Blue Collar Chevy Needs Smart Guidance

In the article Saving Chevrolet Means Sending ‘Chevy’ to Dump, Richard Chang of the New York Times points out some of the stupid things brand managers do to powerful brands that can have profound effects on their future. Specifically General Motors. What GM is trying to do is get people to refer to GM’s biggest brand as “Chevrolet” and not simply “Chevy“. C’mon people! If you love your friend, don’t you connect better with him when you call him Buddy and not by his given name?

Paul Worthington of Wolff Olins, a brand-consulting firm, said it best in the article when he pointed out that consumers “will call you whatever they want to call you“. That’s their prerogative and as a brand, you should want that. You should want consumers to engage with you on their terms. That’s what makes powerful brands.

Some of the world’s best brands are referred to as nicknames of their more formal monikers: FedEx, Coke, Mac. What better way to make a connection with consumers?

Sometimes marketing directors just need to get out of the way.

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S. A. Habib is the founder of Locomotion Creative, a brand marketing and design company in Nashville, TN.