The Falcon soared, the Galaxie was far out, the Firebird was well, on fire - so what happened to aspirational automotive brands? What the hell is a Venza or an Avalon? The Edge isn't exactly edgy and what is actually called Aspire should have been named Bar-low. So why don't auto makers think consumers would want to express their own personal "brands" through the badge any more? I haven't heard a kid say yet "man I'm gonna work my ass off so when I turn 16 I can buy a charcoal grey Alero, that'll be bad ass." It's a little hard to drive excitement and loyalty when the industry gelds what was once the sexiest market in consumerism. Was there really a carefully considered reason for this? "Research indicates..." - did consumers somehow tell them that they don't want to be excited about their cars any more? Lost in translation perhaps? Me thinks there's a solid rational reason brands like the Mustang and Ram are still here and probably will be forever. At the same time, the modern Charger is proof that if you bury something and leave it there long enough to rot it's probably going to stink if you try to bring it back. I feel like the ART of "branding" has become more like the ACT of putting a brand on something. With that art lost, we have in effect desensitized the masses and caused them to lack desire and passion for brands of pride. It's sad because there's no good reason for it. Let's bring the Fury back people!
Adam, it looks like you're off to a terrific start with your blog. I couldn't agree with you more about branding. The mark is meaningless unless it stands for something. Part of the problem may be products that have no meaningful differentiation to begin with, e.g. polishing a turd.
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