GM @ Le Mans

2000
Observations and Ideas

Contents:
Introduction

1. Communication becomes Understanding through Experience.

2. A Platform for Communications.

3. Communications at the Track.

4. Communicating to the Savvy.

5. Capturing the Broader Audiences.

Conclusion

Prepared by:
Jim Hancock
August 8, 2000

file:GM/LEMANS/8/6/FINAL
Introduction.
motorsports is
While sport has always been a gauge for the pace of change,
perhaps the best metaphor to describe how our cul-
ture moves forward, faster and smarter at every turn. It involves speed, power
and the ability to make good decisions at critical moments. And taking that metaphor further, we
the emphasis
currently find ourselves plunging deep into a strange new apex where
is being placed almost exclusively on intelligence.

We have made it through the eras of mechanical and technical solutions. Brute strength and
perseverance can no longer compete against those investing in the harvest and application of
information. Winning is still what matters most, but the players emerging in this new environ-
ment are the ones unearthing fresh detail, sharing it in dynamic ways, and clearly demonstrat-
ing how it improves the product, the end result and the overall experience.

In this, motorsports is also wonderfully analogous to

the new economy. We find in it the same characteristics, and can clearly see that
long histories are playing less of a role in developing present-day equity. The brands currently
impressing the consumer are doing so with passion, wit and a cavalier spirit...not towering
family trees. Value in this new world is measured in emotional currency. Loyalties are forged in
experience not obligatory patriotism or the romantic notion that age and wisdom are somehow
Honor is once again being bestowed upon the
synonymous.
pioneers—those willing to “go for it” and willing to take the risk and the poor odds of
reward that characterize any nascent concept.

We can also easily make out the Americanisms in this and the window of opportunity opening
Who is better
up for brands that can best and naturally represent our ideals.
suited and equipped than GM to settle this new and
wild landscape.
1. Communication becomes Understanding
through Experience.
Recognizing the Automotive manufacturers have long relied upon the community-building abilities of
potential
media to embed their brands culturally, with each paradigm proving better than the
one before at bringing the audience closer to the subject matter.
• ’50s-’60s: Print (Jesse Alexander photos)
• ’60s-’70s: Movies and network television (Le Mans and Grand Prix)
• ’80s-’90s: Cable television and video games (ESPN)
• ’90s-’00s: Internet and interactive media (Cadillac’s “Conntected Car”)

Involving the Today, in this burgeoning era of new media, we find

audience
ourselves finally immersed in the action. The inherent inter-
activity and resulting participation have erased the audience/subject boundary. They
have also deepened the connections, not just physically but psychologically by giv-
ing the audience ownership of the content. Viewers are no longer passive. The
experience is no longer programmed or even linear. For the first time, information
can be manipulated on the client side, audio/visual can be customized however and
whenever the viewer determines.

Observation As exciting as new media is, it is both a sharp tool and dangerous weapon. The
complexity and sheer scope of possibilities often overshoot, if not alienate the audi-
companies embracing it
ence. In short, it comes with a responsibility:
must be prepared to usher it in thoughtfully. Technology
and data in their raw states are overwhelming and useless if not placed in meaning-
ful context. Audio/Visual texture is only confusion if not delivered in digestible
We must
mouthfuls with clear relationships drawn between the layers.
remember that the audience is not yet conditioned to
view, understand, or even navigate this new content.
Communication becomes Understanding
through Experience. Page 2
Opportunity And so, the first and best into this frontier will be the one that attaches meaning to
this new subject matter. If new media is to become as culturally important as the
it will have to be saturated in
examples from previous decades,
emotional cause and effect. In the case of Le Mans, GM’s opportu-
nity with this tool is to create and convey a sense of revitalization—for its own prop-
erties, as well as the event itself. We must develop dramatic tension and place
protagonists and antagonists on this stage if the audience is to care for the brand
Convince the audience
(or any brand for that matter) in this context.
that information is the new horsepower and that
understanding is the ability to convert it into the
speed necessary to win.
2. A Platform for Communications.
The environment In this overloaded sponsorship environment, where all communications tend to be
broadcast on the same emotionless “frequency”, GM’s task is challenged by the need
Two
to position and explain two primary, and several secondary, brands.
thoughts converge at this point—a meld of which
becomes an overarching position at Le Mans:

The big ideas 1/ GM as the vehicle (figuratively and literally) carrying us into the “intelligence age”
of motorsports. The idea is physically embodied in the “connected car”, and intellectu-
ally supported by a new economy mindset.

