I remain a CHEVY guy

I remain a CHEVY guy

Posted on June 10th, 2010 by Jeff McDonald

Sometimes, I wonder what it takes to make the move to the big city, and earn the big bucks as a marketing VP for a major corporation. Do I have what it takes?

Maybe not.

Especially when I find myself reading this report from the New York Times’ Richard S. Chang about a General Motors memo to Chevrolet employees, promoting the importance of consistency for their brand. “And one way to present a consistent brand message,” Chang writes, “is to stop saying ‘Chevy,’ though the word is one of the world’s best-known, longest-lived product nicknames.”

Me? I don’t see the sense in it. Especially when I read a quote from the GM memo, shared in Chang’s article … “When you look at the most recognized brands throughout the world, such as Coke or Apple for instance, one of the things they all focus on is the consistency of their branding,”

Excuse me? Coke? Are you talking about a highly-successful nickname for the Coca-Cola brand? And I can’t help but wonder how many of us have a Frigidaire in the kitchen, get lunch at Kentucky Fried Chicken, or send packages by United Parcel Service or Federal Express. What does GM know that a lot of other major – and successful – corporations do not.

I lack GM’s resources for a thorough, statistically-significant study of this move on brand consistency. But I did my own, informal and non-scientific sidewalk survey yesterday, and ran into a BUNCH of Chevy drivers … and not a single Chevrolet driver.

Me? I remain a Chevy guy.

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Jeff McDonald

There's a saying around here, something like, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!" That's me. I'm a 'dang Yankee from back-east' who settled in the Lone Star State after some extended stays in the eastern U.S., and New Mexico. I worked as an archaeologist for a few years before dusting off my second major in English, and embarking on a 25-year career in journalism. Since then, I've embraced the dark side of the force, and now work in PR for a community college in Midland, Texas.