User:Huckstuhr/We Bring Good Things to Life

Lead

"We Bring Good Things to Life" was an advertising slogan used by General Electric between 1979 and 2003. It was designed by the advertising firm BBDO led by project manager Richard Costello, who would later go on to become head of advertising at General Electric. The slogan, after its many appearances in GE advertising, was responsible for increased popularity and a new image for the company. General Electrics pushed out this marketing campaign spending 1 billion dollars in adverting. "We Bring Good Things to Life" focused on General Electric's appliances and lighting fixtures. Jack Welch retired in 2001, with GE being worth 505 billion dollars, and was replaced By Jefferey Immelt as chief executive director, who in January of 2003 changed the slogan to "Imagination at Work", ending the "We Bring Good Things to Life campaign."

Past Slogans

A 1956 GE advertisement in Times magazine promoting their new "Thinline" AC unit.

General Electric's slogans have changed many times throughout the company's history. "Live Better Electrically" was the company's lead advertising campaign from the 1930s to '50s. In the period from 1950 to the "We Bring good Things to Life" campaign of 1979, GE experimented with multiple campaigns surrounding the word progress. The most known being "Progress is our Most Important Product." In the time following World War Two this campaign fit the American Ideal of reconvergence.

Historical Context

From its beginnings, GE emphasized research to create many products and product improvements. The company has been awarded more patents than almost any other company in the United States. GE began creating consumer products in the early 20th century, beginning with a line of toasters. After GE merged with other companies, more and more consumer appliances such as irons and refrigerators began to be sold under the GE or Hotpoint brand names.

During World War Two most appliance manufactures were tasked with making parts for war rather than mass producing their products. As consumers saved money, companies such as GE worked on advertising campaigns promoting how money should be spent after war. General Electric's advertising campaign focused on the furnishing of new suburban homes. In 1952 General Electric's president Ralph Cordiner introduced marketing as the first step in their business model. GE began researching the market on what a customer wants in a product and what they are willing to pay, as well as marketing who the product is for.

1958 GE advertisement featured in Better Homes and Gardens with actor Ronald Reagan. The token was given to all electric homeowners.

In 1954 future President Ronald Reagan and General Electric came together to create "The Genral Electric Television Theater", the show ran on CBS until 1962. In the post-World War two era General Electric and then actor/ political figure Ronald Reagan worked together to promote mass consumption of goods produced by GE. The postwar ideal of mass consumption promoted a democratic citizen-consumer who used their buying power to create a republic of consumption to power the nation.

A citizen-consumer is a member of society who uses their power as a buyer to influence political change. In Lizabeth Cohen's book A Consumers' Republic: The politics of Mass consumption in Postwar America she coins this term as the interaction between consumers and how they use consumption to influence the economy, politics, and society to make our country a better place. The Consumers' Republic of post-war society went into retreat in the 1970s. The ideals of the citizen consumer shifted advertisements through the 20th century.

technological revolution in 1995 (Add to marketing strategy)

For a company such as General Electric there is a lot of decision making that goes into the production of a new product, gamma change is what makes a new product radically different from past products. Gamma change is when an item shifts an issue that people have or changes how they live their life. Gamma change is most often used by technological companies. Some GE inventions that committed gamma change are the incandescent lightbulb in 1879, electric home appliances 1910, and the first home television in 1927.

General Electric's products have changed the way. In the Jack Welch and "We Bring Good Things to Life" era from 1981- 2003 General Electric continued their dominance at the forefront of technological advancement.