“Director of Screwing Around Making Friends on the Internet” would be nice, but I’m not sure I can convince anyone to give me a paycheck & health insurance for it.

It’s an almost hopeless undertaking to control social media, so we have to look into creating content worth spreading. It’s also an image issue: brands with a rather “casual” and “cool” image (like Apple), but also companies that come right out of this creative melting pot (new media companies, independent creative agencies, and social media companies themselves, like Digg) have a direct advantage here, as the nature of their brand doesn’t require such a high level of restrictive control. These are simply “sympathetic”.

I really remember those first Saturn campaigns. I could *feel* the beam of marketing surrounding me. They really did get it in terms of creating the right feeling and defining a tribe that felt good to people.

I suppose if you each bought multiples they did ok on the product front as well! Me, I’m an old Mercedes person (my BabyBenz is nearly 20), but if I was looking for something newer I would definitely consider a Saturn.

I’m so glad I hit your radar, because I truly didn’t have an answer, so seeing the community at large take a look into it is a great thing from my perspective. Thanks for weighing in. : )

A lot of (successful) brand building isn’t about logos/color schemes, but the “feeling”/”experience” you get being associated with the product and the community of consumers who use it.

I’ve bought 3 Saturns and I couldn’t draw the logo from memory if I tried … but the people who came up with the “Saturn Family” got it right.

They throw good parties, too