Visibility Builds Credibility: Leadership Matters

I have written in this column before that I was not impressed with the naming of Edward Whitacre to the chairmanship of General Motors. While I appreciate that he comes with a great deal of success in management (SBC's $16 billion acquisition of AT&T (T Quote)for one), he also comes with a lot of baggage, including one of the most excessive retirement payouts on record ($158.5 million from AT&T). My concern has been that this is unlikely to be the kind of change that will make GM successful in the future.

Now, with Bob Lutz at the head of marketing and advertising, I have to give Whitacre credit for getting out there in the most recent spate of advertising touting GM's money-back guarantee. In these ads, Whitacre, in honest Lee Iaccoca style, tells viewers that, if they buy a GM and do not like it, they can bring it back in 60 days for their money back.

Whether you are skeptical about the claim, you have to admit that it puts the leader of GM in the forefront of the discussion. As some bloggers have gone on and on, still trashing GM design and products, they overlook the fact that the boss said, "If you don't like it, bring it back."

Dave Brandon, CEO of Domino's Pizza (DPZ Quote) has found this works as well. Through representing his product, and his people, in ads such as the Domino's bailout ad, he positions himself not only as the leader but as a worker with his jacket off, taking the streets of Washington with his employees. In a business with such a high turnover as his, current and potential employees get a sense of what his company is all about. You can't watch the commercial without thinking, "Wow. It would be fun to work for this guy."