2/ GM as ambassador of American culture—an envoy representing our essence

and ethic in this international venue.

Only after these more global ideas are seeded, can the customer be led to subbrand-
ing details. It is a big picture painted in red, white and
blue, for GM will find its story in the rich resource of American cultural codes. We
can begin by identifying other stalwarts of American design and marrying them, in con-
cept, to appropriate GM properties, e.g., Ralph Lauren Polo for Cadillac and Nike for
Corvette. This could become more than a tonality exercise, possibly evolving into
strategic relationship and/or co-branding models.

On more ambient levels, GM can dip the Le Mans program into “baseball and apple
pie” themes involving everything from sports to music.

Finding a voice Cadillac is high tech, but having fun. It’s extravagant, but not at the expense of the ulti-
mate goal. It’s entertaining, because, after all, few things are more prized in this coun-
We craft, export and consume
try. We are a big screen culture.
story like no other. We’re not shy or guarded, but instead project out-
ward our thoughts and feelings. And so GM bares all with passionate narrative and
bold visual vocabulary that contrast the emptiness of mere technology.
 A Platform for Communications. Page 2
Observation We got a taste of this in the hospitality tent, but overall this year’s program was try-
ing too hard to be German. People drawn to the Le Mans environment want to be
involved with the cultural tensions that result from contrasting ideals and behavior.
These have always been the ingredients for compelling drama, and they naturally
present themselves in motorsports (particularly in international events). Cadillac
needs only to pick a point of difference, choose from the ingredients, and begin the
alchemy that will result in a believable reason for Cadillac to be involved.

Opportunities The German manufacturers have been acting out a well-designed but aging script.
Theirs, an austere handling of image mixed with cold demeanor. Cadillac can easily
play against this. Not head on, nor with any false sense of heritage, but instead with
the contrasting tone and manner discussed here. Further to my opening comments
regarding leveraging Americana and the thoughts paralleling the new economy:
Cadillac can counter their aloof position by making its image, its information and its
understanding all “open source”. Let brands like Audi continue to speak to mechani-
GM becomes the American hope
cal solutions while
and champion of applied information. For every per-
son Audi turns away at the gate, GM welcomes one in and shares its experience on
all levels—all the way to down to telemetry details. There is something to be said
for the confidence conveyed through such candor.

Contrast should also be applied to handling assumptions about the Cadillac brand.
We can begin by building on the obvious polarity in “Art and Science” by showing
the dependence of one on the other: how information can now feed design in “real-
time”. Cadillac is in real-time, not living in the past. It recognizes
that the sport is in a transition from brawn to brains and is equipped to compete in
this new setting. Wealth is no longer the issue—you can’t buy your way in, nor can
you buy the future. It is, instead, the concentration of ideas that will ultimately pre-
vail. This last point characterizes much of the criticism directed at Cadillac’s Le
Mans program. By meeting it head on with this new economy mindset, the percep-
tion will be that GM is behaving more like a nimble tech start-up than the presumed
leviathan with money to burn.
3. Communications at the Track.
Opportunity One “big idea” should connect all of Cadillac’s environments (hospitality suite,
team hospitality, media center, Tiki hut, etc.). It is easy to splinter the messaging
across different executions at temporary venues, i.e., run video on a big screen
over here, place some signage over there, maybe have a PC around to evidence
enthusiasm for the internet. But when we consider the chief issue mentioned earlier
regarding the inherent difficulty of absorbing and relating the components of new
distilling the mix to an irre-
media, we see the advantage in
ducible point and then packaging the elements
as tightly as possible, in order to simply illustrate “how” new media
is composed.

Execution In detail, every environment could have the same “console”—a video wall or some
series of screens, with each one presenting one essential component. The point is
that this is not an interactive setting where navigation is possible, so we use this
console to show the pieces side by side, concurrently. In addition, the audience is
not captive and so things must be obvious, must speak in headlines.

