Saturn Goes Supernova

Irony is great for punch-lines and cocktail parties—not so much with a company’s advertising. The meltdown of the American auto industry was frightening to watch. My agency was left twisting in the wind when GM decided to be insolvent. But one GM brand tried to reassure its customers.

Saturn produced a campaign called “We’re still here.” It followed the announcement that Penske was going to purchase the brand and save it from the GM black hole. The spot was charming and direct, but unconvincing. I didn’t think Saturn was going to survive. Call it a hunch.

My hunch was correct. GM announced earlier this week that Penske had backed out and the Saturn brand was going to be dropped. Saturn wasn’t able to escape the gravity of GM’s event horizon—it’s being sucked into the maw of obscurity.

Deutsch Los Angeles took over Saturn’s advertising in 2007, and did some great work. I particularly enjoyed the Saturn Vue spots. But Deutsch made one large mistake—they believed the product hype. So note to advertisers, if your going to make a campaign and call it “We’re still here,” the brand better still be here next year.

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