GM's New Chapter

It's not surprising that GM is advertising heavily during the NBA Finals, despite, or perhaps because of, its recent bankruptcy.  But what did catch me off guard is the new slogan I just heard at the end of a commercial:  "Because the only chapter we're focused on is Chapter 1."  I had to look it up online to make sure I'd heard correctly. Was that really a bankruptcy-chapter pun I just heard on prime time TV?

But now I have a different question. Will anybody outside of the bankruptcy world know what GM is talking about? I know bankruptcy is all over the news these days, but still.  What do readers think?

Comments

[Ryan]

I think that people will get it based on the really pervasive news coverage. I am more surprised that they are making a pun on it at the risk of pissing off taxpayers who are "owners" of the company. It will be interesting to see how GM markets themselves. Has Chrysler been marketing at all? I haven't seen any commercials for them.

[Phil]

I wonder if they're more focused on § 110 ("Penalty for persons who negligently or fraudulently prepare bankruptcy petitions") or § 112 ("Prohibition on disclosure of name of minor children")?

[dWj]

I think most people know "Chapter 11" and associate it with bankruptcy, in a way that they don't with "Chapter 7" or "Chapter 13" or "Chapter 9". Insofar as I'm surprised it's only that they would make that direct an allusion to their bankruptcy at all, rather than just let it sit in the background while they talk about going forward.

[David Fuller]

If they're going back to chapter 1 rather than start a new chapter, then what does that say about the company's entire history or does it just mean that they're going to blindly rewrite history and ignore their past mistakes.