A Sample Scenario:

Screen 1 Screen 2 Screen 3 Screen 4

CONNECTED HUMAN MACRO C A D I L LAC AT

CAR D ETA I LS VIEW LE MANS

Focus: Focus: Focus: Focus:

• Unique Video - night
vision.
• Data - telemetry.
• Audio/Text - interviews • Video - the track/race. • Data - Cadillac’s R&D
and correspondence.
• Data - competitor and • Audi/Text - behind the
• Data - biometrics. environmental stats. scenes with the key
players.

putting distance between

This also takes care of another issue:
new media execution and television—what would other-
wise look like TV sets become modern “monitors” when configured into this type of
console with this type of content.
Communications at the Track. Page 2
We also discussed, in person, the possibilities for “wiring” the guests with some
enabled device such as a Palm VII. Great idea for a number of reasons:
• It puts some degree of interactivity in the hands of the primary target.
• Gritty, live, inside information distributed here speaks to new media (versus old
paradigm “Radio at Le Mans”).
• It provides the opportunity for dialogue, by allowing the guest to respond one-on-
one or in community forum.
• It is a valuable “take away” from the event. The guest gets a PIM, and GM gets to
brand both the hardware and software in ways that resonate long after the event.

Content A CNN/Gulf War comparison serves us here with regards to developing the content
We can create the
to feed the console and wireless hand-helds.
equivalent of the Pentagon spokesperson tak-
ing the podium to keep us apprised of the
unfolding drama: hourly updates from the crew, speculations unfiltered
by the media, etc. However, the execution in this case can be insidious: live audio
from the driver appears as text on the Palm; the crew chief uses instant messaging
from the pits to host an online forum discussing the cars and the technology; GM
executives can use the same to chat about Cadillac’s bright future at Le Mans.

Environment Of course, the physical environment needs to be branded as well. While off to a
good start with some of the interior design elements, i.e., furniture and graphics, we
need to be our natural, louder, extroverted selves. What comes to mind is the
unique night time possibility at Le Mans—an opportunity to speak to the layering
that characterizes new media. We can literally project real-time data on buildings,
Driver heart rates,
trucks (anything in our sights becomes a canvas).
car speeds, and critical fuel consumption are
served up like a ticker in 10 foot letters. This takes us
back to earlier comments about the American tendency to “project”.

The value
We also need to be sensitive to overly commercialized graphics.
added will come from informative and enter-
taining content.
4. Communicating to the Savvy.
Opportunity Cadillac and Corvette need to become relevant to the core community first, if the
brands are eventually to become believable and influential to outlying audiences.
This is obvious and always the case in sports marketing but deserves emphasis
here due to the specific PR issue facing GM at Le Mans. We need to
begin a self-fulfilling prophecy. Back to the entertainment
metaphor, GM needs to script its own tale from re-entry through victory, or else
have it not so kindly handled by the skeptical media and community. When current
assumptions are reversed at this root level, this powerful group will quickly turn not
only to embrace but to propagate.

The reason I dwell on this is that it impacts the investment timeline. The three-year
road to victory should be front loaded to the core audience without having to be
concerned with watered-down “mass” messaging detracting from the punch and
clarity of the program.

A Sample Timeline

Mass

Core
Core C o m m u n i ty
C o m m u n i ty
Beta Mass

TIME 1 2 3

Detail We’ve discussed the drama necessary for people to choose sides and emotionally
invest themselves. Now we can discuss the extraordinary opportunity at Le Mans to
turning
sustain that engagement at an intensity for extended periods. Start by
the 24 Hours of Le Mans into the week-long
event it is. Specifically, the Connected Car can slow time down by creating
a significant event at every moment (CNN/Gulf War phenomenon). New media has
made experience non-linear—a viewer can stop the action at any point to go up
What is behind those doors in
and down and side to side.
Cadillac’s program? If we make it rich, then we add value and
Communicating to the Savvy. Page 2

meaning. This is the point that differentiates brands embracing new media and
brands merely decorating their programs with futuristic facades.

