General Electric (GE)
General Electric Co. (GE) is a multinational technology and financial services company founded in 1892 through the merger of the Edison General Electric Company and the Thomson-Houston Electric Company.
GE produces devices and appliances for the generation, transmission, distribution, control and utilization of electricity. Although it started with products such as light bulbs and toasters, it has since expanded and diversified into a conglomerate providing solutions in media, finance, health, and technology.
The company transformed from manufacturing light bulbs, refrigerators, and microwave machines to developing and selling parts for aircrafts, x-ray machines, weapons, consumer loans, and different products for harnessing and distributing electrical power.
GE founder, Thomas Edison was driven by purpose: “I find out what the world needs and then proceed to invent it.” Following Edison’s path, GE struck gold in 1979 with its “We bring good things to life” motto. With about $1 billion spent on advertising, it became one of the most successful corporate branding stories in history.
Described as a Digital Industrial Company, GE sets out to spark and reinforce new associations with technological innovations that demonstrate their commitment to providing innovative solutions.
GE operates in 8 sectors: Power & Water, Oil & Gas, Energy Management, Aviation, Healthcare, Transportation, Appliances & Lighting, and GE Capital.
GE’s longevity has not hindered progress and development. In 2003, GE adopted the new slogan, “Imagination at work” and launched a campaign under the same name. It was a viral campaign that signalled GE’s foray into digital marketing. The interactive “Pen” application developed in 2003 stating that “Every great idea begins with a sketch.” It allowed users to engage their imagination and sketch out their ideas which could be saved on the website and shared with others. Participants from over 140 different countries were involved with over six million sketches shared with about 1.5 million people.
Despite GE’s age (over 125 years), it continues to wow its customers by introducing innovative ideas. During the 45th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon, GE launched its own line of “moon boots” to commemorate its design of the astronaut’s legendary shoes.
In 2014, GE ran a story, “There’s a Suicide Epidemic in Utah — And One Neuroscientist Thinks He Knows Why,” to raise public awareness on its works on the latest developments in diagnostics and neuroscience. The story shared results on studies relating to neuroscience and psychology, and a personality quiz, and a trivia tournament on the mobile app QuizUp. This was a widely unexpected marketing strategy but it yielded great reward as the company shook social media and gained about 1 million page views.
With fierce competition from other major companies, GE is committed to improving life and living all over the world by incorporating digital technology into its industrial expertise with the launch of GE’s Predix platform. With the goal of bringing electricity to the 1.2 billion people who still don’t have it, GE continues to figure out world problems and invent solutions.
The message from GE to their customers and public alike is to expect the unexpected.
