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Do Brands Matter Anymore?
There’s an old joke, “What’s the difference between a porcupine and a BMW?” Answer? “With the porcupine the pricks are on the outside.” I think it’s very funny and, quite often, not far from the truth. Not withstanding what you think of people who drive BMWs, in this auto-obsessed country, nothing says as much about us as the brand of car we wrap around ourselves.
The last time I looked, all cars have four wheels, an engine and a steering wheel. But it’s the external image of the individual brands or models that often drives our purchasing decision. It’s essentially a positioning statement of who we are and our value propositions. So what do some car brands say about us?
Chevrolet: “I’m an American, dammit, and I refuse to send my money overseas for a good car.”
Accord: “Who cares if a gazillion people own one too? I’ll never be stuck in the repair shop.”
Mercedes: “Hey everyone, it’s wonderful in here. Sorry you can’t be here with me. Ha, just kidding!”
Prius: “See me? I paid more for this so I could save the planet for the rest of you.”
Hummer: “Screw the planet and the rest of you. I deserve to get where I want in the biggest hunk of metal I can afford.”
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Okay, those are just my impressions, but the point is, brands do matter, even as our global economy continually puts more and more low priced commodities out there for us to choose from. In fact, your brand matters more today than ever before. Are you taking care of it? Or does it need a good wash and wax, perhaps some dents straightened … and hey, is that duct tape holding your old logo and positioning line together? Brand image will always affect the market’s interest, the price you can charge and the number of customers who will come back for another purchase.
What do I drive? Um … a BMW. Yeah, some people would probably say that joke was written with people like me in mind.
Henry Russell Bruce is a strategic marketing and Internet marketing firm that uses research, brand-building, advertising, media buying and planning, design, public relations, Web design and strategies to help clients grow market share, generate new business, create brand loyalty and measure marketing results to build and support its clients' brands. HRB, founded in 1973, has offices in Cedar Rapids and Davenport, Iowa. For more information, contact HRB.
