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G.M. sends a corporate memo telling its employees to stop using the word "Chevy."

?We?d ask that whether you?re talking to a dealer, reviewing dealer advertising, or speaking with friends and family, that you communicate our brand as Chevrolet moving forward... 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. Why is this consistency so important? The more consistent a brand becomes, the more prominent and recognizable it is with the consumer.?

But ? as the linked NYT article notes ? "Coke" is short for "Coca-Cola" and the company name Apple doesn't overwhelm the product names like iPhone and Mac. How obtuse can a corporation get?

If Coke had to pick one name for its product would it pick Coke or Coca-Cola? It would pick Coke, so why doesn't G.M. tell its employees to stop saying Chevrolet? The longer, Frenchier word is preferable to the very American nickname?

But I agree that consistency is important. The more consistently stupid a company is, the more its stupidity will be prominent and recognizable with the consumer.


What about all the pop songs?

Elton John, Bob Seger, Mötley Crüe and the Beastie Boys have all sung about Chevy, and hip-hop artists rap about ?Chevy Ridin? High? or ?Ridin? in My Chevy.?

And:

Bye-bye, indeed, Miss American Pie. If General Motors has its way, you won?t be driving your Chevy to the levee ever again.

(Hey! Did the NYT write this article to try to cancel out that embarrassing misspelling ? "levy" for "levee" ? in David Brooks's column the other day?)

Full post as published by Althouse on June 10, 2010 (boomark / email).