• Ad Age, Monday, March 16, 2009 10:45 AM

Frustrated that unsettling news stories are telling the General Motors story, dealers are clamoring for an upbeat, brand-oriented ad campaign. "I think a bold move is needed, like 'Keep America Rolling,'" the marketer's interest-free incentive following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, says Bob Bakshi, a dealer in Valencia, Calif.

The GMC brand did introduce a new national TV spot last week for the Sierra full-size pickup, and GM does have a lot of regional ads out. But a national brand-oriented campaign may be in the making, Jean Halliday reports. "We do believe we've got a great story to tell about how we've reinvented the company and our cars for the future, and we need to tell it," says Mark LaNeve, GM's vp-vehicle marketing, sales and service in North America. "We will do that," he says, without revealing when.

Wes Brown, vp of consultant Iceology, believes GM is retrenching until March 31, when the verdict comes down on whether it will get another round of federal loans to keep it solvent. Brown says GM's public-relations staff is probably preparing myriad press releases, whatever happens.

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