Committed to being different, by adopting an independent brand

Adopting an ‘Independent Brand’ and ‘Independent Emblem’ approach to Actyon, a sports utility vehicle (SUV) for five, first unveiled on the 13th, Ssangyong is committed to a marketing strategy that is distinct and unique.

Ssangyong Motor announced that they have adopted an emblem in order to stress the style and performance of their new car Actyon, a vehicle with unique design and 145 horsepower, which is the strongest engine in its class. An emblem is a marketing strategy companies actively adopt when they need to move beyond the image that has been established by their other existing products.

The best-known case of successful emblem marketing is the Lexus, made by Toyota of Japan. Toyota, which had been exported to America as a low-priced vehicle, developed a luxury car model and released it to the market in 1983.

However, since their image as a low-price brand was so strong, they adopted an independent brand named Lexus, and an independent emblem to sell the car. In the ten years since then, the car has become the equivalent of a by-word in brand power.

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Regarding this marketing strategy, Ssangyong Motor explained that the emblem adopted for Actyon took ‘A’ from the car’s English name Actyon. The emblem signifies that the car is △The ace brand in the Korean SUV market, △ Entry brand of Ssangyong Motor, and △A class brand in both style and performance.

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Ssangyong Motor expects to attract consumers in their 20’s and 30’s who like dynamic driving performance and distinguished design, as well as those in their 30’s to 40’s as their main targeted market group.

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Following its release on the 13th, Actyon recorded 3,260 purchase contracts on the first day alone, demonstrating tremendous response from young consumer groups. A source at Ssangyong Motor said “With the release of Actyon, we have built a new SUV full-line business along with the New Rexton and Kyron.” He also stated that he expected “the independent emblem of Actyon will provide us with a foundation on which to build a brand loyalty.”

He also said “the trend of independent brands and separate emblems in the automobile industry will increase the value and sales of the company, and as a part of the marketing strategy to give consumers both pride and satisfaction, the trend will help make the market more dynamic in the future as well.”

- Source from Naeil Daily (Oct 19, 2005) -