Unless you’ve been living under a rock, last month, ahead of the 2021 virtual CES, you saw General Motors unveil its new corporate logo to the world. Many automotive professionals took to LinkedIn and other platforms to share their colorful opinions on GM’s latest emblem. I’ll spare you mine here.
The redesign carries a greater message that goes beyond pure branding strategy. As GM has stated, it signals the automaker’s commitment to an EV dominant future, and a host of mobility services for consumers and commercial fleets that transcend one’s common understanding of a traditional automaker.
As if the logo’s departure from previous, iconic versions was not enough, GM’s bold new slogan, “Everybody In”, certainly drives the point home. According to GM, the refreshed branding supports its goal to become the industry’s EV leader over the next five years. The automaker’s inclusive statement speaks volumes about where they see the brand’s future heading.
“Everybody In’ demonstrates our intent to lead, while inviting others — policy makers, partners, individuals — to play an active role in moving society forward,” said Deborah Wah, GM’s Global CMO.
These major announcements come on the heels of GM’s strongest fourth quarter performance since 2007. GM executives attribute the success to strong light duty truck and SUV sales. And with production ramping and mass-vaccination on the horizon, GM remains bullish on what lies ahead for 2021 for consumer sales. And the optimistic eye toward the future doesn’t stop there. Whether it’s staking a claim to the commercial EV market, or backing upstart Tekion to disrupt the DMS market, GM clearly sees its future as part of a diverse, automotive ecosystem.
As with other innovative consumer brands, GM is evolving to put the people associated with its products and services, “Generation E” on equal footing as its products and services. Indeed, the “Everybody In” slogan is likely a nod to the future of mobility where GM sees itself as the center of an interconnected universe of people that includes its customers, employees and partners. And its focus on people makes sense. As products evolve and brand identity goes with it, so too must the overall people experience.
Without evolving the human connection at the core of GM’s future, the brand cannot meet shifting consumer expectations and the brand’s transformation is incomplete. If you’re a Dealer Principal or General Manager and have not already started to ask yourself “how do I need to change my people strategy to meet the new era of GM retail?” then you likely will be doing it any day now.
Hireology’s mission is to help automotive brands, like GM, navigate the new applicant economy and monumental changes happening across dealerships’ staff. As an iMR Approved Turnkey product for GM retailers, Hireology is GM’s only human capital technology partner to help its dealers turn their teams into a sustainable, competitive advantage. GM understood the staffing challenges dealers faced as a result of the pandemic, and renewed Hireology for another three-year term last September to help its dealers address those challenges.
In 2020, alone, Hireology helped GM dealers source over 250,000 applicants and make 3,700 hires. Moreover, Hireology has long influenced countless dealers to be more open-minded with casting a wide net to attract jobseekers from outside of the automotive industry. And with so many Americans from the hospitality, tourism and retail industries out of work in 2020, our dealer customers seized the moment and hired thousands of talented men and women for customer facing roles such as sales, BDC, service advisors and more.
The success of GM’s acceleration into EVs and other mobility services will no doubt hinge, in a large way, on the abilities of its people at the retail level to execute on the brand’s ambitious plans. As such, one has to assume that the “Everybody In” slogan is not just a statement about inclusivity, but also a call for the best talent to work at its dealerships and drive the automotive revolution GM envisions. And soon, GM dealers will need to decide on the partners and processes they will need to transform their human capital strategy. Generational change is at the automotive industry’s doorstep and Hireology is ready to heed GM’s call of “Everybody In.” Are you?
If you’re interested in seeing what Hireology can do for your dealership’s hiring process, you can schedule a demo here.
