GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

New York Times on 11/24/05 had an article on a new survey showing Donald J. Trump as one of the most trusted fashion names in America. The reason is a line of Trump suits, all retailing for around $500 in stores like Macy’s, that has proven to be very popular. Trump’s name apparently fell into the category of ‘Human Brands’ – that is, names that actually transcended the product because people associated certain values with the person behind the product. But here is what is interesting - Robert Passikoff, the president of Brand Keys, which conducted the survey, said that part of making that connection is creating a level of brand specificity. “You ask someone what Mercedes means, they say, 'Luxury.' You say BMW, and they go, 'Engineering.' Toyota? 'Reliability.' You say Pontiac and they go, 'Uh.'" He paused. "The 'uh' is the sound of a dying brand."

Sadly I can't think of any American car brands that brings to mind a level of brand specificity. Probably Chevrolet's "Like a Rock" makes people think of Solid, Capable trucks. Maybe Pontiac just needs a good ad campaign...

We build excitement! Pontiac!...............................At least we used too!!!

Brand identity is very important to building a solid customer base, but it can also lock a company in to a certain market. That's why Toyota has Lexus, Honda has Acura, and Nissan has Infinity...all three base brands wanted to move upmarket but couldn't with their identity.VW is running into the same thing as their prices keep going up...their cars are good, but who wants to pay nearly $40K for a Passat?This also got me thinking about my perceptions of different car brands...Toyota = reliable but DULL!Lexus = luxurious but too softPontiac = sportyChevrolet = valueBuick = where's the emoticon for sleeping?Cadillac = used to be "pass me the geritol and viagra" but is now "high-tech performance with a little too much glitz"Jeep = off-road capableJust a few off teh top of my head...

'this is not your father's oldsmobile'