"Chevy" Backpedaling Begins
GM has released the following statement on its apparent decision to discontinue use of the term “Chevy” in communications.
DETROIT — Today’s emotional debate over a poorly worded memo on our use of the Chevrolet brand is a good reminder of how passionately people feel about Chevrolet. It is a passion we share and one we do not take for granted.
We love Chevy. In no way are we discouraging customers or fans from using the name. We deeply appreciate the emotional connections that millions of people have for Chevrolet and its products.
In global markets, we are establishing a significant presence for Chevrolet, and need to move toward a consistent brand name for advertising and marketing purposes. The memo in question was one step in that process.
We hope people around the world will continue to fall in love with Chevrolets and smile when they call their favorite car, truck or crossover “Chevy.”
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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An individual does not give himself a nickname. They are given by the public. Coca Cola did not give its product the "Coke" name, nor did Federal Express name its delivery service "Fed Ex". These names were bestowed by the public. Therefore, GM really can't take away "Chevy" since they didn't invent or give the car the name. The public did!
If only an iota of concern regarding repairing the numerous defect my Silverado incurred during the warranty period as has been shown by Chevy/GMC regarding Chevy/Chevrolet nomenclature they would have likely avoided created a life-long enemy who will demonize those spat upon me so openly in order to save a few bucks while leaving me with a defective vehicle and increased my cost of ownership needlessly by several thousand dollars.
I really don't see the big deal. They didn't say everybody else couldn't call it Chevy. If I ran Chevrolet, I would prefer employees referred to it by the formal name as well. In turn, a Cadillac salesman shouldn't walk up to a prospective customer and ask if they'd like to "See the latest Caddys".
Let's take a trip down Chevrolet/Chevy brand recognition memory lane, shall we? Late 1980s, Chevy brand reputation got so bad that "Geo" was created, basically to trick customers into buying GM products without knowing they were buying a GM. Chevy Sprint became the Geo Metro. This was around the same time Saturn came to be (the company that spent as much money on advertising as engineering). About ten years later in the late 1990s the Chevy reputation had improved and Geo Metro became Chevy Sprint again. No need to trick customers anymore. About ten years later GM goes bankrupt and milks the taxpayers... and the (heart)beat goes on... Whatever.