Update 1: Will We Ever See Another Ad for 'Chevy' Trucks Again?
Update #1 June-10-2010 08:40 PDT:
GM has just released this statement about the Chevrolet / Chevy controversy:
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.”
---
First, Chrysler took the Dodge name away from Ram trucks. Now, General Motors says it will no longer use "Chevy" to advertise Chevrolet cars and trucks, according to a report in The New York Times.
Are you kidding us?
On Tuesday, a new set of marching orders was sent to GM staffers emphasizing brand "consistency" for Chevrolet, which means no more shorthand use of the Chevy name in official communications and marketing from the company. It was signed by Alan Batey, vice president for Chevrolet sales and service, and Jim Campbell, the GM division's vice president of marketing.
Let's just say we think this is a terrible and sad idea.
Can you imagine attending this year's Country Music Awards in November, where Chevy is the Official Ride of Country Music? We're sorry, but you'll need to leave the Ropers at home. Only dress shoes are allowed.
Join the #SaveChevy rant with us on Twitter.
[Source: The New York Times]
Comments
"First, Chrysler took the Dodge name away from Ram trucks. Now, General Motors says it will no longer use "Chevy" to advertise Chevrolet cars and trucks, according to a report in The New York Times."
Are you kidding? You can't compare this to Ram no longer being called Dodge. Chevrolet trucks are still CHEVROLET trucks. That's all.
Guess if you didn't take a bailout, you can call your truck whatever you want.
Why doesn't "Chevrolet" start by taking the stupid bowtie off the tailgate and put "Chevrolet" back on the tailgate like the old days .
LMAO!!
So I guess the 1962 compact Chevrolet was called "Chevrolet II"?????????
No,they used "Chevy" for the first time.
So I guess that car is no longer in GMs "universe".
Guess "Chebbie" is out too.
Doesnt matter to me anyway.
I love how GM named divisions after those people who usually left the company ticked off (Oldsmobile,Chevrolet....).
Surprised they never created the "Perot" edition.
No big deal. It's just saying the way they refer to their product both internally and externally is now "Chevrolet". In fact, I like the idea. It makes the Chevrolet Motor Division sound more formal and serious about their products. The public, customers and enthusiast else can still use "Chevy". I hate it when companies "go ghetto" by shortening their name in their own advertising: Beverages N' More --> BevMo, McDonalds --> Mickey Ds are examples.
@Taylor... I like the bowtie on the back of my truck. It's a perfect in your face to the blue ovals on Ford trucks. And, for the record, it will always be a Chevy to me.
When William Durant (Billy) and Louis Chevrolet began selling Chevrolet cars in November 1911, actually the 1912 model year, their new company was not part of General Motors. Formerly Billy was head of GM, a company he founded in 1908, but had been forced out by the company's bankers who considered him unfit to run an enterprise the size of GM. Durant started the Chevrolet Motor Company on November 3, 1911. His long term strategy was to use Chevrolet to regain control of General Motors. Chevrolet cars sold well enough and generated profits such that by 1916 he controlled 54.5 percent of GM stock. He walked into GM and declared himself president.
http://www.pickuptrucks.com/html/history/chev_segment1.html
BAD MOVE.
Is history repeating itself?
A bunch of bean counters trying to run a car company.
Guys are passionate about their vehicles.
It's outright stupidity to mess with that passion.
Has our big three U.S. automakers gone COMPLETELY INSANE!!!
Come on, this is ridiculous!! Hell, why not take the brand names away completely, now everythings just a GM....
That wouldnt shock me these days..
I still call DODGE RAMS DODGES!! And will still call Chevrolets CHEVYS!!
At least Fords still Ford, or maybe just FO now?
They do this for consistency, but i believe they've left out the positive obtainable profit they can receive from giving people a short, sweet, and to the point name to call their vehicles. No?
Coke or Coca Cola?
Did GM send a memo out to all of the artiists who have the word "Chevy" in their songs?
"So bye-bye, Miss American Pie.
