First newspaper columnists and pundits alike were bantering about the idea of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO and founder Steve Jobs as car czar to save the Big Three automakers. Now, Detroit Free Press columnist Carol Cain has a new suggestion, media giant Oprah Winfrey.
Crazy? Yeah, maybe like a fox. Winfrey might indeed be a better choice than President Obama's auto task force of Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and advisers Steve Rattner and Larry Summers. While certainly intelligent, and accomplished individuals, odds are the three are more familiar with the insides of a Lincoln Town Car than an actual family sedan.
We're sure Winfrey has seen her share of limos too, but she's built a media empire through her uncanny knack for resonating with the public. One illustration of her understanding of people -- and cars -- came in 2004 when she gave away Pontiac G6s to her entire studio audience, which resulted in massive fanfare. Her ability to capture the public's zeitgeist could help the automakers build products that people really want.
In a sense, Oprah as car czar is akin to the calls for Jobs in the same spot. He is also widely regarded as someone who understands marketing and mass appeal, having brought back Apple from the brink of if not actual collapse then at least from obscurity. Jobs has made Apple products ubiquitous while maintaining their hip factor -- something most of U.S.-built cars seem to lack today.
So, which sounds more appealing, an Oprah SUV or an Apple iCar? Come to think of it, we have two troubled automakers, so we could give both a chance to try their hands at building cars people want. While we're at it, lets round up Jack Welch, Martha Stewart and a few other executives and let them compete for a chance to run General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM) and Chrysler LLC. After all, NBC is reportedly looking for new reality shows. - Matthew Wurtzel
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It's not marketing and appeal that is plaguing the domestic car industry, it is legacy and union costs. I don't think Oprah and/or Steve Jobs are fit for this position.