The contrast in behavior between two car companies over the past several months could hardly be more illuminating. As reported by DetroitNews.com, the marketing heads of GM directed their internal staff to stop referring to cars using the Chevy nickname and instead use the more proper Chevrolet label. It smacks of a guy I knew named “Ox” who tried to convert everyone to calling him Alex after he graduated college and got his first job in banking. He thought it was more fitting to help him climb the corporate ladder. It distanced him from his old friends and made him less interesting to his new ones. After all, who would you rather have watching over your money, Alex or the Ox? GM’s attempt to backtrack a couple days later was only slightly less baffling. They explained that because they sell more cars internationally now than domestically, they thought it better for consumers outside the U.S. to learn their proper name first before learning the nickname. That defies the way nicknames really work with both people and products, if Paul David Hewson (Bono) and Coca-Cola (Coke) are any indication.
Compare that approach to Volkswagen. They’ve embraced the Punch Dub game that kids started around spotting a Volkswagen. When I saw their ads shortly after my kids starting punching each other in the arm every time they saw a VW drive by, it was both endearing and smart. It made those familiar with the game feel like insiders, and those unfamiliar with it curious. Every marketer strives to integrate their brands into the popular culture, and they handled the opportunity deftly.
The contrast comes down to a simple definition of a brand. While marketers work hard to foster brands, a true brand is ultimately owned by the consumers. It is people’s perceptions and feelings that define a brand. VW took what people were doing around the brand and embraced it, GM pushed it away. Maybe GM took their part in popular culture for granted because Chevy has been around so long. It might have been easier for VW to see the relatively new phenomenon as a gift in a way that GM could not. Still, the fundamental mistake was in a mindset that misunderstood the fundamental nature of brands.
The Ryan Report 