Quote:
Originally Posted by gramicci101
Which I don't understand. Who is going to think "Man, that corvette is sexy. But you know that cobalt is pretty sweet too! Hmm..."
Or if they're looking for an economy sedan, are they really going to think "Hmm, I should look at a cobalt. After all, it's made by the same company that makes the corvette..."
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It's not exactly that simple, but it does work. The halo cars get you thinking about the brand.
My dad always loved Corvettes from the time he was a teenager. Liking the Corvette had him thinking of Chevy whenever we needed a car. We had a Malibu when I was a kid as a result. Then we eventually got a Chevy van. Once his business took off, he bought a '66 Corvette. Then he bought a series of other Corvettes over the years.
That just reinforced the GM brand loyalty. When it came time for my brother to get a car, he couldn't afford a Corvette, but he went looking for a Chevy. When my dad needed a small truck for his business, he bought an S-10. Then he bought another. My brother now has an S-10. My mom now drives a Malibu.
When a younger guy is looking for a car, he might briefly consider a Corvette. "Can I afford it?" So he goes to the Chevy website to see what a build would cost. He quickly realizes it's out of his range. But here's the important part:
He's already on the Chevy website. So maybe he looks around, and maybe he settles on a different model for now.
Same thing goes for Chrysler. Not many people can afford a Hellcat. But having the Hellcat in the stable is selling a lot of Avengers, despite the Avenger being a complete and total piece of shit.
Same thing will go for the FT-1 whenever it hits the showroom. Halo cars have a definite marketing function, and they work.