13.5 Communicating Identity

In Cheney et al., p. 109 they discuss the essence and continuity of corporate identity. According to the book, "in order to endure in a turbulent marketplace, organizational identities need to be flexible." Over the last few weeks we've seen the domestic auto makers of the U.S. embroiled in an identity dilemma. All three car companies are being perceived as lacking in vision. Their lack of investment in fuel efficient cars has left them seemingly behind the curve.

My own perception has been quite limited. I've been viewing commercials and taking a look at their web sites (Chrysler, Ford, GMC, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota). I found that only Ford, Honda, & Toyota made fuel economy a main focus of their sites. The TV commercials for GMC and Ford only spoke of purchasing issues like: "Red Tag Sale" (GMC) and "You pay what we pay" (Ford). GMC touts two Hybrid vehicles while Ford is featuring one Hybrid. Toyota features three while Hybrids while Honda features three (one Hybrid and 2 other alternative fuel options). Chrysler, Nissan, don't offer any realistic alterations right now. It will be interesting to see how flexible their identities will become over the next few years.