Topic: CAW's Idea for Marketing GM Products - Remember Pearl Harbour!

[dougjp]

Yes, believe it or not there is a redneck heaven and it can be found in Oshawa. From FP:

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fpposted/archive/2008/06/18/union-leader-urges-americans-not-to-buy-japanese-vehicles-invokes-pearl-harbour.aspx

" Union leader urges Americans not to buy Japanese vehicles, invokes Pearl Harbour
Posted: June 18, 2008, 2:44 PM by Nicolas Van Praet

A senior labour leader with the Canadian Auto Workers union confronted Americans buying Asian cars recently about their choices and compared Japanese car dealers to the enemy in the Second World War, according to a union summary of the trip.

Ron Carlyle, the CAW's chair representing workers at General Motors Corp.'s car plant in Oshawa, Ont., spoke at a GM union leadership meeting this past spring about a trip he took to a NASCAR event in the United States. Minutes of the meeting, dated March 20 and posted on the CAW Local 222 website, describe what Mr. Carlyle said.

"Ron spoke about NASCAR trip. He questioned Americans buying Kia, Toyota, Honda. Reminded them of 9/11. 'Would you buy from Iraqi or Afghani dealerships?' Their response was 'No!' So Ron asked 'Why do you buy from Japanese dealers?  - What about Pearl
Harbour?'"

Mr. Carlyle was one of the CAW leaders who recently travelled to GM's headquarters in Detroit to attempt to convince the company's senior executives to reverse a decision to shut down the Oshawa truck plant next year. The union has so far failed in attempts to keep the factory open.

Financial Post"

I'm sure this will be noticed by not only potential GM buyers (good work Ron! You know best and are a legend....in your own mind!), but also GM powers that be deciding if they want to place a new small car line up here so they have to deal with turds like this.

[EV Dan]

"'Would you buy from Iraqi or Afghani dealerships?' "



You bet! 

[tpl]

I suppose he could have brought up the sinking of neutral US ships by U-boats before the US declared war in 1941 as well... so no German cars either.

[EV Dan]

"A senior labour leader with the Canadian Auto Workers union confronted Americans buying Asian cars recently about their choices and compared Japanese car dealers to the enemy in the Second World War, according to a union summary of the trip."

Now why would GM sell their precious cars to the enemy? I guess I know, so they wouldnt go too far and attack us 

Jokes aside my GrannyAM 4 cyl made it to 285 clicks not long ago 

[tenpenny]

How about 'remember the war of 1812?'

[EV Dan]

How about 'remember the war of 1812?'

That is why French still dont buy a Lada 

[tpl]

I think 10d meant the "other" 1812 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

 

[ovr50]

A new low by a CAW rep - but just as easy could have been out of the mouth of a UAW rep also.

Simply one lowlifer trying to appeal to the paranoid instincts of similar lowlifers.

The way to solve the problem with Big 3 vehicles is to fail to buy other makers products? That would be typical union-mentality thinking.  

[Mitlov]

I'm sure this will be noticed by not only potential GM buyers (good work Ron! You know best and are a legend....in your own mind!), but also GM powers that be deciding if they want to place a new small car line up here so they have to deal with turds like this.

I really doubt any GM execs are going to a brick over this.  Why not?  Because, as impressed as I am by GM's turn-around as a whole, their advertising division continues to be annoyingly patriotic, nay, nationalistic, here in the States.  You Canadians are probably spared this stuff.  The worst offender was the Silverado's "this is our country" ad campaign, which featured a collage of everything from ranchers to construction workers to...you guessed it...THE TWIN TOWERS (or the columns of light that replaced them, to be precise).  Then there's stuff like the repeated use of "American" in brand mottos used down here (Chevy: "An American Revolution."  Saturn: "Rethink American."), which on their own, would go unnoticed, but when  combined with the "this is our country" ad campaign, really get overwhelming.

For comparison, Ford is selling products by citing reliability studies and comparative tests with the segment leaders.  Chrysler is selling vehicles on image (tough for Dodge, blingin' for the Chrysler 300, and outdoorsy for Jeep).  Neither rely on the "buy American" argument at all, at least in recent ads I've seen.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I'm sure this will be noticed by not only potential GM buyers (good work Ron! You know best and are a legend....in your own mind!), but also GM powers that be deciding if they want to place a new small car line up here so they have to deal with turds like this.

I really doubt any GM execs are going to a brick over this.  Why not?  Because, as impressed as I am by GM's turn-around as a whole, their advertising division continues to be annoyingly patriotic, nay, nationalistic, here in the States.  You Canadians are probably spared this stuff.  The worst offender was the Silverado's "this is our country" ad campaign, which featured a collage of everything from ranchers to construction workers to...you guessed it...THE TWIN TOWERS (or the columns of light that replaced them, to be precise).  Then there's stuff like the repeated use of "American" in brand mottos used down here (Chevy: "An American Revolution."  Saturn: "Rethink American."), which on their own, would go unnoticed, but when  combined with the "this is our country" ad campaign, really get overwhelming.

For comparison, Ford is selling products by citing reliability studies and comparative tests with the segment leaders.  Chrysler is selling vehicles on image (tough for Dodge, blingin' for the Chrysler 300, and outdoorsy for Jeep).  Neither rely on the "buy American" argument at all, at least in recent ads I've seen.

We had the "this is our country" ads here too. Some of the images were changed, but I don't think the campaign made much of an impact here.

[initial_D]

Remember 5th Grade? 

[tpl]

Nothing wrong with some "in your face" patriotism.   

Cool Britannia
Je garde la France

etc. to name but two recent campaigns one national and one for France vs. the EU.

Seen from the pov of a brit living in Canada  I have no problem with the overt almost Jingoistic flag waving patriotism of Americans....  after all, my lot had an empire once ourselves 

[initial_D]

Nothing wrong with some "in your face" patriotism.   

Nothing wrong with that. But it doesn't have to be so offensive and controversial, ... and only comes out when their own asse$ ARE OFF ON THE LINE.

[safristi]

Tha Irish gave the EURo's da FINGER................but that lot are scheming  and steaming a NEW PILE.....

[ovr50]

I have absolutely no problem with patriotism, but to invoke the historical events of 67 years ago as a reason not to buy products from a country (which are likely made in Canada or the US anyway), is needlessly alarmist and jingoistic. Of course, the CAW rep would never mention the carpet bombing of German cities (military targets - nope), or the 2 atomic bombs on Japan (military targets - nope). If Pearl Harbor is fair game, why not Dresden and Hiroshima??

And ppl wonder why unions have little respect in NA......?!?

[echo7]

I've seen the SUBARU commercials and GM is marketing them as Japanese cars....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJZBtbkGSfM

So does this mean do not buy subarus?

[aquadorhj]

Kia is korean...  we had nothing to do with pearl harbor.  we were forcibly occupied by japanese at the time!!

...

anyway.  the movie was ok(if there weren't kate beckinsale, i don't think i would've liked it as much.) but the book sucked.

[Zoo]

Great... Crank out the Zenophobia

This speaks of desperation. I guess I should turf my Seiko watches as well...

[Triple Bob]

"Ron spoke about NASCAR trip. He questioned Americans buying Kia, Toyota, Honda. Reminded them of 9/11. 'Would you buy from Iraqi or Afghani dealerships?' Their response was 'No!' So Ron asked 'Why do you buy from Japanese dealers?  - What about Pearl Harbour?'"

What the hell has Iraq got to do with 9/11 anyway?

And what about the war with the British, should they not buy any British cars... Oh, hang on, there are no* British car manufacturers left, the unions put them all out of business...

*(large scale)