If You Were In Charge Of Scion What Would You Do To Change It's Image?

Scion turns 10 years old this year, and even though the target customer is still Gen Y, the behavior of that demographic has changed dramatically, forcing Toyota's youth brand to alter its marketing and product-planning approach. "A lot of our early stuff was menacing and sinister, and that appealed to an edgy, cynical consumer," said Doug Murtha, Scion vice president, in an interview at the auto show. Today's Scion buyers "want a little more daylight, a little less Gotham. We still have to differentiate our brand from Toyota, but it needs more positivity." While it's tempting to keep Gen Y buyers in a convenient psychographic box, the millennials of 2004 had very different beliefs than those hitting driving age today, Murtha said. Today's young adults no longer have a hot economy and a cash-rich parental safety net to underpin their values. "We are still targeting 18- to 34-year-olds, but 60 percent of that demographic bucket has changed since we came to market.
Read Article

Car4Life - 1/20/2014 2:25:36 PM

+1 Boost

it didn't have much of an image to begin with...it's just kind of there...

MattDarringer - 1/20/2014 3:56:05 PM

+1 Boost

Assuming the brand is worth keeping...Step one give the FRS a toyota engine and a nose and tail not looking like the Subaru. Step 2 a non-premium ISF. Step 3 convertible versions of both. Step 4 a Japanese pony car to take on the Mustang. In short, I would make it affordable RWD.

MattDarringer - 1/20/2014 3:57:10 PM

+1 Boost

Assuming the brand is worth keeping...Step one give the FRS a toyota engine and a nose and tail not looking like the Subaru. Step 2 a non-premium ISF. Step 3 convertible versions of both. Step 4 a Japanese pony car to take on the Mustang. In short, I would make it affordable RWD.

quizz - 1/20/2014 8:34:00 PM

+1 Boost

If you mean that the Scion image is undefined and not clearly positioned, then my suggestion is as follows:

1. Consistency of message. Make sure the models you put out are consistent with your branding message. If you are saying that Scion's are young and hip, don't put out designs that look old (xB) and tired (xA).

2. Targeted audience. Don't add too many market segments within a brand, you are diluting the power of your brand. It makes no sense that a driver of an xB would shop in the same showroom as the driver of the FRS. Most xB buyers are middle aged practical buyers looking for affordable, reliable and utility. Why are they in the same showroom as the buyer of an FRS looking for fast, unpractical 2 seater?

I can go on and on, but Scion has not paid me for this consultation, so I'll stop there with the obvious.

quizz - 1/20/2014 8:35:31 PM

+1 Boost

My suggestions:

1. Consistency of message. Make sure the models you put out are consistent with your branding message. If you are saying that Scion's are young and hip, don't put out designs that look old (xB) and tired (xA).

2. Targeted audience. Don't add too many market segments within a brand. It makes no sense that a driver of an xB would shop in the same showroom as the driver of the FRS. Most xB buyers are middle aged practical buyers looking for affordable, reliable and utility. Why are they in the same showroom as the buyer of an FRS looking for fast, unpractical 2 seater?

I can go on and on, but Scion has not paid me for this consultation, so I'll stop there with the obvious.

quizz - 1/20/2014 8:35:41 PM

+1 Boost

My suggestions:

1. Consistency of message. Make sure the models you put out are consistent with your branding message. If you are saying that Scion's are young and hip, don't put out designs that look old (xB) and tired (xA).

2. Targeted audience. Don't add too many market segments within a brand. It makes no sense that a driver of an xB would shop in the same showroom as the driver of the FRS. Most xB buyers are middle aged practical buyers looking for affordable, reliable and utility. Why are they in the same showroom as the buyer of an FRS looking for fast, unpractical 2 seater?

I can go on and on, but Scion has not paid me for this consultation, so I'll stop there with the obvious.

quizz - 1/20/2014 8:38:10 PM

+1 Boost

My suggestions:

1. Consistency of message. Make sure the models you put out are consistent with your branding message. If you are saying that Scion's are young and hip, don't put out designs that look old (xB) and tired (xA).

2. Targeted audience. Don't add too many market segments within a brand. It makes no sense that a driver of an xB would shop in the same showroom as the driver of the FRS. Most xB buyers are middle aged practical buyers looking for affordable, reliable and utility. Why are they in the same showroom as the buyer of an FRS looking for fast, unpractical 2 seater?

I can go on and on, but Scion has not paid me for this consultation, so I'll stop there with the obvious.

ParadoX - 1/20/2014 9:28:51 PM

+1 Boost

I'd Kill it as a separate entity. Then you pick the winners and losers from its models and badge them as Toyota. Scion as a brand serves no purpose.