In yet another boneheaded move by an overpaid marketing wonk, a Chevrolet executive wrote an internal memo, obtained by the New York Times, asking GM employees to refrain from referring for the Chevrolet manufacturer as “Chevy”.
According for the internal memo, Chevrolet sales and service VP Alan Batey and marketing head Jim Campbell said;
“We’d ask that, regardless of whether you’re talking to a dealer, reviewing dealer advertising or speaking with friends and family, which you communicate our brand as Chevrolet moving forward. Whenever you appear at the most recognized brands throughout the world, for instance Coke or Apple, for instance, one with the things they all focus on may be the consistency of their branding … Why is this consistency so important? The a lot more constant a brand becomes, the more prominent and recognizable it can be with the consumer.”
Apparently, somebody forgot to tell Batey and Campbell that “Coke” itself is short for Coca-Cola, and Apple is also employed interchangeably with “Mac” when discussing the popular line of laptop and desktop computers. An uproar on Twitter (affably handled by GM Social media head Christopher Barger) caused the Basic to release a second edict, stating;
“In no way are we discouraging consumers or fans from employing the name. We deeply appreciate the emotional connections that millions of people have for Chevrolet and its goods. In global markets, we are establishing a substantial presence for Chevrolet, and must move toward a steady manufacturer name for advertising and promoting purposes. The memo in question was one step in that method.”
According to news source, the term “Chevy” appears over 1,700 times on General Motors and Chevrolet web pages. Looks like there’s work to be carried out down at the Renaissance Center.