Drove my Chevrolet to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die."
Don McLean
"Out past the cornfields where the woods got heavy
Out in the back seat of my '60 Chevrolet
Workin' on mysteries without any clues
Workin' on our night moves"
Bob Seger
"Well we fogged up the windows in my old Chevrolet
I was willing but she wasn't ready
So a settled for a burger and a grape sno-cone
Dropped her off early but I didn't go home"
Alan Jackson
Doesn't sound right to me!
Lame. Very lame. I've always liked calling em Chevys more than the full name.
I love Chevys, but that doesn't extend to GM. They make great vehicles, but the corporation itself is pathetic.
So this boils down, ridiculously, to semantics over the
proper name of the brand. People have called it "Chevy"
for years, decades in fact. It just has a better ring to it.
It ain't broke, so don't fix it.
General Motors Co. is disclosing that seven executives will get roughly $7.5 million in company stock as part of their pay packages.
The company says in regulatory filings that the executives include North American President Mark Reuss, Vice Chairman for Product Development Tom Stephens and President of GM Europe Nick Reilly.
Previously GM had only disclosed a $9 million pay-and-stock deal for CEO Ed Whitacre, $6.2 million for Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell and $5 million for Vice Chairman for Corporate Strategy Stephen Girsky.
GM officials say the company could sell stock to the public late this year. No date has been set.
The U.S. government owns 61 percent of GM because it gave the company roughly $50 billion in aid. GM has repaid $6.7 billion, with the rest converted to stock.
http://www.mlive.com/auto/index.ssf/2010/06/seven_general_motors_executive.html
Don't worry. We know what we are doing.
Who cares whether or not the corporation uses the name "Chevy" anymore, big deal. I think I refer to my truck as "the chev" anyway. Nicknames are or the consumers, not the corporation, this is a stupid thing to get worked up about Mike.
Lou,
I thought you might be interested in this.
June 10. 2010 3:02PM
GM executives destroying documents, two Republican congressmen say
"GM is the target of multiple investigations led by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, according to the letter. Those investigations include a GM commercial that ran in April about the repayment, the company's decision to choose new plant locations "in order to please powerful politicians," and a "secret agreement" to support the Obama administration's pursuit of new fuel economy standards.
The committee also is investigating GM's decision last year to delay the planned closing of two parts centers, including a facility in Norton, Mass., which is in the congressional district of Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass."
More....
From The Detroit News:
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20100610/AUTO01/6100454/1148/auto01/GM+executives+destroying+documents++two+Republican+congressmen+say
@Dave - are you sure you aren't talking about Toyota?
NOPE.
I see GM written all over the place.
I like the GM Sierra trucks, but everytime I read something like this it, it pushes any GM product to the bottom of my purchase list.
Thanks for the link.
The Bobsie twins are really quiet this week. Bob must of went up in flames in his Chevy.......... no.............. wait.................Chevrolet............
Sad, I can not use the "heavy chevy" any longer. Boooo
Change
Heads
Every
Valve
Yearly
Just another corporate way of playing games to amuse their bored a$$e$. Chevrolet or Chevy all the same in everyday conversation so who cares. Same thing with The Dodge Ram, which has had the Ram nameplate for over 20 years so everyone know that Dodge and Ram are synonomous.
Louis Chevrolet is happy now,the Frenchmen never liked to be called Chev,Chevy or Chebbie...it is degrading..that is the reason they left France (they called him Chevy) they then moved to Switzerland ,they soon called him Chev,so they moved to the States..
Chevy guys buy a Just buy a GMC, problem solved !!
Chev/Chevy does sound like an illeterate person who cant figure out how to say ROLET !!!
@ Dodge - luckily, no-one shortenss the word Chrysler.
It would sound too much like a curse word. LMAO
GM has not repaid a penny!! THEY PUT 6.7 MILLION OF NEW LOAN MONEY IN ESCROW! THEY HAVE NOT REPAID ANYTHING, THEY GOT 6.7 MILLION MORE OF OUR TAX DOLLARS!!!!!
