Tag: inspire

Honda hopes Civic will inspire you to write a song

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Honda

Sound of Civic logo
Honda is casting the Sounds of Civic social media-based contest as a fun way for you to whip up a little song and possibly win a 2012 Honda Civic of your own. You might accept it at face value, or you may see it as a contrived and cynical attempt at being current and/or relevant. If the ninth-generation Honda Civic excites you into musical rapture, great, submit your song on the Honda Civic Facebook page before June 5th.

Honda has faith in your song-writing abilities. “We know our talented fans will show off their skills and submit some great Civic-inspired tunes,” says Steve Center, American Honda Motor Company’s Vice President of National marketing Operations.

Once the submission window closes, voting begins and runs through July 17th. Eight finalists will be chosen to receive $2,500 in music gear from Sam Ash music stores. The single finalist that receives the most votes will get the car, which could be a handy way to get to Los Angeles to perform as part of the 2011 Honda Civic Tour.

Honda has solicited songs from several artists already, and you can find them on the Honda Civic Facebook page and the Honda YouTube channel. Pointing Twitter at the #soundsofcivic hashtag can also help keep you updated. Check it out, brush up on your scales and arpeggios and have at it with your own composition. Check out the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Honda hopes Civic will inspire you to write a song

Honda hopes Civic will inspire you to write a song originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 May 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Honda hopes Civic will inspire you to write a song”

Lutz’s “secret weapons” inspire new ‘knothole’ process at GM

Filed under: Chevrolet, GM

Chevy Orlando Knothole

It took many years to learn of former General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz’s “secret weapons,” but the cat is out of the bag. We recently learned that those secret weapons were a quartet of auto journalists that were put on the payroll to assist GM in the product development process, and now they serve as inspiration for what’s known as the ‘knothole’.

In a recent interview with The Detroit Bureau, GM North America’s Mark Reuss talked about this system, which drives The General’s product development process. The Bureau gave Reuss the credit for creating the process, though Lutz and his band of super journos no doubt served as motivation. But the Knothole isn’t just some process implemented to validate what management wants to be true. On the contrary, Reuss says products have been delayed or killed when the knothole finds them unworthy. For example, have you ever wondered why GM decided not to sell the Orlando here in the United States? Knothole. It’s also why the Cruze didn’t arrive Stateside when the Europeans got it. Reuss claims there were two other unmentioned models that got the ax, while others were delayed until they were ready for prime time.

So, what’s the goal of the knothole? Reuss correctly points out that if a GM vehicle is merely competitive, there is no way Toyota or Honda owners will break brand loyalty. But if GM makes vehicles that are better than the competition in every way, die-hards loyalists could eventually head into GM showrooms.

[Source: The Detroit Bureau]

Lutz’s “secret weapons” inspire new ‘knothole’ process at GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Lutz’s “secret weapons” inspire new ‘knothole’ process at GM”