Companies differentiate themselves by having different mission statements
as well as different models. Each company wants to be the most successful and respected car company in various part of the world, but only some of them actually uses efficient strategies to help the buyers buy. The main distinction is in promoting the product. Whereas one of the last Toyota Venza commercials pointed out the difference between virtual and real life, the last promoting commercial of Chevy Silverado (part of General Motors industry) showed the single parts of the car (1), (2). People are interested in different kinds of cars and different kinds of commercials, but there should be something interesting, unusual and fresh in commercials, therefore from my point of view the first commercial is definitely better.
Although most cars have the same overall
purpose, they vary in different models, accessories and efficiency as well as in placing the product. People in the different parts of the world prefer various types of cars. The last news of Toyota company announced starting export from their foreign subsidiary in India to South Africa in March 2012 (3). On the other hand, General Motors focuses on producing Chevrolet Colorado Pickups in Thailand (4).
All car companies have one thing in common. They´re instantly trying to act "green" to our environment. Car designers and engineers work to find the most sensitive ways to improve the impact of products during their entire lifecycle.
Sources
(4) http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2011/Oct/1006_colorado_thailand
2 comments:
I would say one way the companies differentiate themselves is through different "brand cultures". I would even say the auto industry's differences in brand culture rival that of the retail industry. You have american trucks which are all about the "real america" image and utility, something like a Honda or a Toyota and more recently Hyundai and Kia which are safe and reliable but not to exciting, luxury and sport brands like Mercedes and BMW, boutique brands like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, etc. Toyota knows this well: They have the Toyota brand, but they also have the Scion brand, which tends to be cheaper and less traditional, and the Lexus brand, which is primarily a luxury brand but it also produces special boutique models like the LFA.
It is important to note that there are two ways to differentiate products. The first is through designing and making brands and products within those brands that fit specific markets that are currently not served. The second is through marketing to make a brand and its products seem different than other brands and their products currently offered in a similar market. Arguably, auto makers have taken both approaches. Toyota, for example, uses both. It actually designed the Scion brand and its products as a result of a market need. That need was for cheaper, more efficient cars, with more style and features geared towards the young adult demographic. No other car maker has such a brand. Therefore, Toyota differentiated some of its autos simply by creating a brand that previously did not exist. Toyota also relies on the other method of product differentiation, that is marketing a brand and its products to make them seem different from similar brands and products. Toyota's luxury brand Lexus differentiates itself by marketing a different buying and ownership experience. As you can see, one company can use two approaches to differentiate its products.
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