GM's brand management report card. (General Motors) (includes related article on Grand Prix car)

Advertising Age, March, 1998 by Halliday, Jean

THREE YEARS AGO, General Motors Corp. set about to change radically the way it does business, installing a brand management system in a bid to drive profits and market share.

Today, the Detroit auto giant claims the system is a success. But the figures tell another tale.

GM's share has continued its decades-long slide, hitting a record low 31.3% in 1997. This year is off to a slow start as well, with a disappointing share through February of 29.4%, a 6.6% drop from the same two months in 1997, according to Automotive News.

And while GM turned a slim profit in North America last year, its margin of 2.3% was far below its 5% target.

Industry analysts, while noting GM endured labor strikes that translated to hundreds of millions of...

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