GMs Reactionary Euphoria

By: Brent Patmos

The e-mail blast from General Motors to its customers and shareholders is a clear indication that they still haven't fundamentally transformed the culture and practices of the company. The e-mail from GM can best be described as "reactionary euphoria."  Moving beyond the ever so trite "we value and appreciate your loyalty" line is a concerning delusion driven by the belief that customers and shareholders will forget that the company had so many fundamental flaws that the company's best option and solution was to enter bankruptcy and receive a landmark government bailout.

General Motors must also believe that customers and shareholders alike will not see the blatant advertising focus of the e-mail. This e-mail is another example of the true disregard for reality. Reality - "GM paid back their government loan - in full, with interest, five years ahead of the original schedule."  Delusion - GM's belief and expectation that the public, customers or shareholders will respond with the same reactionary euphoria by standing up and cheering for the payback of a bailout that was given because of the failure of the company to remain viable and solvent.

The executives at Ford would be well served to send an e-mail to the public, its customers and shareholders. It would simply read "We are proud to announce that we have no government loan to repay."

Original GM Email

We value and appreciate your loyalty more than anything. We are proud to announce we have repaid our government loan – in full, with interest, five years ahead of the original schedule. We realize we still have more to do. Our goal is to exceed every expectation you've set for us. We're designing, building and selling the best cars and trucks in the world. Like the award-winning Chevy Malibu, the all-new Buick LaCrosse, the versatile Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon and the innovative GMC Terrain, just to name a few. As we move into the future, we're thankful to have loyal owners like you. We invite you to learn more about the new GM and join our community, by visiting gm.com. And once again, thank you for your support.