Staying Relevant

This probably won't last,

and this definitely won't be around long...

But if they do, and Chevy is able to laugh at itself, then I think the company will end up with a lot more respect and a stronger brand - isn't it very "American" to be able to roll with the punches?. More likely, they will remove the contest all together and pretend it never happened, which will only make the hole that they are in (at least brand-wise) deeper.

Note to Chevy: You can't force cosumer-generated brand love.

This phenomenon raises some interesting questions about an open-source branding model with companies that do not already have a solid, devoted following. How much control over your brand do you give to the masses? What happens if the result is not all positive? Are there steps a company has to take before it can go to an open-source model?

Overall, this was a bold move by Chevy. Not a lot of companies would even consider hanging themselves out like that. As I mentioned above, Chevy has the ability to make this potentially negative situation into a brand-building experience where they can reposition themselves to lessen their arrogant and bumbling appearance. However, that probably will not happen, and they will continue to erode their brand with the American audience.