Pop Art Blog

Last month, I heard something that made me gasp: “Scion isn't cool anymore”. Granted, some of you may wonder whether it was ever cool. If you don't appreciate the design personality and in-your-face attitude of the 2005, boxy xB, you are likely to say that Scion's lack of cool factor is not news. To me, it is.

Let me backtrack a bit: for Generation Y, “marketing” is often a word that comes charged with negative connotations. There is a lot of confusion on whether a product really is as valuable and high quality as it claims to be. Since there's no clear guarantee from the brand, many resort to asking the opinion of peers or looking On-line for reviews. Purchasing cars is a particularly cumbersome experience, with dealers looking to gain as much as possible on top of price tag of the maker. It's as far as you can get from "have it your way" type of mentality.

Scion changed all that. By understanding the need for honesty and quality, Scion trail-blazed in their approach with Generation Y audience and beyond. The company gives their customers a straight-forward deal: every person purchasing a Scion pays MSRP price for the item, something Scion calls "Pure Price". There's no haggling with the dealer, no hassle, no nonsense. You can't brag to your friend that you got a better deal than they did; there is no unpleasant begging and pleading with the dealer for an embarrassing discount.

Although the "pure price" idea is not new (Saturn was among the first brands to provide this option), Scion paired the strategy with bold design and the option to endlessly customize cars. They put the power in the hands of consumers and followed up with interactive marketing campaigns to reach their consumer base on the Internet, where they spend most of their time. The products themselves aren't meant to appeal to everyone, but the valuable philosophy behind the car company made people want to drive around in boxes. It was almost a badge that stood for individuality and doing the right thing. Although some of the design personality was diluted recently, Scion's commitment to consumers is still one of its most admirable qualities.

The rumor about Scion's loss of cool stems from a decision that was a made a couple of years ago. Scion was serious about being a people's brand, so they took this idea to another level. After conducting a consumer survey regarding car features, Scion took the results directly to the design drawing boards. The result is a lineup of 2008 cars with average features and very little personality. The well-defined xB is now much bigger and toned down from the previous model, a potential cause of Scion's sale drop. It is amazing that a company even made this risky design move, but sadly, they mistook consumer feedback for consumer insight.

I would argue that Scion is, at its core, a very cool company. At most, their 2008 lineup may not necessary fit the brand personality, but that can easily be fixed in the future by allowing their concept artists the freedom to come up with something even more daring than their 2005 products.