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On plus side, it’s a pretty safe bet that Touareg doesn’t mean “won’t go” in Spanish and won’t offend Wiccans, Jaycees or Saharan nomads vehicle is said to be named for. But VW could have accomplished that by calling it Type 181, which is what Thing was called during its hitch in military. Perhaps Volkswagen thought that all good rugged locale names, like Tahoe and Santa Fe, were taken. The VW “Peoria” or “Levittowner” just wouldn’t have same caché.
Likewise, many of good predatory animal names are already taken. Some of best mythical beasts, like Thunderbird and Phoenix are also spoken for. Few people would be willing to take on a 60-month loan for a GMC Grackle, Mitsubishi Gerbil or Toyota Trout.
Perhaps automakers can enter brand partnerships with corporate sponsors, as some sports and entertainment facilities have done. The introduction of a Nissan Nike or Plymouth Viagra may not cause much of a stir at this point. With bland brands like Vitara, Spectra, Elantra and Optima becoming more common, one could assume that there are even worse nameplates yet to come. In just a few years, all good brand names could be taken and we’ll begin to see automakers settling for second-tier names:
15: Volvo Vanilla 14.Nissan Eeyore 13. Oldsmobile Earlybird 12.Lincoln Pimpmobile 11. Chevrolet Groin 10.Kia Uvula 9. Pontiac Schmontiac 8. BMW Strudel 7. Subaru Musty 6.Honda Pretense 5. Isuzu Achoo 4. VW Vin Diesel 3. Mercury Mongrel 2. Plymouth Scrota 1. Hyundai Albundai (for drivers who are married with children)
Another possibility is for automakers to trade on success of celebrities who have already built winning brands. I would expect that Cadillac Sinatra would be popular with both older buyers and younger fans of legendary singer. The Mazda Beyonce would be sleek, fun to drive, have a great sound system and a built-in celebrity endorsement. And it’s hard to imagine that a limited Elvis or Earnhardt edition of any pickup truck wouldn’t drive sales in South.
Passat? Bless you!
Elvis and evil warlords aside, bottom line is brand equity, and it doesn’t really matter whether Touareg is a successful sub-branding strategy. Even if individual VW models have names that sound like a sneeze or a rash, buyers seem to focus on magic of corporate brand.
Mere marketing mortals should probably assume that VW’s positioning, promotion and publicity formula for Touareg is on target. The vehicle probably will garner its own cult following, and Touareg clubs, meetings and Web pages will follow. But it’s not because of name. It’s because company has consistently excelled in developing awareness, recognition and loyalty necessary to build a premium brand. After all, any company that has taken purchasing decision from “Which car should I buy?” to “Which VW should I buy?” deserves checkered flag.
Charles Warnock is Director of BusinessTechKnowledge Inc., a South Florida firm specializing in marketing and technical communications, e-business and corporate training. Charles can be reached at cw@businesstechknowledge.com. This article can be freely reproduced with author's bio and contact information.