Autoblog

Back in the mid eighties, we think Ford could have had a winner with the corporate slogan "Bold Moves", with vehicles like the original Taurus (and our editor's personal fave, the SHO) boldly going where no vehicle had gone before. These days, with uninspiring designs like the current Taurus, "Bold Moves" just doesn't seem to fit. So, out with the old and in with the new: "Ford. Drive One." We think that the new tagline is much more in line with the Blue Oval's current position, as they make pretty good cars which do well when compared directly with their competition. Unfortunately, as was already mentioned, striking styling and innovative design are a bit lacking, so getting customers in the drivers seat is something Ford should be concentrating on.

This new tagline is the work of marketing maven Jim Farley, chosen by Alan Mulally as the man to lead Ford back from the brink, and was developed in coordination with Ford's dealer network. Ford hasn't had a hit slogan since "Have You Driven a Ford Lately" -- which is indelibly marked on the brain of anyone who's ever watched television in the eighties and nineties. According to Ford's own data, only 41% of consumers consider Ford vehicles, and this new tagline was developed to improve on that dismal number. The next hurdle will be converting those drivers into buyers. So, is this the slogan that finally sticks? We're not sure, but we do think it's a helluva lot better than "Bold Moves".

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]

Apparently, Nissan is going completely automatic. No more SHIFTing for the Japanese brand. Seems that the tagline has failed to catch on and persuade enough buyers to visit their local Nissan dealer, especially in Europe. While no new slogan has been adopted, the _SHIFT tag seems to be headed the way of the manual transmission.

Brian Carolin, marketing director of Nissan Europe, said in an interview in Geneva that Nissan's image in Europe is "rather flat." While there are products at the top and bottom of the range that are doing very well, the core midsize vehicles are a bit lackluster. So rather than trying to position themselves as a full range alternative to Honda and Toyota, Nissan might try focusing on their strengths.

The company is hoping that new products, such as the Qashqai crossover, X-Trail and Navarra will continue to give them a strong presence in the light truck segment, and the Micra already has them at the head of the class in small cars, so a new tagline that reinforces those segments might serve Nissan better than _SHIFT. Perhaps _LIFT for the trucks? _THRIFT for the Micra? _DRIFT for the Z? Take a seat, we've got millions of them, folks.

[Source: Wards Auto]

BMW has used the tagline "Ultimate Driving Machine" for 31 years. During that time its sales in the U.S. have gone from 15,007 units in 1974 the year before the ad slogan began to 266,200 units in 2005. While producing outstanding automobiles during that time may have something to do with the brand's success, no doubt the tagline is considered one of the best in the automotive biz (See Poll Results: Best Tagline Ever - Battle Royale). Regardless, BMW is dropping the successful phrase and replacing it with "A Company of Ideas".

We're of the if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it camp, and Advertising Age has penned a nice article detailing why corporate culture often likes to change a winning slogan. AdAge also lists some of the monumental failures that have resulted. Hopefully we're wrong and BMW sales won't suffer from the new slogan, but we doubt the public will be able to think of Bimmers as anything but Ultimate Driving Machines for a very long time.

[Source: Advertising Age]

"Like always, like never before."

Sibling site Adjab reports that Saturn will be taking a different tactic in marketing its new vehicles: the Aura, Outlook, and Sky. According to the linked article Brandweek, the marketing campaign will be promoting all the vehicles as a unit with the "Like...." tagline instead of, just the Sky roadster, for example. The advertising company that developed the campaign feels it better reflects Saturn's 'togetherness' philosophy.

Will it work? Certainly the division's products are becoming more compelling, but Saturn has clearly moved away from its brandspace as the egalitarian small car company 'with a heart of gold' into a world of 8-passenger crossovers and such. Critics argue that the brand's identity is becoming very muddy in its quest to enter other segments and find profitability, and that the "Like..." campaign is a tad disingenous. Who's right? Have your say in comments.

[Sources: Adjab, Brandweek]

20 taglines entered, only one emerged. It was of course BMW’s famous catchphrase, “The Ultimate Driving Machine,” which, as one commenter noted, truly is the ultimate tag line. It's no wonder BMW has used it since 1973.

While BMW stole nearly a quarter of the votes cast, second-place finisher Porsche with its tagline, “There is no substitute” managed to scrounge up a solid 13-percent with Mazda’s “Zoom-Zoom” not far behind with a solid 10-percent of the public’s favor.

No other tagline managed to garner enough votes to earn a double-digit percentage of the tally. The biggest bottom feeder was Buick with the tagline “Beyond Precision” that only managed six votes.