Call it what you like, but I call it…

This must truly be the end of an era. Or is it? General Motors recently distributed an internal memo, instructing employees to “communicate our brand as Chevrolet,” effectively stopping the use of the name Chevy when referring to their long established Chevrolet brand. Then, they backtracked. Claiming that their original memo was “poorly worded,” General Motors clarified by saying they wanted to use the name Chevrolet as they expanded into global markets.

This brings up a host of questions:

  • What is going on here? The names Chevrolet and Chevy have been pretty much synonymous for 100 years. This is one of the world’s oldest brands.
  • Is dropping the shorter name going to hurt the brand? Only a scandal of Toyota-like proportions could hurt such an established name.
  • What is General Motors afraid of? Is it is doubtful that anyone would mistake a similarly named company (OK, there is a Mexican restaurant chain with a similar name, but their food tastes better than the car) if they only used two of the three syllables.
  • Has General Motors done anything wrong? They did what nearly every major corporation has done at least once – issued a statement and then clarified. Clarity is good. The original memo was described by a General Motors executive as a “rough draft” that got out, so now they are stating what they really mean.
  • Isn’t it still an honor to have customers name your product? Many brand and company names (think IBM, KFC, and FedEx) evolved into their current forms because customers knew them by a less formal name. Shortening the name doesn’t cheapen the brand at all, rather it increases the customer’s affinity for and identity with the brand. Keep the brand top of mind, regardless of the syllables used.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *