If President Bush signs the bailout for the car companies, as he is expected to, Uncle Sam will play a very prominent role in the marketing industry as well. Here is some food for thought:
The draft rescue plan for Detroit sent to the White House by Congress yesterday calls for the appointment of a “car czar” who will oversee the Big Three automakers’ expenses over $25 million — which, by extension, would include media buys. Based on Advertising Age’s estimates of spending by General Motors Corp., Chrysler and Ford Motor Co., that would give the as-yet-unnamed car czar control over some $7.3 billion in marketing spending in the U.S. alone.
State power is reaching areas once unimaginable.