The Greenwash to End All Greenwashing? GM reportedly pondering changing logo color
by Sebastian Blanco on Jul 9th 2009 at 10:13AM 
2010 Chevy Spark - Click above for high-res image gallery
General Motors has certainly been pumping out a greener message for the last few years, but, on the eve of its likely emergence from bankruptcy, it looks like it might be ridiculously difficult to miss the company's shift to a new and very public eco-mindset: The General's traditional blue square logo could become green. No, really.While no official decision has not yet been made, insiders are saying that the background color change is being considered, "in an effort to show consumers that it is leaner and greener, more focused on fuel efficiency and better able to make quick decisions," says MSNBC.
The fuel efficiency meaning of a possible new green logo is easy to understand and the "quick decisions" part reflects a new GM that will likely have 35 percent fewer executives to go along with fewer employees overall. More announcements on these issues and the fate of the Spark minicar could come tomorrow, when GM is expected to emerge from bankruptcy.
The real color change that GM needs to make, of course, is a shift from red to black – but that's significantly harder than swapping pixels in a logo.
Gallery: Geneva 2009: Chevy Spark
[Source: MSNBC]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mapoftazifosho 10:20AM (7/09/2009)
I love it!!!
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paulwesterberg 11:44AM (7/09/2009)
To complete the greenwash they just need to add a leaf, like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29041151@N00/3704650476/
Mark 10:20AM (7/09/2009)
Can we kill the bowtie? It's a very clunky, outdated emblem that brings neither an implication of quality or speed. Plenty of other automakers have reworked their badges (see Mazda, Subaru, etc).
This would be a great time for GM to drop the tie in favor of something that didn't so dominate the beak of their cars.
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Gary 11:21AM (7/09/2009)
Don't you have anything better to complain about than a logo?
Mark 11:44AM (7/09/2009)
Well... it's better than spending my time complaining about people who are complaining about people complaining about a logo.
Which is what I'm doing now.
MemphisNET 10:36AM (7/09/2009)
I'm going to idle my 70 Monte Carlo all day in protest.
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Tim 10:44AM (7/09/2009)
Green Motors?
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why not the LS2LS7? 11:28AM (7/09/2009)
I don't think I'd have put this article on my site if my site's name were just another site's name with "green" slapped on the end.
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Paul Stoller 12:55PM (7/09/2009)
I found that to be quite ironic as well.
win39 11:40AM (7/09/2009)
Not on my dime. It cost $50 million to change their signs to GM, Mark of Excellence 40 years ago. Today this logo change will probably end up costing a half billion of dollars of your tax money. How about development of irresistible new product for that money and making a profit for a change. Has one GM product generated the interest Ford has gotten promising to build some of their European models over here?
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Nozferat 1:25PM (7/09/2009)
As dumb as the American public is, this is bound to work.
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~D. 2:17PM (7/09/2009)
Chrysler Corp. did a similar thing back in the day with the badges on Dodge and Plymouth vehicles, for example those on the original Neon. Admittedly, it wasn't to denote "green-ness" but it nonetheless was supposed to conjure up a notion of being modern and fun...which I think it did. I hope the green GM badges do the same, and if they want, they don't have to do it across the whole lineup. Bear in mind that Chevy also had a red-outline bowtie badge/logo for denoting "sporty-ness" back in the day. Currently, Toyota/Lexus is putting glowing blue badges on their hybrids. I'd say GM should have the Chevy bowtie on any model whose "greenery" (that's right, i can make it up too) they want to highlight be a mix of the Dodge/Chevy concepts from back in the day: a transparent green bowtie outline. It would immediately visually denote a green model, which seems to work well on those wanting extra smug points, and by having a wide range of vehicles wearing said badge in an advertising spread would visually bolster a claim that they make "more green vehicles than any other manufacturer...etc etc"
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Mike 2:31PM (7/09/2009)
If they turn the logo green whilst still selling gas guzzlers then the idea is doomed. New Coke anyone?
I was actually thinking about this the other day when I saw a green GM logo. I thought, "Hey they should actually turn that thing green." But then I read about the new Yukon that gets an impressive *choke* 20 mpg.
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Pete 2:54PM (7/09/2009)
Who cares! Like I'm ever going to buy a car made by the govt. I've only owned Saturns for the past 10 years, but my GM buying experience officially ended when the govt took over. I can't remember one major govt enterprise that runs efficiently. I'm not trusting my family to anything made by GM... ever again.
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Anonymouse 3:28PM (7/09/2009)
"Ever again"? What if the government sells off their stake once the economy recovers, as is the official plan?
Steve 9:30PM (7/09/2009)
Guess what: soon enough Saturn won't be part of GM anymore! It's being sold to Penske.
Val 2:05PM (7/10/2009)
Win39 is right. GM takes billions of our tax dollars, lays off thousands of (taxpaying) employees and one of the first things they want to do is change the color of the logo. Really it's not like they're actually changing the design (which would also be a waste of money).
The cost would be staggering! Every dealership sign would have to be changed. All business cards, letterhead, etc. would be obsolete. And GM says they want to do this to show they're "green"? Where the freak is all this stuff going to end up? IN A LANDFILL!
What ever happened to common sense?
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TheAlabamaRambler 5:31PM (7/10/2009)
This logo change totally exemplifies why the folks that run this company will never be able to change it. Want folks to think of your company as green? Build green cars, nobody cares what logo is on it. And I would resent one dollar spent by this company to change the logo color... it would cost millions and only put out the message "We don't know what else to do so let's try to make folks we're doing something!"
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AD 8:55PM (7/10/2009)
Story is a fake.
Fritz Henderson answered the question about this lie. Flat out phony story.
But if it makes you feel better about hating GM, spread this nonsense.
Doesn't say anything about GM, does say something about how willing the media and idiots want to piss on GM.
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NickDG 5:42PM (7/11/2009)
I don't think the GM logo needs to be reworked. The Chevy bow tie needs to be redesigned for the 21st century. All the cars are looking good, but that bow tie just reminds me of the old GM garbage cars. Just make the bow tie a little longer and sleeker and use a color better than the god awful gold/pewter color.
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