Chevrolet is taking some classes from its interns as effectively. With individuals of coloration accounting for almost half of GM staff whereas holding solely 30% of firm management positions, Chevrolet CMO Steve Majoros discovered that HBCU college students contributed as a lot to the DTU program as they benefited from it.
“It exposes us to individuals who have, maybe, a unique life expertise and mindset,” Majoros mentioned. “It provides them publicity to the truth that, maybe, large, monolithic corporations aren’t so unapproachable, and are fairly dynamic locations.”
No free journey
As Chapman famous of DTU, there’s a product baked proper into this system.
This 12 months, Chevrolet tasked its Fellows with promoting the newly launched, roughly $20,000 Trax as a starter car for college students and graduates. The scholars focused alumni available in the market for vehicles, checked out model carry and marked gross sales. They by no means took a simple, arduous gross sales method pitching value or cost plans, however they supplied their view from contained in the car.
Whereas Chevrolet wouldn’t share gross sales numbers hooked up to the DTU program, it famous {that a} large motive it has endured for the higher a part of a decade is “cultural capital.” Chapman and his crew monitor on-line engagement from DTU fellows’ posts, they cull information from the NNPA web site on content material views, they see the way it reaches a secondary viewers and examine its effectiveness with earlier campaigns—just like the 2022 DTU program centered across the Chevy Bolt EV.
“I can’t go in to our CMO and simply say, ‘Hey, this makes you are feeling good,’” Chapman mentioned. “It’s important to have metrics.”
