GeorgeB interview in The Hub

[ModelS8794]

I was curious what GeorgeB and Ron Johnson both did while at Apple and found this nice interview in The Hub magazine, which looks like a niche publication catering to retail brand and marketing folks. Very nice interview overall, and I enjoyed his closing remarks - those of you who attended the Motor Trend COTY unveiling will find them familiar.

Tesla retail chief George Blankenship re-imagines the car-buying experience

What was your role relative to Ron Johnson’s at Apple?

We worked very closely together. Ron is brilliant at branding. That was his major contribution at Target and at Apple. It was his idea to do the Genius Bar, which is an incredible addition to the Apple store. He is a branding genius.


I came in with a strategic growth strategy, a retail strategy. I know the world of shopping well. I oversaw store design, construction, and the roll out of stores for all Gap brands in North America from 1990 to 1997.


So, I have the store design background and the in-store background. I also have an operations background because I ran stores at Gap. So, between the branding and the strategy, we worked together to bring the Apple stores to life.


And then obviously Steve was involved in every detail of everything that went on in the stores. We were basically contributors to the meetings where Steve made the decisions

 

[Citizen-T]

GeorgeB, you are the man.

 

[SebastianR]

I was curious what GeorgeB and Ron Johnson both did while at Apple and found this nice interview in The Hub magazine, which looks like a niche publication catering to retail brand and marketing folks. Very nice interview overall, and I enjoyed his closing remarks - those of you who attended the Motor Trend COTY unveiling will find them familiar.

Tesla retail chief George Blankenship re-imagines the car-buying experience

Thanks for posting. Very cool!

 

[vfx]

When the history of Tesla is written George's bold contributions should be placed next to Elon's. JB's too. What a phenomenal team.

 

[CyberDutchie]

I get in the car, and look at Google Maps on the 17-inch touchscreen. I turn on traffic, and the car tells me the best way to get to work. It’s amazing.

What version is he on, I've not seen this alternate-route-to-avoid-traffic-congestion feature. Or is he speaking figuratively?

 

[Bipo]

What version is he on, I've not seen this alternate-route-to-avoid-traffic-congestion feature. Or is he speaking figuratively?

I have an Android phone with Google Search service active and the own phone tells me information when I need it before I look for it, is amazing! I mean... I get to the street, take the phone out of the pocket to i.e. check the time and I can see a notification telling me how long would it take to get home. Awesome.

Another example: I search in my laptop something about, i.e. laundry service. Then I can see in the notifications bar of my phone how far is the nearest laundry in the town. It works really well.

 

[Soflason]

Great interview, one of the best I've seen from George B. My all-time favorite (a bit old, but fantastic) was done by Gigaom and features a 20 minute Q&A video, if you haven't had a chance to check it out and want more enlightening George B. insights into his overall vision for the brand, it's a must-see:
Stores aren Tech News and Analysis

 

[blakegallagher]

Great Article thanks for posting! Enjoyed Video as well.

 

[tdelta1000]

What a great read. Thanks to the Hub for the get and thanks to Mr. G. B. for sharing those insights.

 

[strangethingintheland]

View attachment 19866When the history of Tesla is written George's bold contributions should be placed next to Elon's. JB's too. What a phenomenal team.

I think Gilbert Passin is the unsung hero. Making the trains run on time. So many people thought ramping up to 400-500 cars/week with good gross margins would never happen, or at least not without numerous significant setbacks along the way. Sure there were some hiccups, but the ramp up was pretty remarkable, IMHO.

 

[StephenM]

+1 on the thanks! Great article

 

[Vger]

I think Gilbert Passin is the unsung hero. Making the trains run on time. So many people thought ramping up to 400-500 cars/week with good gross margins would never happen, or at least not without numerous significant setbacks along the way. Sure there were some hiccups, but the ramp up was pretty remarkable, IMHO.

I completely agree. I have been around a lot of tech in my life and business life, but when I walked into the Fremont factory last June, my jaw literally dropped. To have created that innovative and efficient factory from a grubby shell in less than two years is mind-bending to me. Like Mr. Blankenship says in the article, "everything we do is impossible."

It is really an amazing team. Elon has brilliantly assembled a group that complement and actualize his brilliant vision, and are motivated by his unwavering drive and stainless steel will.

I also think Franz is a somewhat unsung hero. The Model S is not just fast, roomy and efficient, it is truly lovely. It is beautiful in a subtle way. It does not scream at you (like a Fisker), it seduces you and invites you to make friends and come to rely on its stunning capabilities. The lines are all graceful and really not obvious. Your eye can study them a long time and still discover nuances unseen in the first, second, and third looks.

But coming back to George, his humanity, empathy, and ebullience complement all Elon's steel-trap precision and compressed communication. He understands his role perfectly, and he understands the golden rule of marketing-- treat customers like you will know them forever, and maybe you will!