All of this “new media” focus is not meant to de-emphasize effective traditional vehi-
cles, e.g., this year ’s RACER/Speedvision “Road to Le Mans”, "Radio Le Mans",
etc., for multimedia involves all media. The key (and what was totally missed in
June) is the connection between the new and old elements. This needs to occur on
editorial and promotional levels—print should be directing viewers to the online
Connected Car...”Radio Le Mans” should be promoting special editions in print.

Finally, the GM cast needs to be filled out to include cars and drivers. Get
drivers who people care about: Al Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr.,
European rally drivers. This one move feeds everything downstream. These princi-
pals come complete with equity, that includes personal drama, and provide much of
the tension so necessary to good storytelling.
5. Capturing the Broader Audience.
Opportunity With motorsports in a transition and open to (if not in need of) definition, GM has the
The Connected Car,
opportunity to take a lead role in the narrative.
and the thinking that goes along with it, can
become future-defining, not only for GM and its properties but
also for the sport. And, if done well, these efforts will endure as cultural reference
points and benchmarks for the newly introduced.

Content Content strategy should focus on the sport/life metaphor referred to in my introduc-
motorsports is incredibly illustrative and
tion. Again,
is easily demonstrated as a condensed version
of our culture. We need only to draw the parallels: faster lap times = evo-
lution; more money invested = more pressure on people; driver vital signs = running
a marathon. These broader strokes will hook the broader audience and allow GM to
incrementally pull these newcomers through branding ideas en route to a better
understanding of the sport.

Tone The tone is, of course, Americana. GM is an American institution with every right to
What are
molecularly intermingle its brands with other icons of our culture.
the defining genres of music, art, film and liter-
ature for Cadillac? Marry them and develop a distinct personality for
this program.

Opportunity We can also intermingle (and by doing so win over) entire subcultures. This year’s
hospitality was a good example. By bringing “important” food, wine, etc., into this
arena and feeding it to the PR machine, we can instantly communicate to whole
target-rich communities that have little or no obvious connection to the sport.

This new information-based era of motorsports

also addresses one of the most curious, influ-
ential and affluent consumer groups ever to
emerge: those who are driving the new economy from technology develop-
ment through its applications in entirely new marketspaces like the internet. If GM
showcases technology in action, then it will speak to the heart of this community.
Capturing the Broader Audience. Page 2

In short, there is plenty of dormant equity in

GM’s labels and peripheral Americanisms. We need
to ignite these with passionate and believable intent. And then we need to sustain it
with entertaining, innovative and informative executions that add value well beyond
selfish product-based or brand-based relations.
Conclusion.
I believe that objectives and strategic elements set out In the internal executive
overview for Le Mans 2000 are clear and consistent with the opportunity that is nat-
urally presenting itself at this event and in the sport’s bigger picture.

Motorsports has never lacked the ingredients for good storytelling and, in every era,
has been leveraged by many but maximized by only a few. The brands that under-
stand the cultural metaphors, and that have made these relevant to people inside
and outside of racing, are the ones that have become forever linked to the images
and connotations of performance.

We know that the paradigm is shifting away from the

features that placed, and have held, the European manufacturers at the top for so
long. Intelligence not cunning, courage not simply heritage, emotions even more
than results, are the currencies in motorsports’ new economy. This could be GM’s
era, for every new story demands a new hero—the crowd is looking for someone to
enter and clean the slate. Only a debutant can do it, and GM’s advan-
tages begin with its “newness”. Let that be the tone that
counters the attacks on the lack of history at Le Mans.

The advantages continue into the tools and technology that GM is amassing both
as a manufacturer and media company. The investment in racing technology is
greatly magnified by the thinking behind such innovations as the Connected Car
and eGM. GM is the first complete experience, creating
the subject matter, the drama and entertaining “special effects” to convey them. In
short, it is initiating information and managing it through the entire value chain.

GM should be commended for recognizing the potential for new media and its spe-
I sincerely believe
cific application in the motorsports experience.
that the door is swinging wide for a brand with
vision and intellectual resources. In June, I saw these
qualities in GM’s program and, after consideration, believe that these strengths are
lining up with macro opportunities to enable Cadillac and Corvette to culturally
define the sport for both core and undiscovered audiences.