Parallels between Saturn (the car) and Apple
From an interview with a division general manager of Saturn, responsible for the brand’s product planning, sales, service and marketing operations:
Q: Do you see any parallels between Saturn and Apple?
A: I do.
We have the good fortune of having an exclusive network, so we don’t have other products in our facilities. When people come in, it’s a great environment. We’re very focused on delivering on the brand promise to the consumer.
You can’t have just a marketing message. Your marketing has got to be in your actions as well as in your words. I could give you numerous examples where I get customer letters and they’ll tell me about retailers staying open late at night to take care of their service needs. That’s Saturn.
The parallel ends: Saturn EOL’ed
Unfortunately, Saturn’s parallel with Apple does not extend to the bottom line–perhaps because it never extended to the quality and innovation of the product line. GM has announced that it will close down Saturn production by 2011, leaving Saturn retailers to find a new source for vehicles to sell under the Saturn brand.
“It’s a good distribution network. If someone comes up with an offer, we’re very open to that.” GM Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner told a press conference. GM intends to produce new Saturns only for the current product line up which expires in 2011, according to the company’s latest plan as submitted to Treasury.
Under the new plan, Mr. Januska said, Saturn dealers would be open to selling vehicles made by Indian or Chinese manufacturers that would be sold as Saturns. “There are not a whole lot of alternatives,” said Mr. Januska, who is on the Saturn Dealer Council. “Someone is going to see the value of us and I don’t know who it will be.”
What is/was Saturn a brand of?
To me, the Saturn brand always had the imagination boiled out of it, as if it were supposed to be “different” in ways that didn’t really matter. It was like driving “the big idea” instead of driving a car. Comparing itself to Apple means that Saturn came to believe its own illusions. Or maybe it was a brand of illusion from the very start.