YEA I MEANT 6.7 BILLION ITS JUST THAT BILLION IS AN INCONCEIVABLE CONCEPT TO ME AND IT WAS TARP MONEY
So I guess since GM doesn't want to refer to Chevrolet as "Chevy" then I guess there won't be no more of the "most dependable, longest lasting trucks on the road" slogan?
@Steven: I think GM heard from many people about this today and I suspect (at least in North America) we'll still see ads for Chevy trucks. That's good news.
They didn't actually mean that you can't call them chevy anymore. http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/10/followup-gm-says-feel-free-to-say-chevy/ just a mis-understanding.
Update from MSNBC. Sounds like "back pedaling to me from GM.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/37626600#37626600
I hope not! I do not want to waste our tax-payer money on useless ad agencies!
@ Greg
quote"Who cares whether or not the corporation uses the name "Chevy" anymore, big deal. I think I refer to my truck as "the chev" anyway. Nicknames are or the consumers, not the corporation, this is a stupid thing to get worked up about Mike."
how is Mike getting worked up? he is reporting news and the people posting are doing the talking. Lots complain Mike is bias to Ford so he posts probably the only thing in the news about GM to apease the masses and you bitch about it....
guess you just can't win Mike, anyways keep up the great work, i enjoy the site mind you a little less bashing and more discussion on the articles would be nice!
who wants to drive a truck made by the Government anyway? They already get enough of my money. Why give them my business? Then they run a commercial lying about paying back the bail out money, they paid back the 4.6 billion not the 56 billion. The 4.6 was so they could hold off the shareholders and screw the dealers to be able to now own 61% of GM.
And GM says to their employees, "If you say 'Chevy' one more time, you're going to get Chevro-laid off!"
Just kidding XD
To be honest, I've always said "Chevrolet" instead of Chevy. Then there's the old Dinah Shore song: "See The USA In Your Chevrolet". I don't think they realized the backlash they would cause when they first mentioned dropping "Chevy". They say they want to use "Chevrolet" because of their world image, but what if people in Europe or Asia also want to say "Chevy". Either way is fine with me.
How stupid are the people who are running GM? I mean really? How many billions did they waste just sitting around on their fat asses thinking this crap up? You know I'm glad we saved a lot of American jobs by saving GM and Chrysler but the morons who run these companies have got to go... So happy Ford has Alan Mulally.
"So happy Ford has Alan Mulally" - Shawn
And great products
@Shawn
You hit the nail on the head there, man. And that's a big reason why Ford's enjoying more success at the moment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaQXQmkMFGc&feature=player_embedded#!
Instead of focusing on designing and producing the very best product money can buy, you got these idiots twiddling their thumbs in the boardroom and coming up with ideas like this. Probably the same bunch that didn't have the backbone to fire Waggoner years ago!!
@Dean
I never said anything about the article being bias, you're putting words in my mouth and jumping to conclusions, but his negative opinion is so obvious and it's clear he was not a fan of this story. For example, the "are you kidding us" line; the "lets just say its a terrible and sad idea" line; the entire last paragraph; and the link to join the #SaveChevy with "us" on twitter. Come on guy, did you read the article? And I'm not one of the guys that thinks Mike is bias, he lets his opinion out sometimes and this article is an example, but quit thinking everyone is out to get this site for bias because not everyone is.
Who cares means you care.
Greg is getting worked up again because Mike is not bowing down to Greg's god.
Everyone bow down to Greg's god, Government Motors.
Greg worships at the altar of Obama Motors. All heil King Obama and don't you dare say GM or Chevy.
lol.
I think they want people to only say Chevrolet, because in today's society when some people say Chevy it sounds like they are saying S*****!! Though one in the same !! Talking clearly has become a thing of the past,it is really hard to understand some people,even if they were born here ! Also,since on the topic , I think Toyota should ditch their TRD brand,sounds/looks too much like T****..again on in the same.
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