Should CCWS change its name?

[ChrisB]

I'm cross-posting this to both OC and TF forums, just to get a wider variety of opinions...

Should CCWS change its name?

IRL, A1GP, & CCWS are all privately owned "formula car" series. We know that the IRL is focused on Indy, and A1GP is loosely based on "Grand Prix/F1" racing... but I'm increasingly having a hard time with the CCWS "brand". IMO. it just doesn't seem to feel like "National Championship" racing quite like CART did (nor does the IRL for that matter, but it *is* focused on Indy like its name says). CCWS now feels more like an incarnation of the F5000 series... or a mostly American version of A1GP.

In a free marketplace, anyone should be able (within reason) to create a business... in the case of the Amigos, a mostly NA based formula road racing series. I think it would be hypocritical for Indy hardcores to jump into this thread and say "they should just go away" when TG himself made statements early on with the IRL about providing an alternative in a free marketplace.

I don't mean this as a criticism, there is great potential for someone to create a great American formula road racing series, but I don't think the name "Champ car" works well with that.

So.... should CCWS change its name? Why?

[Indy]

Yes. Champ Car is no longer champ car.

I would suggest something simple and explanatory, like American Grand Prix. Everyone here knows what that means, and it would clearly state to European fans what to expect.

Now is the time to do it. They have so little equity in the current name that there is little to lose, and the new name could provide an excuse for a "grand reopening" of sorts.

[Jag_Warrior]

I had dinner with a marketing guy last week. He suggested that any company having major problems with brand recognition should change its name to "Free Beer".

Outside of certain countries in the Middle East, show me someone who would have something bad to say about "Free Beer".

And yeah, we'd both knocked back a few beers when he said it... but it sure made sense to me at the time.

[oddlycalm]

The rules of marketing argue against name changes for a simple reason; a certain percentage of customer base will become confused and lose track of your brand. Unless there is some guaranteed upside changing names is always a bad idea.

Jag's Free Beer crack is funny because it represents borrowed interest, in a form rawer than is ever used. Borrowed interest assumes that the product itself is not strong enough or interesting enough so something arresting is used to grab attention. This is where MotoRock was heading and what Face Of Champcar, beach volleyball, etc. are all about. The fatal flaw with borrowed interest is that you aren't building a customer base because you've made your product the side show rather than the main event.

If a person wants to drink and watch pretty girls parade around on a stage there are couple dozen places in town that come to mind without the inconvenience of a race track. Music, beer and girls? Slap on your iPod and crack and cold one down at the nude beach any day the weather is nice around here...:gomer:

Bottom line is that if nobody cares about the racing or the racers a name change and/or borrowed interest aren't the solution. The only real solution is to make the racing compelling and put people in the cars that folks want to see drive.

oc

[Spicoli]

they cannot change their name, they still have a TON of shirts, caps, coats, etc to sell off.

[Methanolandbrats]

they cannot change their name, they still have a TON of shirts, caps, coats, etc to sell off. With a name change those will become collectors items.............stock up and cash in :D

[Don Quixote]

I vote for WGAF World Series. :D

[jonovision_man]

they cannot change their name, they still have a TON of shirts, caps, coats, etc to sell off.

Champ Car Stoof!!! :D

jono

[jonovision_man]

American Grand Prix

I like it... but it does have that "F1 lite" sound to it.

jono

[RHR_Fan]

Would a name change even matter? They have gone through many name changes. I think for a name change to be affective a lot more would have to change as well. What that all entails I don't know.

~Nicole

[Louie]

WTF was wrong with CART?

Was there any logical reason behind taking over the established CART brand and dumping the name?

[greenie]

WTF was wrong with CART?

Nothing whatsoever IMO.

[Wabbit]

GRL2 - Gomer Racing League 2

HMUCR - Have Money? U Can Race

WRW - We Race Whenever

,,,RS (No explanation needed)

Sorry, getting a little frustrated with the whole series, can you tell?

[jonovision_man]

CART = Sounded too much like go-kart. IMO.

jono

[opinionated ow]

If we ever get a brand new combined series...I'd call it simply (Sponsor) Present The Championship. Then you would run your champ cars in the races and your indy car at indy...

[Sean Malone]

CART was horrible.

[RusH]

WTF was wrong with CART?

