I engaged in some light comic relief reading articles in the National Press quoting from some ad agency chiefs on the likelihood and the pace of a GM rebound. I get that some see advertising as the quintessential medium through which the we fantasize about the pleasure of our next ride. But are the dreamweavers the prophets of the industry's future?

Ironically the quality of advertising seems to have minimal impact on the brand value of the product. I have seen brilliant concepts and productions produced for every class of vehicle from every region of the world. In the realm of advertising, it is all superb.

I am thinking of a campaign with the GM sedan chewing up the asphalt while stats fly in onscreen with important values like:
250,000 JOBS RETAINED
3.3% INCREASE IN GDP
ECONOMIC STABILITY RIDE
$3.5bn TAX REVENUES THAT WON'T COME OUT OF YOUR POCKET.

One agency rep spoke about "Trust: if GM ditches certain (losing) brands, it will lose the trust of those loyal followers of said money-losing brand." I can't stand the notion of an agency pitching retention on a money-losing brand. It is so self-serving.

If the ad agency bought GM it would select only a few cars to manufacture, for example:

1. Chevy Impala
2. Buick Allure
3. Chevy Malibu
4. Chevy Uplander
5. Cadillac CTS.

The rest would be ditched. No agency would take direct ownership of GM's other models without the certitude of a client to foot the bill. Which is a nice-but-nasty way of finger-pointing in both directions. An ad agency could do an amazing job of making these cars the Fab 5 of the world automotive industry, because when the buck stops with the agency knows what it really takes to get the job done. But they would have to kick out all their former client execs for wanting to bid up cars that can't compete in the marketplace.

So, as an Ad Agency Exec, which would you choose? Ownership of 5 potential market leaders or the advertising budgets for 50 models that can't compete? It is a moment of sublime truth to ask and honestly answer the question.

It behooves the customer-centric marketer to state the obvious: make what people want to buy, in the quantity that they want to buy it. Don't make products to compete when the likelihood is you will lose. The US automotive manufacturer needs to think small, not big. Each customer is really small, but elemental to the success of the business. Not the brand, not the agency, not even the nationality of the employees.

The way I see it, the ad agency model that has been built up in the US automotive industry is a symptom of its disease. Over-promised, over-sold, over-done. And the Press is asking our advice on the future of GM? Whoops.