"Chevy Runs Deep"was launched in 2010 and only lasted a few years. Though switching tag-lines is nothing new for the General Motor's brand. Past tag-lines include "See the USA in Your Chevrolet," "Heartbeat of America,", and "An American Revolution". The question is will this new tag-line have more sticking power?
My guess is no. My guess is Chevy will be searching for a new tag-line in another few years and they could have better spent the few million dollars they invested on this re-launch effort on something else that better built the brand.
It's not that I don't like the tag-line from a creative standpoint. And, I'm confident all the consumer research GM surely did prior to rolling out the new tag-line showed positive consumer sentiment. After all, "Find New Roads" is very likable. Its optimistic and it points towards the future not the past. It grabs hold of the current America sentiment for wanting something new, something better. The problem is that being popular with consumers in testing, doesn't necessarily make it a successful tag-line.
So what makes a successful tag-line? There are four elements that have to be true:
- It has to be unique
- It has to be ownable (by connecting to the brand heritage or underlining equity)
- It has to brings to life a consumer benefit (ideally a high order benefit than just the product performance)
- It has to have the potential to tug at the consumer heartstrings or make an emotional connection
To me the biggest problem with the new Chevy tag-line is it doesn't resonate as an unique, ownable benefit that only Chevy can deliver on. What about find new roads distinctly connects with the Chevy brand? For me, the line fails to connect with the brand heritage and brand equity. While it is clever, I struggle with the brand linkage to Chevy and that makes the tag-line feel empty and somewhat soulless to me.
Aspirational for sure. A great internal compass to guide the future development. Just not a great fit from a consumer branding standpoint.
The tagline a company uses will always have an indelible mark on the people who take it seriously. I think what Chevy means by "Find New Roads" is that it will bring new technologies to the table in the following years that will allow us to go on new adventures. We've all seen the line up they've unleashed last 2012. This is a new slate we're talking about here. Have you heard about the restoration of the 1969 Chevrolet Baldwin Motion Camaro? That muscle car is one of a kind! I've heard that it's now mated with a 6-speed transmission and powered with a potent F.A.S.T-injected 454cid V8 engine. More power ~ Aggressive as ever!
ReplyDeleteTyra, thanks for the comment. I agree the new slate of vehicles is part of an exciting turnaround for the Chevy brand powered by new cars with new technologies. My concern with the tag-line is that it isn't uniquely ownable or linked to consumers perception of the brand equity. To me, granted based on no consumer research, the Chevy brand's points of differentiation are connected to its unique American heritage and iconic muscle status. A brand should always leverage its strengths
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