[Turbowned]

A brand is supposed to mean a lot more than just the products it sells. I am faithful to the Toyota brand, not the Scion brand. Scion and Toyota have very different meanings to me.

“A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company.” - Marty Neumier, The Brand Gap

It's the same thing as if it were to be badged a Lexus. Would people think differently if this were the Lexus FR-S? Yes, they would, because the Lexus brand has certain pretenses. Regardless of whether or not it's the same car, people think differently about it. Of course a Lexus RX350 is just a Toyota highlander with some gussied up features. But thousands of people buy it thinking they're getting some fantastic luxury car! Why is that? Because of Lexus' brand image.

Like Lexus being associated with Luxury, Toyota is (to most) associated with dependable, reliable cars and (to some like me) excellent motorsports heritage. Scion has associated themselves with being hip, fresh, and new, or at least that's what the aging marketing reps are trying to make the brand appear to be.

In the end, it's all about who you want to be associated with. Do I want to be associated with those who enjoy classic sporty cars like the Supra, MR2, Celica, even Starlet and Corolla, or do I want to be associated with the guy driving the xB or xD? My best friend's 60-yr-old mother drives a bright blue body-kitted xB. She is not hip. She is not fresh, or cool. She bought it because it's spacious and cheap.

Since I don't have the choice to get a Toyota, I'll take a Subaru, thanks. If the Scion brand image doesn't bother you, then great! Maybe this car will help change that brand image, because right now I think it's pretty lame.