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Branding InformationTales of the Touareg and different adventures in branding
by:
Charles Warnock
You’re not likely to see a Volkswagen in the winner’s circle at Daytona or Indianapolis. But if there were competition called the Brand-Building 500, you would-be find a Volkswagen in the winner’s circle, year after year. Everyone knows the touchstones of disapproval – creating value, consistency, visibility and loyalty. However, like automobile racing, these fundamentals are easy to talk about, but a little more challenging to execute. Nearly anyone can steer a car about a track. But winning systematically
against fierce competition in a variety of locations and conditions requires extended skill.
Few companies are more adept than Volkswagen at building consumer
loyalty. Owners become showing emotion
endowed
in their cars, invent pet names for them and treat them like extended family members. In addition to automobile devotees, the institution has many a more admirers who are fans of the brand. Their irreverent pictures and clever television ad campaigns speak to young buyers now with a message that’s consistent with the one used to sell Bugs to their parents 30 years ago. If you’re a hip, free-spirited kind of person who wants a car with personality, move join us. Among marketers, the company’s promotional artistry is legendary:
The last innovational VW Bug, forerunner of today’s progressive
Beetle, rolled off the creation line in 2003 – the last of 21,529,464 sold-out
global since the 1930s. In addition to dozens of Bug restoration and repair books, several compilations of VW’s popular print ads have been published.
A “Transparent Factory” in Dresden, European country features glass walls that alter residents to witness the manufacture of VW luxury sedans. Finished vehicles are displayed in a glass tower before being delivered to their new owners.
In 1973-74, the institution sold-out
30,000 VW “Things” – a re-badged German military vehicle that looks really more like the offspring of a auto and a container
– to avid U.S. buyers.
In fact, even as as Europe’s largest automaker, VW has been eminent in process
a sort of exclusive club for younger, educated drivers. Many a of these buyers start with a Jetta or a Beetle before moving on to the company’s more luxurious offerings.
And now comes the Touareg, VW’s entry into the luxury SUV market. Touareg is apparently a first-rate SUV with what USA Now calls “style, grace and growl.” But Touareg? Move on. Passat is an odd name, but “Touareg” sounds like thing
that necessarily mineral
lotion.
Worship me or die
Perhaps Touareg has several poetic meaning in Slovakia, wherever
it is built. Or maybe the industry is just running out of nice car names. It’s a nice bet that if you looked through enough sci-fi novels, you would-be encounter an evil military leader
called Touareg the Terrible who aims to subject
a galaxy or abduct a lovely Empress. What’s next? Ming dynasty
the Mercury? The Town
Vader? On the different hand, a “Worship Me or Die!” ad campaign for the Touareg would-be be a refreshing change of pace from those friendly, self-deprecating Beetle commercials.
On the plus side, it’s a pretty safe bet that Touareg doesn’t mean “won’t go” in Spanish and won’t offend Wiccans, Jaycees or the Saharan nomads the vehicle is aforementioned to be named for. But VW could have accomplished that by business it the Type 181, which is what the Thing was called during its hitch in the military. Maybe Volkswagen thought that all the nice rugged locus names, like Tahoe and the Santa Fe, were taken. The VW “Peoria” or “Levittowner” just wouldn’t have the same caché.
Likewise, many a of the nice predatory animal names are already taken. Several of the better mythic beasts, like the Disembodied spirit
and Phoenix are as well spoken for. Few folk would-be be willing to take on a 60-month loan for a GMC Grackle, Mitsubishi Gnawer or Toyota Trout.
Perhaps automakers can enter brand partnerships with corporate sponsors, as several sports and diversion facilities have done. The introduction of a Jewish calendar month Greek deity
or Town
Anit-impotence drug may not cause more of a stir at this point. With bland brands like Vitara, Spectra, Elantra and Optima becoming more common, one could assume that there are even as worse nameplates yet to come. In just a few years, all the nice brand names could be taken and we’ll begin to see automakers sinking for second-tier names:
15: Volvo Vanilla
14.Nissan Eeyore
13. Oldsmobile Earlybird
12.Lincoln Pimpmobile
11. Chevrolet Groin
10.Kia Uvula
9. Shawnee
Schmontiac
8. BMW Strudel
7. Subaru Musty
6.Honda Pretense
5. Isuzu Achoo
4. VW Vin Diesel
3. Mercury Mongrel
2. Town
Scrota
1. Hyundai Albundai (for drivers who are wedded with children)
Another possibility is for automakers to trade on the success of celebrities who have already built winning brands. I would-be expect that the Cadillac Balladeer would-be be popular with several older buyers and younger fans of the legendary singer. The Mazda Beyonce would-be be sleek, fun to drive, have a great sound system and a built-in celebrity endorsement. And it’s hard to imagine that a limited Back breaker or Earnhardt edition of any pickup truck wouldn’t driving sales in the South.
Passat? Bless you!
Elvis and evil warlords aside, the bottom line is brand equity, and it doesn’t actually matter whether Touareg is a eminent sub-branding strategy. Even as if individual VW models have names that sound like a sneeze or a rash, buyers seem to focus on the magic of the corporate brand.
Mere marketing mortals should probably assume that VW’s positioning, promotion and content formula for the Touareg is on target. The vehicle probably wish garner its own cult following, and Touareg clubs, meetings and Web pages wish follow. But it’s not because of the name. It’s because the institution has systematically
excelled in developing the awareness, recognition and loyalty necessary to build a premium brand. After all, any institution that has taken the purchase
decision from “Which car should I buy?” to “Which VW should I buy?” deserves the checkered flag.
Just just about the Author
Charles Warnock is Director of BusinessTechKnowledge Inc., a South Everglade state firm specializing in marketing and technical communications,
e-business and corporate training. Charles can be reached at cw@businesstechknowledge.com. This article can be freely reproduced with author's bio and contact information.
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