The Sad Case of Saab, lessons for Fiat?

Swade pointed out an interesting article on the Thirdway Advertising blog about how GM has devalued the Saab brand, primarily by not letting it be Saab.

Substitute Fiat for Saab and the story could read the same. Both brands have tried to be something they were not, show signs of getting back to their roots but still face enormous hurdles. They have a legacy, an identity, that would be a loss to the industry should they disappear.

I suspect the failure of the GM deal was about the best outcome for Fiat as it would have become Saab2 with GM control. The prevailing opinion was that you have to be big to survive in the auto industry. As the giants struggle perhaps there is room for smaller companies to survive. It will come down to how well they manage their brand.

If you are inspire passion there is hope. Big or small, the dull will die.

ThirdWay Advertising Blog: Commentary: The Sad Case of Saab

Via Trollhattan – The Saab Blog