May 7, 2009

Logos Institute Executive Director Helio Fred Garcia was quoted in today's USA Today commenting on General Motors' trip for fleet auto buyers to sample the company's 2010 models.  The story focused on recent negative coverage of companies that hosted conferences at luxury resorts. 

The USA quoted Garcia saying, "Helio Fred Garcia, a professor of crisis communications at New York University, says GM has a point, within reason. It's important for the automaker to stay in touch with its customers, he says. But he questions whether GM should have considered doing something else. "Isn't there some other way that at least doesn't look like the things people have already labeled as stupid?" he says. "My instinct is, I would probably advise a client to find some other way to be in a relationship with those stakeholders."    PDF of USA Today

A similar story with a different quote appeared in the May 7 edition of the Arizona Republic.  In that story, Garcia was quoted saying, "Helio Fred Garcia, a professor of crisis communications at New York University, said GM's fleet meeting isn't the same as AIG's public relations mess.

'This is not for its employees, but for people who buy lots and lots of cars,' Garcia said. Garcia added, 'If GM is going to survive . . . it has to maintain sales in a competitive marketplace.'