...and I understand wanting to control your image. But I don't understand this, via the NYT:
Note the unwitting, or, perhaps more likely, clueless irony. Heh. Right. Americans are somehow confused between "Chevy" and "Chevrolet?" Just like people think "Coke" and "Coca-Cola" are wildly different products? I'm thinking the only people who *might* (and only "might") are the kinds who buy Volvos, Mercedes, and perhaps Lexi... I'm betting people who drive Beemers know what a BMW is, though they might not know it as a product of the Bayerische Motoren Werk.
If your consumers are the ones changing your name, perhaps you ought to consider what that says... and in this case, I don't think it has to do with denigrating the product, given the history of the brand. Any more than Beemer is.
If I were Mr. Campbell, I'd be far more concerned about a different aspect of branding...
GM = Government Motors. I'm thinking that's far more dangerous than Chevy.
Of course - Mr. Campbell's memo could have come from one of any number of government agencies, too. Hmmmm.
Any bets on whether or not Mr. Campbell has a Biz School degree of some sort?
“We’d ask that whether you’re talking to a dealer, reviewing dealer advertising, or speaking with friends and family, that you communicate our brand as Chevrolet moving forward,” said the memo, which was signed by Alan Batey, vice president for Chevrolet sales and service, and Jim Campbell, the G.M. division’s vice president for marketing.
“When you look at the most recognized brands throughout the world, such as Coke or Apple for instance, one of the things they all focus on is the consistency of their branding,” the memo said. “Why is this consistency so important? The more consistent a brand becomes, the more prominent and recognizable it is with the consumer.”
Note the unwitting, or, perhaps more likely, clueless irony. Heh. Right. Americans are somehow confused between "Chevy" and "Chevrolet?" Just like people think "Coke" and "Coca-Cola" are wildly different products? I'm thinking the only people who *might* (and only "might") are the kinds who buy Volvos, Mercedes, and perhaps Lexi... I'm betting people who drive Beemers know what a BMW is, though they might not know it as a product of the Bayerische Motoren Werk.
If your consumers are the ones changing your name, perhaps you ought to consider what that says... and in this case, I don't think it has to do with denigrating the product, given the history of the brand. Any more than Beemer is.
If I were Mr. Campbell, I'd be far more concerned about a different aspect of branding...
GM = Government Motors. I'm thinking that's far more dangerous than Chevy.
Of course - Mr. Campbell's memo could have come from one of any number of government agencies, too. Hmmmm.
Any bets on whether or not Mr. Campbell has a Biz School degree of some sort?
Is it possible to sell shares in the government? Oh sorry, I forgot they have you in bonds.
It's not the brand name consistency that wins customers, it's the *product's* consistency.
Master Batey appears to be one of those clueless individuals who conflates packaging with product -- and now I know exactly where to start selling gold-foil-wrapped cow patties door-to-door...
And I'm betting 98% of the those who buy a Lexus would call you a liar if you told them it was just a high-end Toyota.
GM can do whatever it wants...and we can do whatever we want. Which is what it should be in a free society. Just a few years ago a Chevy was called many other names which would not necessarily get through the rulz committee.
Wonder if they're going to revoke all those licensing agreements?
Sorry. Someone had to say it.
I would add the products 'appeal'.
Anyone remember the Edsel?
Maroon.
Chevy = Chevrolet
Coke = Coca Cola (unless you're in the South, in which case ALL soda/pop is "coke")
facial tissue = Kleenex
Mickey D's = McDonald's
UDF = United Dairy Farmers (Casey will get that reference, but the rest of you need to know that UDF is a Cincinnati convenient store chain.)
and....
USA = AMERICA
There are just some nicknames that everyone knows- and you should capitalize on that rather than villify it.
WHATEVER...... The truck in our driveway right now is a Silverado- Chevy OR Chevrolet.
Bill is right about the high-end cars; I have an old used Acura, but the engine still says "HONDA" on it.
They quoted a race car driver in the article which follows this point as well: “It’s a ’Vette, it’s a Caddy, it’s a Chevy.” For that matter, we use Olds, not Oldsmobile.
...On the other hand, no one abbreviates Chrysler, and it's hard to abbreviate Dodge or Ford, although the latter has inspired some interesting acronyms. :)
And don't be forgetting that the govenment has started paying off its union supporters in the form of shifting the burden of the union provided pension losses over to the tax payers. Be sure to thank a dhimmi at the next election and laugh at the government motors lot as you drive past it on your way to the Ford or Honda or Nissan lot.