What is the most mobile status symbol on earth?
An automobile, like a watch or a pair of shoes, is a highly mobile status symbol that can be transported from place to place. Indeed, a car has to be the world’s fastest way of sending a message to the world. “I am… bigger, better, shinier, faster, louder, smarter, cleverer, and more instantly recognisable.”
Granted, some people probably have purchased their vehicle because the automobile of their liking represented the right means of getting from point A to point B. But, more often than not people select the cars they drive as a signal to the world. Cars are often used as a means of expressing (or compensating for) the feelings they have about themselves.
Branding and self-image
As consumers, we associate symbolic qualities or ‘human-like’ characteristics to particular brands. According to market research, there are several dimensions to the characteristics we attribute to a brand or product. These include things like: sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication and ruggedness. (Aaker 1997)
It is clear that the automobile industry understands and caters to its customers' beliefs and attitudes about gender and image. A brand image is the joining of perceptions, attributes and benefits of a product or brand.
So when it comes to cars and personality, what does it all boil down to? Who is really in the driver’s seat making the decision about what car to own, and for what reasons? Does a person really resemble their car? Is it possible that an individual’s very essence can be understood simply by recognising the type of car they drive?
To be a car, or not to be a car, that is the question, as well as the answer.
The answer to the why question for men and woman is fundamentally rooted in genetics and evolution. At the heart of it, a woman is about nesting and practicality. Taking care of the family is a priority and responsibility. Would it surprise you to know that the majority of Peugeot drivers are women?
As far as men go, often they are impressed not so much by reliability and practically, as they are size. For men, size does matter, they think in numbers – as in rates of acceleration and engine size. Are they perpetually on the move, escaping from something or someone, quickly?
An open road with an infinite number of possibilities
There is no limit to the number of factors that influence a consumer’s decision-making process when making choices. Some brands, like Audi, for example, don’t lead with marketing messages about reliability.
With Audi, it’s all about comfort, style, simplicity, innovation. The image that is conveyed in terms of brand awareness is associated with a certain sophisticated, luxurious lifestyle. The expectation is that you will have comfort and sophistication, even when driving on a bed of nails.
A 4x4 on the other hand, tickles another set of desires – the out of bounds, new frontier, paving the way personality. As we’ve seen in recent years, a raft of luxury automobile manufacturers have now entered the SUV market, having developed 4x4 product lines – Lexus, BMW, and Porsche, for example. The 4x4 is no longer the only child of Cheverolet or Land Rover.
Let’s look at Volkswagen – the people’s car. It captures a great spectrum of driving personalities. VW is a brand that travels with us over a lifetime. Starting with the quirky retro VW Bug (my first car!), the reinvigorated VW camper van / surfer’s van, right through to VW Golf and GTI (got my first raise!), includes flavours of Cabriolet (the extrovert’s car), the VW Polo (for the aspiring who need to think more economically), the people carrier – Sharan, and, of course, the trusty VW Passat. What a journey.
For me, the Volkswagen path was a personal journey. Okay, there were some detours on roads through much loved BMW 5 series country– until they changed the shape of the car. Now, mid-forties, I’m happy with my charcoal grey Passat. In a year or two, I’ll probably trade it in for a sportier Golf or even splash out on a Cabriolet. What’s that say about me?
Honestly? If people really paid more attention to their motives when making choices about cars, they’d probably skip years of psycho-therapy and land instead with a solid understanding of their own strengths or shortcomings, and maybe enough money to upgrade their engine size. That way, they could gain another five seconds on their quest (or escape) to achieve 0 – 60 much faster than their neighbour.
But, if we admitted any of this out loud, would Top Gear really be so much fun? Long live The Stig!
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