The San Francisco International Auto Show arrived in town this week and I spent a few hours there since I love cars and my current lease expires in a few weeks. It was great fun strolling among the vehicles and checking out the latest from both the Japanese and European manufacturers. I steered clear of the domestics not in principle but because there was not a single vehicle that pulled me in as I walked by. I felt like I had to stifle a yawn as I glanced over the giant FORD logo and looked to see what the next company offered. I wasn't alone.
Visitors scrambled into the seats of the Honda and Audi displays while the Buick's and Chrysler's gathered dust. The Big 3's financial predicaments certainly aren't helping their cause but I could not shake the sense that these brands had permanently turned a corner for the worse.
Could the same thing happen to a development ?
Sometimes I participate in meetings where we brainstorm names for new developments. Much like referring to the color light green as "celadon", choosing what to name a condominium is an exercise in perception management. The Beacon is still 250 and 260 King Street if the name is changed to The Bacon. Both names have connotations and associations, it's simply a matter of which ones you want potential buyers to think of. Some developments shed their brands after a few years if they are unwieldy or not particularly catchy. 88 King Street was marketed as The Towers at Embarcadero South. That mouthful has quietly faded and the buildings lucky address is now it's preferred name.
I don't think we will see any condominium Pintos or Edsels in San Francisco but there will almost always be a new development touting a sexy brand to lure buyers in with the promise of a new and better life in a new and better development.
I'm going to start my new and better life by getting a Volkswagon.
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