GM CEO Mary Barra appears in dealer's viral TikTok series

Author

Colin Velez
August 07, 2024

From left to right: GM CEO Mary Barra, Mohawk Chevrolet Digital Branding Creator Grace Kerber

A TikTok series mimicking “The Office” TV show created by Mohawk Chevrolet has upped the ante with its latest episode featuring General Motors CEO Mary Barra and other top executives.

Why this matters: The retail automotive space often fumbles the ball with digital marketing, especially when engaging with younger generations. Relying on those generations, who better understand what media people their age connect with, may help dealers drive results.

Driving the news: “The Dealership” is a weekly TikTok show led by Mohawk Chevrolet digital branding creators Grace Kerber and Ben Bushen. The series has gone viral for parodying the mockumentary style of “The Office,” garnering millions of views.

  • For its 11th episode, General Motors invited the dealership team to Detroit to film their newest episode.

  • During the five-minute video, Kerber pitches punctuated model titles to the executive team. “When you take the ‘Silve’ out of the Silverado, what do you have left?” she asks. “Me, the road and the Rado. Why do we not need silver? Because silver does not equal gold, and the Silverado is gold.”

  • Barra appears during the presentation, commenting: “Rado — I think I like it.”

  • Elsewhere in the episode, Chevrolet CMO Steve Majoros also backs up Kerber’s pitch. “We could take Trax and make that the Ax. Same thing with the Nox.” He almost recommends the Tahoe as well but cuts himself short.

Background: Apart from its more obvious inspirations, the story of “The Dealership” borrows heavily from day-to-day life at Mohawk Chevrolet. According to Kerber, the first episode was based on a real event, which saw someone hide rubber ducks around the dealership.

Bottom line: Viral marketing has never been a strong suit for dealers, many of whom are older and lack connections to technology that younger generations possess. Kerber and Bushen have demonstrated what a well-crafted digital campaign can truly achieve, rightfully earning themselves and their business a spotlight for all their hard work and creativity.

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