| The Japanese have a special beef called Kobe. Kobe
cattle are massaged with sake and are fed a daily diet that includes large
amounts of beer. The result: extraordinarily tender, finely marbled and
delicious stake that can fetch up to $100 per pound in some restaurants.
Building a successful brand is tough work and maintaining it requires
the same amount of love, especially if you’re ‘branding’
it as a premium product with an edge, says Nargess Shahmanesh-Banks.
Lo explains that there
will be two SUVs: the 9-7X (right) that was already shown
at the New York Show last year and another, smaller crossover-SUV-type
vehicle that will be much more unique, he promises |
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Anthony Lo’s position at Saab is as ambiguous as General Motor’s
late branding strategy. He is design director at GM Europe’s advanced
studio, in charge of Saab design, though also responsible for Opal and
Vauxhall as well as concept cars. “I am not a direct successor of
Michael Mauer,” he says speaking of the previous Saab design director
who was then moved strategically across to the advanced studio -- some
say to keep him happy -- from where he made a get away to Porsche. Lo,
incidentally, came to Saab via Mercedes-Benz, the same route at Mauer.
“The definition of ‘advanced’ has changed in the last
few months,” says Lo, explaining that Brian Nesbitt who heads GME
design is his direct boss and alongside the other brand directors, their
job is to ensure the brands keep their separate identities.
“I do advanced work, so I am looking at five years ahead. We work
on dimensions and proportions to make sure this works for Saab, the other
for Opal and in some cases, with certain platforms, we think about all
the other GM brands. The cars may have similar dimensions, but they have
different expressions for the type of customers we are targeting,”
he confirms, though it’s hard to know if he actually believes all
this marketing babble.
Saab still positions itself as an alternative premium brand. “Our
cars are for people with a higher level of education and a good income
who can afford anything they want, but they somehow go for Saab,”
says the designer. However, of late, some of these customers have moved
over to a neighbouring Swede where they can purchase a wider range of
products. Lo agrees that Volvo has wooed over potential Saab estate and
SUV customers and he is aware that his brand needs to snatch them back
soon by offering a wider range of products.
Hence the long awaited 9-3X estate car which will be launched next year
and design-wise it promises to look similar to the 9-3 Sports-Hatch concept
seen last year. Lo explains that there will be two SUVs: the 9-7X that
was already shown at the New York Show last year and another, smaller
crossover-SUV-type vehicle that will be much more unique, he promises.
They will be destined solely for North America. “In a sense it is
frustrating as we want these cars in Europe,” he says though he
knows this is highly unlikely to happen.
Lo says he was one of the only ones in Sweden to welcome the alliance
with Subaru. He thinks both companies will see the benefit: Saab in terms
of advanced engineering and Subaru in terms of design. “From an
engineering point of view Subaru is very proud of what it has achieved
and it should be,” says Lo. The challenge, though, comes in terms
of design. “We have given Subaru our guidelines and they are willing
to listen,” he says.
Saab has introduced Subaru to quality. Apparently it uses certain textiles
on its seats that Saab wouldn’t even dream of using even as lining.
“If you offer the customer good value, good performance and good
design, do they care how it was made?” We will just have to wait
and see on that one.
The key to what Lo does is to be super disciplined and to dedicate enough
time to each brand. For instance Monday and Tuesday can be dedicated to
Saab design, Wednesdays and Thursdays to Opal and Friday left aside as
Vauxhall day.
Lo says that in many ways Saab can be compared to Jaguar as they both
have a narrow product range. From a business point of view, he suggests,
maybe the two companies can become smaller, like Porsche. That is a thought,
but to do this you need to have something that is really strong in the
product, like a powerful engine or some crazy design scheme. “We
are working on this,” he says. “We need to offer more than
just performance and diesel engines.”
It will be interesting to see what will befall of Saab under GM’s
iron rule. To build a brand you need to have a true feel for its history,
its nationality and its identity. A brand has soul, but it will die if
not cared for, stroked, massaged and nourished with the right food that
suits its temperament. It does additionally raise the question as to how
far a brand can keep its individuality under the rule of an empire. It
is a tough job building a brand, yet an easy one destroying it.
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