Marketing Sustainability at General Motors

In November 2023, top of mind for Kristen Siemen, chief sustainability officer at General Motors (GM), was how to increase consumer adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). After committing to be carbon neutral by 2040, the automotive giant has its work cut out for it: while EV purchases increased to 14% in 2022, consumer concerns, such as range anxiety and cost sensitivity, are limiting adoption. Kristen Siemen must consider how the marketing, sustainability, and communication teams should continue to work collaboratively to address this slowdown in market penetration and how to optimally position GM to reach its goal of carbon neutrality. In this case, students will learn about the automotive and EV industries, discuss GM’s strategy for addressing sustainability goals and challenges, and analyze the current progress on carbon emissions as well as the path forward for GM in terms of EV supply, energy management, and communication strategy.