Manchester United fans planning GM boycott

Fans of the popular British futbol soccer team Manchester United are calling for a boycott of the club and their sponsors in the wake of a recently announced massive General Motors sponsorship deal. According to a Reuters report, the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) is the group calling for the boycott. MUST released a statement last week outlining the group's intentions: "The boycott strategy is intended to send a loud and clear message to the Glazer family and club sponsors that without the support and purchasing power of the fans the global strength of Manchester United brand doesn't actually exist."

Those strong words come in the wake of the General Motors sponsorship deal with Manchester United, which may in part have led to the ousting of marketing boss Joel Ewanick from his post at GM. To get the Chevrolet Bowtie on the club's iconic red jerseys, GM will be $70 million next year, with a 2.1-percent increase each following year.

MUST claims that the Glazer family is diluting the team by putting it in debt in the $1.23 billion takeover. The group may be alluding to the upcoming IPO of the team. Manchester United is looking to raise $330 million by trying to move 16.7 million shares on a public offering August 9.
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Akerson: GM Marketing a group effort

Joel Ewanick split, and many suspected he was forced out the door of the Renaissance Center by General Motors Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson. We may never know if the move was a result of anger in the boardroom, but Akerson took the time during GM's quarterly earnings conference call to point out that GM Marketing is more than one man.

"The fundamental approach is, no change" said Chief Financial Officer Dan Ammann, making earlier statements about Ewanick's conduct not meeting the expectations of General Motors seem all the more personal. On a strictly professional basis, a deal with two English soccer teams and unfavorable advertising metrics, not to mention market share loss, have been cited as reasons for Ewanick's ouster.

Curiously, though, in the face of what seem to be plenty of examples of missed expectations and the need for a revamp, Akerson defends the automaker's strategy, which was presumably presided over by Ewanick. "I know a lot of public views this as a personality-driven industry," clarified Akerson, "It's a team effort. What you saw in the marketplace was a thought-out strategy that was agreed upon as a team." Firing the coach is a common move for teams that don't win, for sure, but taking a business-as-usual approach doesn't tend to clinch victories, and advertising decided upon by a committee tends to only excite said committee.
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GM developing Wi-Fi app to help pedestrians avoid being hit [w/video]

Since even the threat of serious injury or death isn't enough to keep people engrossed in their phones from walking out into traffic, General Motors is developing a new pedestrian safety technology that will sense the phone itself. Using Wi-Fi Direct, a peer-to-peer wireless standard that's like a medium-range Bluetooth, a car would be able to detect a smartphone directly and alert the driver in time to avoid kneecapping the pedestrian.

GM says that Wi-Fi Direct would allow devices to connect in one second, rather than the seven to eight that devices would need when connecting through a cell tower. While GM is still developing the concept, it also has plans for a smartphone app that would warn approaching vehicles. It could be used by bike messengers, construction workers, and others who are frequently at risk of being hit by traffic.

Scroll down to read the full press release and watch a video explaining the concept.
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BMW to sell cars online?

Here's a twist in BMW's foray into the EV market that we hadn't anticipated: Online sales. Bloomberg is reporting that when BMW launches its i3 electric and i8 plug-in hybrid next year, the German carmaker will be selling the cars direct to customers via the Internet.

BMW is showing off its electric brand at a new London showroom, part of its Olympic sponsorship, but when the cars go on sale in Europe the ordering process will be part of the car configurator, according to the report. A BMW rep told the news service that details for how this ordering process would work with its existing dealer network have not yet been worked out.

The motivation for online sales is simple: Cheaper costs for the automaker. Online car prices could be five to seven percent less than those sold from a dealer, according to the report.

Here in the U.S., it is highly unlikely that such a model will be implemented. Both Ford and General Motors explored creating direct, online sales channels in the U.S. a decade ago, but those experiments went nowhere, due to state franchise laws and universal opposition to the idea among dealers.
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