Someone in GM’s marketing department has become a bit overzealous and pedantic with its branding. In June, the company announced that internally its Chevy brand would be referred to as Chevrolet, and that “Chevy” is basically banned. GM’s not going so far as to insist that customers and the general public drop Chevy from their vocabulary, but isn’t it a bit silly that the company issued a memo stating, “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.”
What GM’s marketing department has failed to realize is that “Chevy” is as much a part of the brand as Chevrolet. Sure, the official name might be Chevrolet, but at some point you have to listen to your customers. And Chevrolet’s customers say Chevy.
Consider the same situation with another company, like Apple, and you might better understand the ridiculousness of GM’s memo. What if next week Apple issued a similar memo stating that “Mac” was no longer acceptable; that employees must refer to the brand as Macintosh? I don’t think I’ve called Apple’s flagship brand “Macintosh” in nearly 25 years. They’re Macs, and they’re always going to be Mac — and Apple can accept that. In fact, those marketing geniuses at Apple have cleverly worked Mac into the branding: “Hi, I’m a Mac.”
Companies must listen to their customers first and foremost, and if your customers are calling it a Chevy (or a Mac), then rather than try to passive-aggressively correct them, you should be working the customer’s preference into your branding efforts. Trying to go against the grain on something even so small as whether it’s a Chevrolet Nova or a Chevy Nova will only turn off customers and inspire them to think you’re petty.
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