Building An Icon

The Nike Swoosh. The McDonalds Golden Arches. The Chevy Bowtie. When you see them, you know them. Decades and billions of dollars are dedicated to make a ride on the freeway or, a walk in a park, a frequent subliminal reminder of how worthy a given brand is of your time. Firestone is just beginning to invest in the icon you see here. What do you think? The idea behind it is… "You're not driving a car, you're driving a Firestone." The slogan has been enunciated, imprinted, and emblazoned on tens of thousands of advertisements over the past year. Print. Online. TV. Cable. Radio. The owners of Firestone are trying to make your used car, a Firestone car. This is obviously a tall leap when it comes to brand identification; which is why Firestone has such a painfully challenging road for their new 'F' icon. For over 100 years cars have been identified by their marque. Mercedes-Benz. Cadillac. Honda. These brands not only exude a high level of awareness in the new car market, but an equally unique and compelling level of prestige in popular culture. Mercedes symbolizes wealth. Even those who are financially struggling like to pretend they're rich by owning one. From country clubs to rap videos. Everyone knows a Mercedes. Cadillac is the king of American luxury. From the 1930's when a 'Cadillac' referred to a gram of cocaine. To the 1960's where a Cadillac ranch would undoubtedly have a matching Cadillac in the garage.  To even the mansions of today where a lot of folks are still willing to pay for the Cadillac of SUV's. Honda symbolizes Japanese engineering and enduring quality. The Honda of minivans in today's advertising world is a mere continuation of the quality people you met 50 years ago on a Honda Scooter. Honda is quality incarnate thanks to a continuous advertising campaign that has always hammered away at that virtue. Firestone has been popularized for their tires and their auto repair centers. Billions of tires sold. 10,000+ auto repair centers. A long winning history with NASCAR and a common sight on most rolling commercial roadfronts of the modern day, Firestone is an instantly recognizable name. However that seems to be part of the problem. For nearly a century you needed to see the whole name to see the Firestone logo. The full name of yesterday is now given an automotive emblem for today — along with a shift in identification from products and services for a used car, to the car itself. Can a car wear two badges? How about millions of them? Is Firestone seeking to usurp the brand identities of used cars? Or are they trying to compliment the brand identity that is already there? I have no clear understanding of where this road leads to. At the same time, this is likely not the fault of the company or the advertising agency. It takes years of a compelling vision, endless instillations of nuance, and a change in popular culture to make a brand truly iconic. Can Firestone ever become an iconic brand?   Or were they already there?     from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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