Quote:
Originally Posted by XCR440SP
Problem is Saturn marketed themselves as the little dent resistant car company for years and their new ad campaign has no stand out message to change that image. I always think of Saturn as the offical car for geeks and hippies. The new models don't fit that, but the old ones did. Many don't like to admit that, but if you think about it you know that its true. I know I couldn't drive a Sky due to the Saturn name, but I'd kill for a Solstice. Now if it were an Olds Sky, I could be sold one (but would still lean toward the Pontiac) and if it were an Opel, no question asked, I'd have no preconcieved ideas that would stop me from buying and I'd probably take it over the Pontiac.
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Absolutely. The fact is that marketing matters - and it lingers even when what was once true is no longer a reality.
Look at Olds. At one time they sold over 1 million cars a year and they had an enormous following. Then things began to change, their share dwindled, and GM needed to act to repair their image. They came out with the, "This isn't your father's Oldsmobile" tagline and it hurt more than they could have imagined. And instead of rebounding sales, it helped to push them further in the tank. Even after the campaign ended and a new one was adopted, people would still say that tagline over and over again. It stuck and it HURT Olds more in the end than any bumbled product launches could.
Perception is always reality - and that's more true in the car industry than in some other businesses.
Take a look at
this 2001 article from Research Insights on Olds to an interesting take on it.
But today, the same holds true of Saturn. Just like you say, XCR440SP, GM and Saturn did such a good job of selling their "bottom of the totempole position" and "polymer panel clad cars" that it attracted a loyal following and cemented its image in the minds of the public. People now KNOW what to expect from Saturn as a brand - and its hard to change that in the minds of most.
Now they've done a 180 and they think current owners and new buyers will follow?
That may be a bit shortsighted on GM's part - and lead to more problems down the line. Afterall, how long to you throw good money after bad before you finally say "enough is enough"?