marketing activations for their product. They rely on traditional beats for amplification and promotion across channels.
Corvette brand, broken down to specific models makes sense. Hopefully trim levels and engine codes will also be simplified. For example, Base, Premium, Limited. No longer confuse ZR1, Z51, LT1, 1LT. People may not like the name Manta Ray, I don't, but people will adjust and love it just like how people complained about the taillights of the C7. It can't be Stingray, it has to be new, but not completely new to Corvette. To maximize Corvette sales and longevity, Corvette has to be treated different from Chevrolet. Chevrolet and most main-stream brands need to maximize customer convenience to stay current. Corvette customers value quality over convenience.
Corvette should be low volume, high profit, high quality (product and experience). Totally different than any other GM make and model. This will cause a problem for those super high volume Corvette dealers now, as their strategy has been high volume, low profit (what customer experience?). They will need to restructure, likely have X amount of Tech's for X amount of Corvettes sold. Problem is, these guys push the cars across the country and will likely never service 90% of their sales. If GM allows this strategy to continue, then that is bad news for the smaller dealers, like it's been for decades, and doesn't solve anything such as the bad rap that Chevy dealers have for Corvette sales and service. So we will either see an increase in Corvette dealers or a decrease. Depending on the difficulty GM sets to obtain "Corvette Certified" status. We won't know until the car is revealed.
What we need to remember is the mid-engine is a totally new breed. GM and the Corvette dealers will now be the "expert" on these cars, not the buyer. The previous strategy of pumping out Corvettes with no customer experience worked fine because the customers usually knew more about the car than the person selling them. Just give the customer the best price and the buyer is your best salesperson. This is a game changer, GM knows it, and it sounds like they are handling the ball.
Also, another thought, the OP makes some strong points such as a Grand Tour model, more luxury that has Cadillac behind the design. We all know that Cadillac will have their sister model due to the key fob leak. And IMO the key fob leak was a GM leak. GM has a social media team, they have a legal team, their leaks are typically a image. And they let the internet run wild with it. They knew that Cadillac was rumored to be the mid-engine car and Corvette would remain front engine. With all the hype of this mid-engine car, why not throw a bone to make it seem like a Cadillac again. Smart move IMO, this will build hype for the Cadillac, as that has been neglected. They have to sell those too! And, it will make the Corvette reveal, maybe, kinda, a surprise again (for some, not most). I think we are getting close to hearing from Chevrolet, or GM soon. A date announcement, teaser video, something. It's coming very soon. Or, an improv reveal in Detroit.
If this is a bogus leak, props to the OP for stirring up the internet. From my experience, I gather there is a lot of truth to the OP's post.
Last edited by n8dogg; 12-06-2018 at 01:18 PM.
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VETTE-NV (12-06-2018)
12-06-2018, 12:47 PM
#243
Race Director
And most people on these Corvette forums that believe only one configuration is moving forward have yet to rationalize the tripling of the Bowling Green Plant size (950,000 to over 3,000,000). Why would GM triple the size of the plant to still build only one configuration when the old plant did just that. In fact the old plant had a 53,807 production back in the C3 year of 1979.
In the end, what difference does it make if GM produces 5 different name plates at BGA? How does that impact Corvette?
How about we stop highjacking this thread with BGA capacity
Last edited by jimmyb; 12-06-2018 at 01:02 PM.
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12-06-2018, 01:36 PM
#245
Actually, they are building 5 different nameplates at BGA today.
12-06-2018, 01:44 PM
#246
Instructor
Take my money GM!
You had me at "frighteningly powerful" and DCT.
You had me at "frighteningly powerful" and DCT.
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VETTE-NV (12-06-2018)
12-06-2018, 02:49 PM
#249
Melting Slicks
I have never claimed to have inside information like many people on this forum do.
I have never claimed to know more than other people do.
I have researched facts and analyzed them in a logical way which is highly annoying to many
people who prefer rumors and wild speculation. How about you?
I have never claimed to know more than other people do.
I have researched facts and analyzed them in a logical way which is highly annoying to many
people who prefer rumors and wild speculation. How about you?
12-06-2018, 02:58 PM
#250
Has it ever occurred to you that many of those who claim to have received inside information really did? Meanwhile you sit there, Googling away, and drawing bizarre conclusions.
As I've said many times, I really don't care whether you believe me or not. What I've said here will be confirmed soon enough.
As I've said many times, I really don't care whether you believe me or not. What I've said here will be confirmed soon enough.
Last edited by Foosh; 12-06-2018 at 04:08 PM.
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Corvette ED (12-06-2018)
12-06-2018, 03:07 PM
#251
Safety Car
Member Since: Feb 2016
Location: Bainbridge Island WA
Posts: 4,980
Received 3,818 Likes
on
1,614 Posts
I have never claimed to have inside information like many people on this forum do.
I have never claimed to know more than other people do.
I have researched facts and analyzed them in a logical way which is highly annoying to many
people who prefer rumors and wild speculation. How about you?
I have never claimed to know more than other people do.
I have researched facts and analyzed them in a logical way which is highly annoying to many
people who prefer rumors and wild speculation. How about you?
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jcsperson (12-07-2018)
12-06-2018, 03:13 PM
#252
/ˌnerōˈmīndəd/
adjective
adjective: narrow-minded
- not willing to listen to or tolerate other people's views; prejudiced.synonyms:intolerant, illiberal, reactionary, conservative, parochial, provincial, insular, small-minded, petty, blinkered, inward-looking, narrow, hidebound, prejudiced, bigoted;
informalredneck
"our school has no place for such narrow-minded teaching"antonyms:tolerant
12-06-2018, 03:16 PM
#253
We've really come to this point that we're insulting each other because others have different ideas??! This is ridiculous. I've said it many times and I'll say it again: we're all just playing the waiting game. Some know more than others, but there is NO reason to insult people just becuase their thoughts differ from yours! Seems like there's a bunch of kindergartners on here.
12-06-2018, 03:20 PM
#254
Making CFOT Great Again
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Atari_Prime (12-06-2018)
12-06-2018, 03:48 PM
#256
nar·row-mind·ed
/ˌnerōˈmīndəd/
adjective
adjective: narrow-minded
/ˌnerōˈmīndəd/
adjective
adjective: narrow-minded
- not willing to listen to or tolerate other people's views; prejudiced.synonyms:intolerant, illiberal, reactionary, conservative, parochial, provincial, insular, small-minded, petty, blinkered, inward-looking, narrow, hidebound, prejudiced, bigoted;
informalredneck
"our school has no place for such narrow-minded teaching"antonyms:tolerant
12-06-2018, 04:19 PM
#258
Race Director
12-06-2018, 04:31 PM
#260
Melting Slicks
The massive expansion of the plant by a factor of 3 times it's original size certainly does play into GM's future plan of the Corvette. Mary Barra just came out and gave an intended 80% production capacity directive for all plants going forward. They now have to pay back this huge expansion cost. They will never recoup that cost with one configuration going forward. Not only will both FE and ME configurations go forward, it wouldn't surprise me if the Cadillac ME and Corvette SUV is in the mix. They have so much space available to them now they will have to produce more.
