It’s difficult to believe that almost a year has gone by since America’s beloved General Motors all but crumbled, filing bankruptcy in the process. For 77 years, GM had remained on top of the world as the largest automaker, and proved their value with innovations such as power steering and power breaks.

Although GM survived (barely) their demise in the car world, things are far from where they were. The once-massive auto conglomerate is now down to a mere four brands- Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Cadillac. When asked what the key is to crawling out from underneath the pile, GM marketing executives say it’s simple: clearly define the remaining brands and abandon messages that deal with GM itself. This was a lesson learned the hard way when CEO Ed Whitacre’s TV ad rubbed consumers the wrong way (in the ad, Whitacre boasts to the public about paying government loans back early).

GM’s tactics have seemed to work thus far. By focusing on brand identity management, along with an increase in social media and a bit of management shuffling with all brands, the auto group has shown a surprising amount of strength. Within the last year, they somehow managed to outsell all other car makers in the U.S and outspent them in advertising dollars as well. Not bad for a car maker that lost a huge percentage of their market share.

Who knows? If GM can “keep on truckin’ along” with their humble and steady pace, they just may regain their focus on all market demographics and beat this pesky bankruptcy ordeal after all.