Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Is Scion Selling Cars or a Lifestyle?

I am a "CarGuy" by heritage, so things automotive get my attention.

.........And Scion's success has me wondering.

Is it the cars? Or is it the lifestyle brand connection they created with their audience?

I got into the auto industry years ago, not because of the engineering [although, if you know me you know I like the technology of going fast] but, because of the marketing.

I remember how families had bonds to brands.......How the first Mustang clicked..........How VW ads worked with their audience........How racing really used to sell cars! Everyone seemed to have a opinion about cars and an affection for their favorite. How did the industry get that done, I wondered? I needed to know and I wanted to be a part of it.

So, in 1977, I signed up......and went to work for Ford.

Last year, I had the chance to reconnect with some old car friends at the NY Auto Show media days and Scion was a "topic du jour".

Competition still looks at Scion as an anomaly......eg- It's not the "real" auto industry. .....Trends come and go. .....Industry hits are notoriously cyclical. .....And buyers are fickle, so this is the 'flavor of the month'.

.......And I personally don't think the first edition Scion cars are all that profound [I do, however, like the new t2B concept.......seen above].

But, I see how Scion has authentically connected with its young target audience with lifestyle relevance and respect. ........And I think that goes a long way towards why buyers are rewarding Scion with car sales.

.........So, then the marketer in me says, "You know, if Scion means authentic hip and cool, then there could be Scion fashion, food, coffee shops, phones, music, movie, sports, podcasts, broadcasts.........."

Without diluting the brand.

I think Scion built itself a brand with strong "lifestyle attributes". They just happen to sell cars with the customer affinity they created.......they could probably sell anything to their loyal following right about now.

What do you think? Did Scion build a Lifestyle Brand or a Car Company?

..........And why can't so many others seem to build either!?


Sunday, May 29, 2005

You Can Say So Much with "Good Design"

A more expressive Freedom Tower? Dick Cheney's NY apartment? No? How about what I felt after 9/11 and now what I fear the World thinks we are saying to them.........


Monday, March 28, 2005

Beware! Rookie at the Keyboard

So, here we go. ......my first attempt at blogging.

Patience, please, as this could be a painful learning process.

From school study to sports, to dating, to work, I repeatedly discover I am no "Roy Hobbs" when it comes to mastering skills [eg- "The Natural"....eg- Robert Redford........eg- Roy Hobbs.........eg- A show of hands, please, on how many readers I already lost with my first cross-reference].

But, eventually I got good enough to get by..........Blogging?
We shall see.

PDCABlog is intended to create a dialog with those of you attuned to the world of sales, marketing, and business management........

* to share insights into what is right and what is wrong with today's approach to running the sales and marketing "assembly plant" and getting customers to listen and act.

* to build a network of knowledge, people, and shared opinions.

* and to introduce to you opportunities as they are introduced to me.

In my work with PDCA Inc. [http://www.pdcamarketing.com/], I also deal with corporate partnership search and executive search. We can include those topics in the discourse, as well.

So, let's see what happens next.............Thanks for visiting and, hopefully, participating.

LeoParente