New Cadillac head Johan de Nysschen has been taking flack for decisions such as moving Cadillac's headquarters from Detroit to New York City and coming up with a new naming system for Cadillac models. Now he's firing back on Facebook.
Many of us take to social media to passive-aggressively air our beefs with our friends, but de Nysschen skipped the passive and went right for the aggressive.
He pulled few punches as he hit back at critics of GM's plans for Cadillac.
Starting with a defense of how to achieve his corporate mandate, de Nysschen wrote, "Mary Barra and Dan Ammann have been very explicit in their instructions: restore Cadillac to the pinnacle of global premium brands, not in sales but in aspirational brand character. OK, so let's get to work. Obviously, doing what has always been done won't yield a different result."
Then he pulled the "you don't understand unless you work here" card similar to when athletes respond to criticism by saying their antagonists haven't played the game.
"Every armchair marketing expert has ten opinions to share," de Nysschen wrote. "Fortunately, I do not determine strategy based on the unfiltered observations of people who do not have a 360-degree understanding of the problem."
GM is setting up Cadillac as a separate business unit, and de Nysschen has no use for former GM employees who disapprove. "Emails from GM [retirees] suggesting that is the dumbest idea since the Cimmaron. I quietly wonder if any of them had a hand in creating that masterful monument to product substance."
Word on the street is that de Nysschen wanted new Cadillac headquarters because he didn't want to move to Detroit.
In an effort to still that rumor, de Nysschen said, "To all the indignant souls out there--this has nothing to do with Detroit. And certainly has nothing to do with where I choose to live. It has everything to do with creating an awesome car company.
"We must develop corporate processes, policies, mindsets, behaviors, attitudes, which are right-sized for Cadillac. ... No distractions. No side shows. No cross-brand corporate considerations. ... Just pure, unadulterated CLASS. ... And if we don't move, nothing will change. ... So Detroit fans, I love your city, the success of Cadillac will be your success, the majority of our jobs remain in Detroit, and as we grow, these will increase too. But other than that--don't mess with me."
Tough talk from de Nysschen, but he and the brand will have to back it up.
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