Say It Right
Recenly, I read a news release from GM talking about how the company is trying to get rid of the name "Chevy" in people's minds and replace it entirely with the full name "Chevrolet". According to the article, office workers at GM actually have "Chevy jars" (much like "swear jars") that they have to contribute to if they let a "Chevy" slip in conversation. Apparently, General Motors has always tolerated, rather than embraced, this nickname bestowed upon their cars.
Why the resistance? Even if there is an internal memo telling GM employees to say "Chevrolet" (the enforcement of which would be a copious waste of employee effort), why announce it publicly? All they're doing is telling their customers, all those people who are proud to drive their "Chevys" that they're doing something wrong. It's exactly the wrong group of people you want to openly criticize.
If your three-year-old daughter wants a second helping of "brocci", you don't hold back and tell her she can only eat it if she corrects her pronunciation and says "broccoli". As a parent, if your daughter wants to eat her veggies, you let her. Grammer takes a backseat.
Isn't this part of the reason the American auto industry is in such a mess? Because they ignored what their customers were saying?
Branding occurs first and foremost in the mind of the customer, not in your press releases and commercials. The "Chevy" moniker is a meme...if it starts spreading amongst car drivers in the United States, then embrace it. Fight the meme at your peril.
Why the resistance? Even if there is an internal memo telling GM employees to say "Chevrolet" (the enforcement of which would be a copious waste of employee effort), why announce it publicly? All they're doing is telling their customers, all those people who are proud to drive their "Chevys" that they're doing something wrong. It's exactly the wrong group of people you want to openly criticize.
If your three-year-old daughter wants a second helping of "brocci", you don't hold back and tell her she can only eat it if she corrects her pronunciation and says "broccoli". As a parent, if your daughter wants to eat her veggies, you let her. Grammer takes a backseat.
Isn't this part of the reason the American auto industry is in such a mess? Because they ignored what their customers were saying?
Branding occurs first and foremost in the mind of the customer, not in your press releases and commercials. The "Chevy" moniker is a meme...if it starts spreading amongst car drivers in the United States, then embrace it. Fight the meme at your peril.