AUBURN HILLS – The most recent issue of Automobile magazine reports that Jeep will revive that icon of the Reagan era, the Grand Wagoneer model. BrandlandUSA advocated for the return of the Wagoneer in October of 2009. The Wagoneer, with its trademark fake woodgrain siding, was built from 1963 toMORE HERE
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Just off the headlines. The massive shutdown of dealers ordered by the Obama administration was a massive failure. Not that you couldn’t have noticed by just talking to some of the dealers themselves. I recall running into a group of repair guys from Sarasota Chrysler-Plymouth, which isMORE HERE
Take a break and enjoy America’s industrial legacy. And to all those companies that have shut down their factory tours because of some straw men like insurance or liability, shame on you. The reality? People love companies that open their doors to the public, but they HATE companies that doMORE HERE
When a car company kills off a longstanding brand, it never ends up well. Marketing people and analysts always believe that killing off the brand will help the other brands in a company’s portfolio, but the reality is that companies that kill off longstanding brands (as opposed to models) areMORE HERE
A few notes of items in the news, or on my desk: The new Big G Kids Cereals ads from General Mills are talking nutrition. Smart stuff. Still cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. And the leprechaun and Cocoa bird are in the SAME commercial. Postum Update: A reader contacted BrandlandUSA. TheirMORE HERE
LOS ANGELES – What guy doesn’t want to be Jim Rockford? Well, perhaps living in the trailer was a bit tiresome (how come they let him keep it in the parking lot?), but the rest of the life as L.A. private eye is way cool. It would be fun toMORE HERE
Pickup collecting is gaining favor as 1970s muscle car prices have gone too high for new collectors. The Wall Street Journal has profiled the top 25 collectible pickup trucks, though any older pickup is now hot, including, at right, the Chevrolet 3100. Brands include the early British Morris Minor pickups,MORE HERE
We know that CAFE fuel standards are the culprit in killing off bigger cars in the U.S., but its manufacturers who are responsible for killing off the word STATION WAGON in their marketing. And so, brands like Volvo and Volkswagen now own the upper middle class consumer. We found aMORE HERE
IRVINE, Calif. – BMW is the coolest car brand in America. Or so says Kelley Blue Book, which has just released current winners of their 2009 Brand Image Awards. And Cadillac? Boy do Americans like the interiors. The Brand Image Awards are presented to the top brands in 10 categories,MORE HERE
A quick thought. What happened to diversified car companies. The nation misses diversified products, though they are sold by foreign companies, particularly Asian companies, all at the same time. The companies were more interesting when: Ford made Fordson (and Ford) Tractors, Tri-Motors and Philco Televisions. Kingsford charcoal was an interestingMORE HERE