11th
Yesterday I got to metro station around 8pm to catch a bus for the ‘burbs. As soon as I arrived at the bus bay, a guy sitting in the shelter said to me, “Do you like green?” I figured out that he was talking about the color I was wearing and said yes, and he excitedly told me they were giving away free green t-shirts inside. He went with me to snag some more, saying that he could gives these to his soccer team mates. They were heavy 100% heavy cotton shirts (perfect for autumn) imprinted with some curiosity-inducing viral-wannabe marketing.
I immediately recognized the design of the t-shirts as a promotion for the upcoming release of the Chevy Volt, but what I don’t understand is why Metro personnel were handing them out. I know the government owns a big stake in General Motors but Metro’s only a quasi-governmental agency with no direct relationship with the Fed really.
The Chevy Volt is actually kind of exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. It’s the best thing to come out of GM since the EV-1 a decade ago, and let’s hope it’s not a flop for the sake of the continued existence of the U.S. automobile industry and a return on the investment we all made in it via the bailouts. The EV-1 never even got to flop because California nixed its own zero emission initiative and GM in turn cancelled the electric vehicle program. Even if the Volt only gets a third of what the 230 it’s bragging, then it’s something that will put Prius drivers to shame.
That said, if anyone has any ideas for how to re-brand an otherwise nice t-shirt, I’m all ears. I wouldn’t be caught dead in public with a car industry’s viral marketing campaign on my chest.
