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The Persuader
My personal blog, started in 2006. No paid or guest posts, no link sales.
Posts tagged ‘naming’
04.12.2021
Iâm starting to understand Xiaomiâs naming conventions but itâs a mess, especially coming from a marketerâs point of view.
I ordered the Note 9, which is superior to the 9. So far so good.
But what Iâm getting is not whatâs called the Note 9 here (or in any export market, from what I can tell). Itâs the Note 9T, since it runs the new MediaTek Dimensity 800U and not the âoldâ MediaTek Helio G85. Hereâs hoping the case I ordered through a Chinese vendor is for the correct phone since the two have a different shell.
Itâs not just any Note 9, but the Note 9 5G, which apparently has minor differences between the regular one and the 4G. Will it mean a very different case? Who knows?
Thereâs also a Note 9 Pro, which doesnât have 5G but has some superior specs but only runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G. And that Note 9 Pro is the Note 9 Pro Max in India because what the Indians call the Note 9 Pro is the Note 9S in other export markets.
Pro doesnât always mean a better spec in China: the Marvel R crossover, for instance, has four-wheel drive, but the Pro model has rear-wheel drive, although better equipment inside.
Itâs appeared on some British and Philippine sites but one site purporting to show all available variants of the Note 9 (including Chinese ones) doesnât have this model.
Out of sheer luck, since I was never after the most powerful, I seem to be on to one of the better phones in the Note 9 line-up. In terms of real-world use, weâll soon see.
My Meizu M2 Note (Meilan Note 2) isnât lasting the day in terms of battery capacity, and it seems to drain very rapidly once you head south of 50-odd per cent. A quick browse of a few pages yesterday, using the 4G, saw it drop from 55 to 42 per cent in minutes, then into the 30s even after I switched off the screen and reception. With that and the missed calls, its successor cannot come a moment too soon, even if that successor weighs 199 g.
Tags: 2021, car, cellphone, China, marketing, Meizu, naming, R, Roewe, SAIC, technology, Xiaomi
Posted in China, marketing, technology | No Comments »
08.05.2011
Thanks most recently to the work of Keith Adams, who added numerous important models into Autocade, we now have reached 1,500 models. The 1,500th is a bit mainstream, but after all the odd cars we’ve put in over the last three years, it’s nice to have something almost everyone knows.
 Audi TT (8J). 2006 to date (prod. unknown). 3-door coupĂ©, 2-door convertible. F/F, F/A, 1798, 1984 cmÂł petrol, 1968 cmÂł diesel (4 cyl. DOHC), 2480 cmÂł (5 cyl. DOHC), 3189 cmÂł (V6 DOHC). More muscular, grown-up TT, longer and wider than predecessor, and on PQ35 platform. Aluminium in front bodypanels, and steel in rear, to help weight distribution. Excellent handling and roadholding. Diesel from 2008. V6 to 2010; TTSâs turbocharged four had more power and replaced the V6 in some markets earlier. TT RS from 2009, with 340 PS.
But I couldn’t let this post go without mentioning a few oddities. And since this blog started as a branding one, maybe these are good examples of what not to do if you want to build your model lines.
Each of the following cars, added this year into Autocade, had the listed nameplate for one year, or an even shorter period. There are many more at the site, but these four came to mind first.
If you want to confuse your customers, and flush marketing dollars down the toilet, then renaming after a year is the way to go.
 Buick Apollo (X-car). 1975 (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan. F/R, 231 inÂł (V6 OHV), 250 inÂł (6 cyl. OHV), 260, 350 inÂł (V8 OHV). Last use of short-lived Apollo name for Buickâs Chevrolet Nova (1975â9) twin. Same platform as before, but restyled; two-doors now called Skylark, which four-door would be called after this model year. Better outward vision; Chevrolet Camaro (1970â81) suspension helped handling and ride. Buick V6 used instead of Chevy unit, which meant the Apollo was more durable, but average reliability only.
 Pontiac J2000 (J-car). 1982 (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon, 2- and 3-door coupĂ©. F/F, 1835, 1999 cmÂł (4 cyl. OHV). Pontiac version of GMâs world J-car project, most closely related to Chevrolet Cavalier (1982â94). Similar body styles and comments, but with more dramatic front end. Labelled J2000 only for one year, when it was replaced by the 2000, an identical car with engine changes.
