- Posted on Sunday, January 7th, 2007 at 8:27 am
A Night of Stars and Cars
By Gayle Weiswasser
GM Consultant
Last night, GM kicked off the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in great fashion at the GM Style Event — a runway show featuring hot celebrities and even hotter cars, all under one tented roof along the Detroit River.
It was a fabulous night — especially for the celebrity-obsessed, like me. I was lucky enough to snare one of the highly-sought tickets and even luckier to be assigned a third row seat, close enough to see the stars and the cars up close.
The evening started with an introduction by Jimmy Kimmel, who had emceed the red carpet arrivals. The stars, each of whom had been dressed by celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe, then came out individually to strut their stuff on the runway, accompanied by some of GM’s hottest vehicles and concept cars.
Jay-Z came first, arriving in a concept GMC Yukon Denali painted “Jay-Z Blue” — the star’s signature color (a metallic, almost royal blue). His girlfriend, the radiant Beyonce Knowles (seated next to GM CEO Rick Wagoner), beamed at Jay-Z as he posed for the crowd before returning to the passenger seat and riding off the stage.
Next followed a parade of stars — Nick Lachey, Carmen Electra, Mario Lopez, Petra Nimcova, Christian Slater, Kristen Bell, Rosie Perez, Jennifer Hudson, and others — who each came out with a different, exciting GM vehicle.
Highlights, in my opinion:
- The ultra-cool Saab Aero-X concept vehicle, with a cockpit canopy and a sleek, aviation-inspired design, accompanied by Petra Nimcova in a flowing ivory Grecian gown that only emphasized the car’s jetlike qualities
- Nick Lachey, who was greeted with a huge reaction from the crowd and accompanied by the sleek Cadillac XLR roadster
- The Saturn Sky Redline, painted “Chili Pepper Red” and accompanied by CariDee, most recent winner of television’s “America’s Next Top Model”
- Jennifer Hudson, all attitude and confidence, strutting down the runway in purple with the Cadillac Escalade to thunderous applause
But of course, the biggest moment of all came during the worldwide reveal of the Camaro Convertible Concept, which rolled down the runway last, unaccompanied by many celebrities. The car, painted Hugger Orange pearl with twin gunmetal gray sport stripes, brought the already enthusiastic crowd to its feet with wild cheering and applause. Television screens around the room offered close-ups of the car’s interior, while the vehicle itself was spun and lifted up from the runway stage.
The reveal of the Camaro Convertible Concept, along with the rest of the event, were definitely high points for GM design. The excitement in the room was infectious and undeniable — GM has clearly hit its stride in the design department.
One funny moment of the night: Jimmy Kimmel announcing that the prototype Camaro would be raffled off at the end of the night.
If you’d like to see video of the GM Style event, take a look at this video.
2 Comments
Dave
I was watching WDIV Channel 4 this evening for coverage of the Auto Show. They were (as usual) giving GM as much positive exposure as they could without bending over backward. I think it’s GREAT that they’re rooting for the home team. They even had a segment about the “GM Style” event on Saturday night, again trying to give GM positive exposure. I was so disappointed — and embarassed — for GM when they interviewed the “stars” and asked them what cars they drive. I remember lots of them saying they drive BMWs or Volvos, or Mercedes … but I can recall ONLY ONE proudly stepping up to the mic and saying that he drives GM products. One of the women said she was trading in her Lexus hybrid for a Saturn VUE Green Line [I'll believe THAT when I see it]. Two of the men both said they drive “a truck and a sports car” … but neither of them mentioned the brands.
GM should be more selective in selceting their “spokesmodels”: it really sends the wrong message when the people they hire to represent their products don’t even drive them!
Edward Hayes
It’s always great to have a “finish line”. And the workers at GM get to see what all of their hard work has accomplished over the year by introducing those vehicles to the people that matter, the customer.
I want GM to realize how the consumer thinks. Commercials always seem to be shot in a perfect world and that is for a reason. As a company you have to make people see your product in the best light.
This “best light” helps the customer make a picture in their mind of that product fulfilling a need or a want which we all share, the need for something to shine a better light over our lives. If a product is represented in a bad light, the customer thinks, “I have enough misery at home why do I need to add to it?”
That is why GM has to project an image of success and happiness and fulfillment even through entertainment.
I think that if the GM employees can have fun, that is the first hurdle, then hopefully they will project that aura of confidence throughout the organization, city and state. That is the only way to to let people know and feel that they would be better off sharing in GM’s portfolio.
In Short:
You can have the fun we are having if you have what we are having.
Leave a Reply
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)