Consumer Generated Names
March 18th, 2008
Now you can name Pontiac’s new sport truck. (It looks like a newer version of the El Camino to me.)
Pontiac is jumping on the user generated content bandwagon and has created a mini-site where folks can suggest names for this “bad boy.” (Their words, not mine.) What do you get in return? Well, bragging rights, and a chance to win one of the new vehicles in late ’09. No, if they chose your name submission you don’t automatically win the car. It looks like that you could submit the most crap-tabulous name and still win – it’s the luck of the draw.
The thing that gets me about these contests is that you never know if the name they picked was actually submitted by a real person and not created by the ad agency. (In fact, there are rumors that this very thing happened to our hometown baseball team. I’m just sayin’.) But how could it be remedied? A big ‘ol celebration for the person who submitted the chosen name?
Other posts by Spike.
Josh Chambers says:
Solution: Iconize the face of the winner, and paste it in giant-decal-format on the back window. Elegant, and effective.
Really? The future of the American auto industry is more SUV’s?
The auto industry is definitely trying to find there way into online interaction–have you seen GM’s Corporate History Wiki effort?
I can’t quite see the point. Why dwell on the history of your company when you lost $38.7 billion in 2007 alone?
http://wiki.gmnext.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
March 18th, 2008 at 10:59 amSherida says:
Good lord! That has got to be the ugliest thing I’ve ever laid eyes. My hope is that no one (agencies included) will name it so that it will never see pavement.
All joking aside, a naming contest or new vehicle line isn’t going to even make a ripple in turning the tide for GM. They have a horrible reputation among consumers.
March 18th, 2008 at 11:35 amLet’s put it this way…my husband is a Ford and GM certified tech. We could have bought a car from the Ford or GM dealership where he worked and enjoyed a nice employee discount. Guess what I drive? A Honda. Create a worthy product and you won’t have to resort to a naming contest to generate consumer conversation.
Kyle says:
Sherida: Very good point. But I think the problem is deeper than a worthy product.
There’s no question the whole American auto industry is in shambles. Not only the big guys themselves but their suppliers as well.
Delphi and others did not do enough to plan for the future. Easy to say.
I feel for these companies and their employees.
You are right it isn’t going to make a ripple but I don’t think they intended it to. Maybe they needed a different way to connect to consumers and I for one appreciate the effort.
March 18th, 2008 at 2:19 pmMariscia says:
It is stupid that if your name is picked that you don’t necessarily win the car. They should have a design contest for a new car and hire the designer of the winning car design. I say put the winner in a commercial driving the car.
March 18th, 2008 at 5:06 pmBIG Kahuna says:
A company or product should be named by what their identity will be. For instance if you want a rugged brand identity then you may name your product Lumberjack.
Allowing a contest to dicate a name is just plain dumb. How do they know what the brand identity will be?
This is best left to the company as they know what their brand identity should represent. It’s only logical to then leverage that identity with a name that fits.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:56 pmMr. Steve says:
maybe the winner should get a job in their marketing department…sounds like they can use all the help they can get.
Oh, and I’m submitting “Honda” as the name. Sure hope I win.
March 19th, 2008 at 4:10 amStreetcom Blog » Blog Archive » Wybierz nazwę dla najnowszego Pontiaca says:
[...] Więcej na Brains on Fire [...]
March 19th, 2008 at 7:06 amEvan says:
I submitted a name: Sachem. I’m not sure if the Pontiac Indians had leaders called Sachems, but it would be cool if all Pontiac lines had awesome Native American-inspired names — like Sagamore and Shamogoon and Kickapoo. Okay, maybe not Kickapoo.
March 19th, 2008 at 8:11 amAnonymous says:
stuff like this just annoys me because it’s one of those things where they advertise the heck out of ‘the chance to name a car’ but then you never hear anything about the outcome. plus, most cars have ridiculous names, so i don’t expect much.
March 19th, 2008 at 8:49 amolivier says:
I still dig the “El Camino” name, and yes, the new design looks a lot like an updated version of it.
“Super Machete” would be a pretty kickass name for that ugly little hybrid. (Especially with a lot of aftermarket airbrushing and accessorizing.)
March 19th, 2008 at 10:42 amMatty says:
I second “Super Machete”. I’ll vote for it! OR just the name “UGLY” and then see what brave souls will drive that thing!
March 20th, 2008 at 9:39 am