 Lincoln Zephyr (CD378). 2006 (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan. F/F, 2967 cmÂł (V6 DOHC). Single-year entry for revived Lincoln Zephyr name, before car renamed to MKZ for 2007 (even the renaming was botched, with Lincoln staff calling it âMark Zâ before saying the letters). Basically a gloriïŹed Mazda Atenza, on that carâs platform, and too similar to Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan duo. Good equipment levels but best thought of as a Mercury with all the trimmings and the 3·0-litre Duratec V6.
Finally, so it’s not all US-market cars, though this company was owned by Chrysler when this model emerged for a short period in 1970:
 Sunbeam Vogue (Arrow). 1970 (prod. unknown). 4-door saloon, 5-door estate. F/R, 1725 cmÂł (4 cyl. OHV). Very short-lived Arrow variant as the last Singer model transferred to Sunbeam from April 1970. The situation lasted half a year, and Sunbeam resorted to selling the Imp, Stiletto, Rapier and Alpine instead. In some countries, Sunbeam Vogue was the export name for the Singer Vogue.
Other cars of note added to the database that anoraks will enjoy include the Peugeot Roa, a 405 lookalike with Hillman Hunter running-gear, the Bizzarrini GT Strada 5300 (thanks to Keith), and one which might get BMW upset over the name, the Changâan Benben Mini. Hop on over and if you think of a model you’d like to see, please give me a shout in the comments.
Autocade progress
March 2008: launch
July 2008: 500 (four months for first 500)
June 2009: 800
December 2009: 1,000 (17 months for second 500)
January 2011: 1,250
May 2011: 1,500 (17 months for third 500)
Tags: 2011, Audi, Autocade, branding, cars, Chrysler, Ford, Germany, GM, history, Jack Yan, JY&A Media, Keith Adams, marketing, naming, reference, UK, USA
Posted in branding, business, cars, interests, marketing, publishing, UK, USA | No Comments »
11.06.2010
 After the chaps at Autocar began following me on Twitter yesterdayâafter all, I had been reading the magazine since it was part of the Ministry of Magazines, in the post-Iliffe daysâI noticed a Tweet about Chevrolet asking its dealers to not refer to the brand as Chevy.
What?
According to Autocar:
A leaked GM memo revealed: âWeâd ask that whether youâre talking to a dealer, reviewing dealer advertising, or speaking with friends and family, that you communicate our brand as Chevrolet moving forward.
âWhen you look at the most recognised brands throughout the world, such as Coke or Apple for instance, one of the things they all focus on is the consistency of their branding. Why is this consistency so important? The more consistent a brand becomes, the more prominent and recognizable it is with the consumer.â
The document was signed by Alan Batey, vice president for Chevrolet sales and service, and Jim Campbell, the GM divisionâs vice president for marketing.
Bad example there, Alan and Jim.
Coke is to Chevy as Coca-Cola is to Chevrolet.
And no one ever complains of Coke being inconsistent.
This is the sort of daft thinking that makes any of us brand professional shudder: total amateurs talking about brandingâout of their rear ends.
Itâs this lack of awareness of what branding is, inter alia, that started GM down its slippery pathâwith only a brief reprieve when Bob Lutz, aware of what GMâs brands stood for, was around.
By demanding that Chevrolet people not refer to the brand as Chevy does the exact opposite to what brand experts and marketers recommend today: to be one with the consumer.
I can understand if Chevy was a very negative word, but it isnât. Itâs an endearing word and it does not create inconsistency with the full Chevrolet word. It complements it, connects the brand to the audience, and, perhaps most importantly for GM, builds on the brandâs heritage.
After all, Chevrolet itself has encouraged the use of the Chevy name for decades in its own advertisingâincluding during its heyday. Omitting the use of Chevy instantly cuts many Chevrolet connections to its stronger past. And thatâs a past that can be used for internal brand-building and loyalty.
There was even, formally, a Chevy model in the 1960sâthe line that later became the Nova. The Chevy II nameplate even continued in GM in Argentina in the 1970s.
The Chevy diminutive is used in many countries where the brand is sold, including South Africa, where it was once as local as braaivleis, rugby and sunny skies.
Maybe GM canât afford the same branding advice it used toâin which case it might be better to shut up than issue memoranda that can be ridiculed so easily.
Or get Bob Lutz back again. One month after retirement, and the natives have lost direction again, Bob.
PS.: From Robin Capper on Twitter, who sums this blog post up in 140 characters or fewer: âPoor Don McLean: âDrove my Chevrolet to the levee, but the levee was dryâ just doesn’t workâ.âJY
Tags: Argentina, Autocar, brand, branding, car industry, cars, GM, heritage, history, magazine, marketing, media, naming, South Africa, USA
Posted in branding, business, cars, culture, marketing, USA | 1 Comment »
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