Volkswagen Must Change Strategy and Logo to Repair Its Damaged Brand E

Brands have been around for at least 5000 years and to this day our societies have evolved a great deal in regards to this aspect. The reason why brands have become of a greater importance in today’s society is because of our increased want rather than need (what we need to stay alive such as food and shelter) for a new and customised product thus â€Å"moving from an economy of mass production to an economy of mass customisation†. (Neumeier, Morgan & Edgar, 2006) Nevertheless, brands have become an important part of our lives, in many cases being a reflection of who we are or what we would like to become. In this essay, the Volkswagen brand will be analysed in terms of its success and failure, as well as any potential changes, which could act beneficial towards it. In order to do this, a brief overview of the history and current organisation to this date will be looked into, accompanied by the understandings of Volkswagen’s communication campaigns, brand (designs), positions, and strategies. Overview of the Volkswagen Organisation The historical German brand Volkswagen (VW) dates back to the year 1904 when the idea of a â€Å"People’s Car† was first mentioned. In 1925, Belà ¡ Barà ©nyi submitted a life changing design of a potential Volkswagen design, which later became known as the â€Å"Beetle†. Already having a great deal of success in the automobile industry, the first real breakthrough of this idea came in 1934, when Adolf Hitler had adopted the idea of mass production and a â€Å"People’s Car†, built for the transportation of the wider population, which then became popular amongst the German people in the Third Reich. This sparked the first so-called brand equity, which encouraged the public to believe in the concept of a car for... ...ttp://www.toyota-global.com/company/history_of_toyota/. [Accessed 07 January 2014]. Volkswagen Logo History @ DasTank.com. 2014. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.dastank.com/Volkswagen-Logo-History.htm. [Accessed 07 January 2014]. Corporate Identity: Volkswagen. 2014. [ONLINE] Available at: http://hansstol.totaldesign.nl/en/volkswagen.html. [Accessed 07 January 2014]. Volkswagen Logo - Design and History of Volkswagen Logo. 2014. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.famouslogos.us/volkswagen-logo/. [Accessed 07 January 2014]. Interbrand - Best Global Brands 2013 . 2014. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.interbrand.com/de/best-global-brands/2013/Best-Global-Brands-2013.aspx. [Accessed 08 January 2014]. Videos: The Play Belt - The Fun Theory. - YouTube. 2014. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AbQSE4ZKvk. [Accessed 07 January 2014].