Hi everyone!

I'm currently doing my dissertation on Skoda's repositioning, as part of my research i need to form a discussion into...'To examine Skoda’s brand management objectives and assess the extent to which they are being met'

If anyone could help me i have a few points to lead the discussion

• ‘To move from quirky to mainstream’
  
• ‘Take Skoda to the people’
  
• ‘Don’t drop precious prospects’
  
• ‘Become a strong unified team’

These are Skoda's objectives, to what extent do you feel that they are being met for you? (You can speak about improved perceptions, making customers feel valued, customer service etc)

Any other discussion would be appreciated also.

Thanks alot,

Rebecca

welcome to briskoda

Hi Rebecca,

I'm not sure if I can help. Not even sure if I shoud try to, since I live outside the UK (on the other hand the "brand management objectives" should be the same everywhere, I guess).

I guess that the four points come from some kind, strategy document? The three last ones are, in my opinion, good examples of "corporate bullsh1t" - they really don't say anything.

The first... well, I don't mind driving a car that's a bit quirky, I find it part of Skoda's charm that it's not altogether mainstream, not just another European car.

The second: in my ears just "blah blah blah"

The third: "Don't drop precious prospects" might (for the individual Skoda owner) mean that you can count on being treated as a valuable customer in your contact with Skoda dealers/garages.

What I've learnt here is that not everyone have that experience... for myself I would characterise my local Skoda/VAG dealer and garage as neither better nor worse than anyone else.

The fourth: see above (2nd point).

In other words: neither of these points conveys anything that resembles what I associate with "Skoda". Nor are they unique - they could relate to any car, or vacuum cleaner, or whatever.

Maybe not helpful at all, but at least a starting point, no doubt you'll get more replies. Good luck with your dissertation work!

Hiya Rebecca.

I'm not sure this is the correct forum for this. It might be better in one of the chat fora? Also, you might want to consider a more analysable questionaire, rather than a chat discussion?

Thanks, i have already done a questionnaire, i need to use a range of research methods to get as much information as possible. And have been advised that this is a good option.

Welcome to Briskoda.

If anyone could help me i have a few points to lead the discussion

1. ‘To move from quirky to mainstream’
   
2. ‘Take Skoda to the people’
   
3. ‘Don’t drop precious prospects’
   
4. ‘Become a strong unified team’
   

Welcome to Briskoda! :wavey:

Don't know how much detail you want in your responses, but:

1. I think Skoda is getting more quirky with models like the Roomster and the new Superb with its saloon/hatch boot. Six or seven years ago, when the Mk1 Octavia and Fabia were Skoda's only models would be the period when their cars were the most 'mainstream' to be honest.

2. They've certainly succeeded with this. People still make jokes, but I don't think many people would deny that they thought Skodas were as good any other make of car if they were being honest.

3. I think they may already be doing this. Skodas aren't as good value as they used to be. They're pushing themselves as the 'practical' arm of the Volkswagen group these days rather than the 'economy' brand, which has better profit margins, I'm sure, but puts people off when they're not much cheaper than, say, the equivalent VW. I for one bought my Fabia vRS because it was one of the fastest cars you could buy at the price. Sure, I liked that it had five doors instead of competitors' three, but if practicality was my only consideration, I'd have bought a Toyota...

4. Not sure what this one is about? Although I've not had to deal with them myself, I know that Skoda Customer Service isn't terribly highly regarded on this forum, and neither are some of the dealers. If one place will happily fix a fault when another will claim the same fault wasn't their problem, then that's not very unified. Of course dealers are franchises, and so not actually part of Skoda / VW, but that shouldn't make a difference...

Hope this helps!

‘To move from quirky to mainstream’

I think that this has largely been achieved - although as previously noted, the Roomster is a bit quirky. That said, it is a practical car and to a certain extent cashes in on the fact that the brand is strong/confident enough now to produce something 'interesting'.

‘Take Skoda to the people’

I'm not so sure about this. When I bought my Fabia vRS a couple of years ago, I faced lots of 'banter' from friends and colleagues - the old image of Skoda lived on for many of them. I think that car enthusiasts are beyond making Skoda jokes now, but I'm not sure that this is so for the general populace. I am in the process of selling my car and despite it being a fantastic car, it has to be priced well below equivalent models and even then I am struggling to shift it - it has been said to me that a lot of people will not look at it, because it is a Skoda.

Of course, taking Skoda to the people - making it a true Volks Wagen! - could refer to the need for their cars to be priced competitively in order to increase sales volume - ie. everyone can have one.

‘Don’t drop precious prospects’

I don't understand this. To my mind, a prospect is a potential sale, so I guess that what they are saying is don't do anything that would put off potential buyers. I have not had to deal with Skoda UK, so have no opinion to offer here - I know that their pre-sales to me when I bought new were very good - not too pushy, but interested enough. I found the honesty of some of the salesmen I spoke to very refreshing.

Of course, one days prospect is the next days Skoda owner - and that owner should really be encouraged to develop brand loyalty. Judging by some of the postings on here, SUK could do a great deal to improve their customer service. That said, whenever viewing a forum like this, always bear in mind that most postings are because someone has had a problem - people without issues don't generally post.. so the volume of posting of issues would have to be analysed much deeper to find the true picture.

‘Become a strong unified team’

Sounds like standard corporate talk, spoken in boardrooms up and down the land to me.

Good luck with the dissertation and welcome to the site.

Thankyou sooo much for your help! It's really appreciated!

* ‘To move from quirky to mainstream’

Skoda have succeeded in moving from the quirky to the mainstream, the cars are no longer rear engined for example. Trouble is, maybe getting too mainstream?

* ‘Take Skoda to the people’

Hmmm, in general, most people have been very complimentary towards my last two Skoda's, however, whilst many people admit they like the car, I don't recall any of my friends (well apart from one mate who bought a used Fabia vRS very recently) actively having Skoda on their prospective list of new cars. Pushing the prices up of the cars isn't going to help either, the badge still puts a lot of people off. Skoda need to decide (to be fair, perhaps their owners are pulling the strings) who their direct competitors are and price their cars accordingly.

* ‘Don’t drop precious prospects’

I'm sure other car manufacturers have the same problem, but, in general, my experiences with my local Skoda dealership hasn't been great. It hasn't been bad, but considering I've bought two cars from them in the last few years, one brand new, one ex demonstrator, I would expect a bit more courtesy. For example, the TFSI engine uses oil quite a bit, so I have had to buy about 4 litres of it from the dealership, each time I go it it's almost like they are doing me a favour in getting up out of their chair and going to the store room to get the oil.

* ‘Become a strong unified team’

Corporate speak, means everyone working together. Although I guess it could also relate to being part of the VAG group and their place in it.

Good luck with the dissertation.

Don't forget to mention taking on the VW typical ignore your customers and wash your hands of them once they have bought the car.

Shame as some people in some dealerships take this attitude.