All U.S. Automakers Share the Same NON-Brand |
Old trite ideas like "the quality goes in before the name goes on" or "the heartbeat of America" does not resonate anymore because they no longer identify the customer; instead, they are about the manufacturer...making a claim that is today a table stake. Is GM any more American than Ford? Is the VW that is built in the U.S. any less a part of the American heartbeat than a Dodge? Is anyone building poor quality? Hardly.
There is room for REAL brand. The kind of self-identification that once separated the FORD owner from the CHEVY owner is still viable. However, that sort of brand will require leadership from the BIG 3, and brand management that looks far beyond the current structure. To understand the problem, all one need do is ride down an American highway to notice that every car on the road today, regardless of manufacturer, looks like a Honda.
|
