In the midst of all the bad economic news and the escalating healthcare debate, one government program seems to be meeting with nearly universal approval: the Cash for Clunkers deal.
One of the reasons this program has gained traction is its verbal simplicity. Marketers take note: if you can describe a major new initiative in three words, and use alliteration in the process, you have a winner on your hands.
Of course it helps if the government is dumping billions of dollars into the program, but it is nonetheless a great coup for consumer and car manufacturer alike.
“Cash for Fill-in-the-Blank” phraseology has been around for a long time, but Cash for Clunkers had not only alliteration on its side, but also perfect timing. When people see Congress is voting on 1,000+ page stimulus bills without bothering to read them, it’s easy to latch on to a simple, memorable phrase that everyone immediately understands. (Well, maybe not everybody: one of my neighbors joyfully told me Obama gave her an extra $4,500 for her old Dodge Durango when she bought a new Toyota.)
Another proof of the marketing success is that Cash for Clunkers, like all good marketing ideas, is generating a wave of knock-offs riffing on the theme. There’s the dentist in Dallas, for example, who is offering “Cash for Chompers” when people trade in their old dentures for a new set. The U.S. Patent Office has received more than a hundred new trademark requests with “Cash for” in the name.
Like all such fads, Cash for Clunkers has a limited shelf life, though you and your grandkids will be paying for it long after this powerful buzz phrase fades from the rear-view mirror.