GM sees big results from employee discount plan

0 Comments | USA TODAY, August, 2005 | by Theresa Howard

NEW YORK -- Among marketing giants, there have been the cola wars, the sneaker wars and the burger wars. In recent weeks, it's been the car wars.

As the big-name brands duked it out for market share and sales to clear inventory, it's been a good time to be a car shopper, a not-so-good time to be an investor as carmakers sacrificed profit margins, and a great time to be in the business of selling advertising to the industry.

General Motors kicked off the latest battle in June, with an ad blitz announcing a companywide initiative -- "Employee Discount for Everyone" -- across its eight brand divisions. Ford Motor and DaimlerChrysler (on its U.S. models) followed almost immediately with similar discounts and ad buys.

The incentives have proved wildly successful...