The 4 P's of marketing

In case you missed it ... last week General Motors Vice President Bob Lutz talked to Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert about the Chevy Volt, an electric car powered by a lithium ion battery that can take it 40 miles without a drop of gas.

As viewers of "The Colbert Report" already know, the satirical host has perfected the art of the comic grilling.

And when you're VP of a company that is pinning its hopes on an electric car and you don't even believe in global warming, you should expect a little heat.

Maybe that explains Lutz' odd answer to one of Colbert's last and least serious questions: Can driving a Volt get me laid?

"I think so," said Lutz. "You're going to get a lot of very nice, no-makeup environmental women."

Nothing says "we love our customers!" like denying their cause and stereotyping their women. A reader over at EcoGeek said it best:

... From his comments one can clearly deduce that the leadership at GM doesn't take the people who make up that segment seriously. And that's why, even though they may be first to market with a product, it will be a product that doesn't understand its buyer.

We've got a lot of "environmental" women here in Seattle, a city that consistently ranks among the most green and sustainable cities in the country. And I'm sure some of them shave their legs (to clarify for commenters, Colbert submitted this trait after Lutz's "no makeup" quip). Was Lutz being serious, girls, or just kidding around? Watch the clip and decide for yourself.

The 4 P's of marketing are: Product, Price, Place & Promotion. Mr. Lutz gets a thumbs down in the 4 P's especially as the VP of General Motors. I understand its Comedy Central, but he could of still appealed to the audience without offending some of them. You learn that in Marketing 100. I think he could have handled it better.