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After all, Ford is bringing
back the Taurus by merely slapping the nameplate on the existing Ford
Five-Hundred. No joke. I guess the company figures “why not, the nostalgia
strategy worked for the retro-styled Mustang.”
Nameplates from other manufacturers, such as Dodge’s Charger and the
to-be-released Challenger, and Chevy’s upcoming all-new Camaro, are just a few
other examples of Detroit’s
obsession with nostalgia.
Crispin Porter & Bogusky’s coercing of VW to re-release
the Rabbit made sense. Rabbit is a cute,
kitschy name that’s perfectly in brand and spot on for VW’s core group of
slightly quirky loyalists – regardless of the fact that the original cars had a
reputation for poor quality and catching fire.
But for the most part, I can think of a few words to
describe the “move” of dusting off nostalgia brands, but “bold” isn’t one of them. Ford and its Detroit brethren are merely buying time with
these strategies, trying to stay afloat with comparatively outdated technologies
and trying to remind us why their brands used
to be great.
Consider Chevrolet’s current nostalgia ad featuring a
variety of celebrities singing about their beloved ol’ Chevys. It’s a nice emotional spot, but it does
nothing but remind us the American auto industry is stuck in the past.
Wake up Detroit! Toyota
and others will continue to rob your share of the market by looking to the
future rather than harkening back to the glory days. Get busy building something that actually is
“for the road ahead.” And create some compelling
brands we can really believe in. Because deep inside my heart, this former
Ford loyalist dreads the thought of buying a Camry.
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Large. Tuna.