Was there any logical reason behind taking over the established CART brand and dumping the name?

yes, stop the lawsuits?:D

I still call it CART in the real world, I have no patience to explain the series to people anymore.
But even CART is fading in memory.



----------------
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[Indy]

I like it... but it does have that "F1 lite" sound to it.

We should be so lucky.

[datachicane]

CART was horrible.

CART was just the sanctioning body, and was never intended to be the name of the series itself.

[stroker]

how about the "Your Name Here! Championship Series"....?

[Gnam]

I think the Champ Car name works pretty well in a NASCAR world. They both end in car, right? :gomer:

Maybe they could just add on to the current name:
Champ Car RAW
Xtreme Champ Car
Champ Car: Unleashed

or go with, Champ Car Turbo Tour.

A tour is more laid back than a series. Maybe they make all the stops, maybe they don't. You know whatever, they're on tour. :cool:

[chop456]

http://www.isitfast.com/images/Decals/Bands/PRINCE.jpg

[Andrew Longman]

CART as a name never helped the series too much and even before their demise they were trying to promote the term "champcar" to better create an identity and separate them from Indycar.

While the lack of ovals big and small, few American drivers and more international venues lessens the series role in a "national championship", I think it is less important than trying to build off of whatever brand equity they have. Changing names again will only confuse the handful of people who are still paying attention.

[Sean Malone]

CART as a name never helped the series too much and even before their demise they were trying to promote the term "champcar" to better create an identity and separate them from Indycar.

While the lack of ovals big and small, few American drivers and more international venues lessens the series role in a "national championship", I think it is less important than trying to build off of whatever brand equity they have. Changing names again will only confuse the handful of people who are still paying attention.

I agree. the least of their concerns right is a name change.

As long as they still have the rights to the Vanderbilt Cup they have some tie to the old National Championship..I guess. Personally, I think they should include Vanderbilt Cup in their official name...Champ Car Vanderbilt Cup World Series.

Sounds prestigious. :thumbup:

[Andrew Longman]

Personally, I think they should include Vanderbilt Cup in their official name...Champ Car Vanderbilt Cup World Series.

Sounds prestigious. :thumbup:

And it sounds a whole lot better than Winston/Nextel/Sprint/Busch/Nationwide Cup. And they would not have to worry about rebranding the series everytime the sponsor leaves.

Now can we get the Vanderbilt family to throw in a few bucks to enhance the family's name? :gomer:

[STD]

http://www.isitfast.com/images/Decals/Bands/PRINCE.jpg

Best answer! LOL

[Sean Malone]

And it sounds a whole lot better than Winston/Nextel/Sprint/Busch/Nationwide Cup. And they would not have to worry about rebranding the series everytime the sponsor leaves.

Now can we get the Vanderbilt family to throw in a few bucks to enhance the family's name? :gomer:


wikipedia...Present-day economist John Kenneth Galbraith said that several generations of Vanderbilts showed both the talent for acquiring money and the dispensing of it in unmatched volume, adding that they dispensed their wealth for frequent and unparalleled self-gratification and very often did it with downright stupidity. Confirmation as to the validity of Galbraith's views is that only forty-eight years after the death of Cornelius Vanderbilt, one of his direct descendants died penniless....
"Willie K" launched the Vanderbilt Cup for auto racing. However, others made headlines as a result of drug and alcohol abuse and multiple marriages.

On second thought. ;)

[Dr. Corkski]

http://www.isitfast.com/images/Decals/Bands/PRINCE.jpgGame. Blouses.

[Tim]

Would you like some pancakes?

[RHR_Fan]

Would you like some pancakes?

Yes. Make me some chocolate chip.

[Turn7]

5 year Cluster .... :irked:

[Tim]

The Special Olympics

[Louie]

Nothing whatsoever IMO.


Hi Ya Blackie ;) Good to see ya.

[greenie]

Hi Ya Blackie ;) Good to see ya.

Cheers. Keep raising hell - I'm sure I know who you are. :cool: :thumbup:

[ChrisB]

I let this go a few days to see what others thought. My own opinion... with the announced demise of RuSport, things don't look so good, and I don't think it would make much difference under current ownership.

However... if the Amigos sell the CCWS assets to someone else (other than TG) who wants to make another go of it as an American formula roadrace series, then yes, the new owners should probably give it some kind of "formula" or "GP" name and get away from the whole Indy/USAC implied history thing.