The trouble with reputation and perception
Printer-Friendly VersionLast year, when I joined a few colleagues in tallying the votes for the Auto Focus Media's Choice Awards, I realized something interesting. It is that people tend to praise or criticize something based on reputation alone, actual facts be damned.
In the safety category of the said awards, every single Volvo won in the segment it was entered in. Adjudged "best in safety" in their class were the C30, the S60, the S80, the XC60, the XC90 and the V60. Not a single Volvo model lost in this award category. As far as I can recall, all of them beat every rival from Audi, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz--by a wide margin even.
Now, I believe Volvos are indeed very safe. The Swedish carmaker has built its brand around this very attribute. It's as if the company has already bought the exclusive rights to this department. Whenever we discuss the subject of car safety, we immediately think of Volvo. It's that automatic--like Colgate is our mental picture of "toothpaste."
But I don't believe that Volvo's entire fleet is truly the best in the industry. I could bet my G-Shock collection that if we put this to an actual, professional test, at least two Volvo models would be topped by something from Germany (or even Japan, for that matter).
But because Volvo has passionately staked a claim on the science of car safety over the years, we are willing to bestow each and every one of its cars the "best in safety" accolade, without so much as a cursory glance at the competition's spec sheets. We simply accept this as fact.
These are the thoughts that visited me when J.D. Power and Associates released the results of its 2012 Avoider Study last week. To understand what this study is all about, let me quote from the press statement:
The study, now in its ninth year, examines the reasons consumers fail to consider--or avoid--particular models when shopping for a new vehicle. Perceptions of vehicle reliability have consistently been a prominent reason for avoiding a particular brand or model. The study finds that, among buyers who avoid a particular model, a sizable proportion (43 percent) say their avoidance is due to the fact that the brand's vehicles, in general, are known to have poor quality or reliability. A smaller percentage (38 percent) base their avoidance decision on ratings and reviews, while an even smaller proportion (14 percent) base their decision on prior ownership of the model.
Reputation lingers, sometimes even for generations. Especially in the automotive business. To paraphrase a popular maxim: "It takes years to build a brand, but just minutes to destroy it." I'm sure many Filipinos still think of lowly Pride taxicabs when they encounter Kia's logo. Many of us won't even give the Korean carmaker the benefit of a test drive, which is why many of us have no idea that, for instance, the new Rio is nothing like the Pride of old.
I myself still have subconscious biases against certain brands, which is unfair. Just because a carmaker once produced a bad car doesn't mean all its succeeding models will be horrendous. Conversely, just because a carmaker once produced a sterling vehicle doesn't mean all its future products will be commendable.
When my father was shopping for his first-ever car a few years ago--his eyes were dead set on a Ford Mustang, by the way--I tried to sell him the idea of owning a more practical Japanese car. He balked. I had the sense he'd much rather walk than purchase a Japan-made vehicle. I couldn't blame him. After all, the Japanese cars of his youth had been the laughingstock of the automotive world.
Unbeknown to my father, however, Japanese quality has improved by leaps and bounds over the last few decades, so much so that Japanese cars are now generally better and more reliable than American-made ones (which he prefers). But because of his staunchly held belief, he might have effectively deprived himself of a car with better quality, more value, more comfort and better fuel economy. Not to say that he made a wrong decision, because I love his Mustang as much as my own car; I'm just using his case as an example.
Even here on this website, I often read careless comments that consistently dismiss one brand or another. I always see the same people disparaging the same car brands over and over and over again. They sound like they really know what they're talking about. If they hate a particular brand, it doesn't matter what sort of story we post about that brand, they won't pass up the chance to ridicule it. It never fails.
Which brings me to my point: When you're shopping for a car, drop your preconceived notions. Let go of biases (both negative and positive) that are merely based on reputation and perception. You might miss out on a really good car just because you're avoiding its brand like the plague.
The antidote to this problem? Make it a habit to test-drive vehicles that, on paper, qualify as candidates for your next car. Test drives are the single most important courtesy a car dealership can extend to a customer. Forget the brewed coffee. Ignore the shapely salesperson in a miniskirt. Never mind the disarming politeness of the sales manager. Just ask for a test drive.
Only then can you find out for yourself if all the witty advertising copy is true. Only then will you know for yourself if the brand's bad reputation is deserved. And only then can you determine for yourself if your favorite car magazine is staffed by pretentious charlatans.
Reputation must count for something, sure. But as you may have already known from your spouse, nothing stays the same forever.
