Shop Talk Podcast: Update from Honda's Todd Mittleman on Green Cars

We talked to Todd Mittleman of Honda last spring about Honda's environmentally-focused cars, the Civic GX natural gas vehicle and the FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle (which, at the time, had not yet been released).

Well, a lot has changed in a year. The FCX is now out, and that's the least of the news since then. People have reined in spending in many ways, not least of which is their utter reluctance to purchase a car from any manufacturer.

So how do green vehicles fit into Honda's strategy now? We brought Todd back for another discussion. Podcast file: todd-mittleman-mar-2009 (21:37).

Highlights:
0:25 Description of Civic GX and FCX Clarity
4:15 Positioning of "green" vehicles in current economic climate
8:20 Does the US government's support of alternate energy help the GX and Clarity?
10:45 Positioning of the new hybrid Insight versus the GX
14:17 More on the FCX Clarity
15:50 First customer feedback on the Clarity

(Photo: the Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle)

Shop Talk Podcast #10 - John Quelch on Democracy and Marketing

This time we talk with Harvard Business School Professor John Quelch, co-author with Katherine Jocz of "Greater Good: How Good Marketing Makes For Better Democracy" (Harvard Business Press, 2008).

John talks about how marketing and democracy share many goals, and how each can learn from the strengths of the other--including how democracy's lessons on acting based on altruism rather than self-interest has echoes in the corporate social responsibility movement.

One of John's welcome themes is that marketing on the whole benefits society greatly--which leads into a detour about why people--even marketers themselves--often view the profession as unseemly.

It was a fun discussion. I learned a lot, and I hope you like it.

The podcast is here (right-click to download).

You can learn more about John Quelch's research and thinking on his blog.

Other resources:
Interview with John Quelch from Personal Branding Blog
My review of "Greater Good"

(Theme music: "Up the Coast," from West Indian Girl's latest album 4th and Wall.)

Shop Talk Podcast #6 - Todd Mittleman on Honda's Fuel Cell car

On this edition of the Shop Talk Podcast, I talk once again with Todd Mittleman, Director of Environmental & Safety Public Relations for Honda, this time about the Clarity FCX, Honda's fuel cell car for the mass market, to be launched sometime in the summer of 2008. (You can find our first interview here.)

If you've ever wondered what on earth a fuel-cell is and how it can power a car, and how you can drive in Southern California's carpool lanes with no one else in your car, you'll want to listen.

Please right-click and save here to download the podcast.

automobiles, environment, technology, fuel cell, green technology, podcast, corporate social responsibility