Raleigh recently announced the relaunch of its iconic Chopper bike. I had a violet Mark 2 Chopper for my 10th birthday and while it wasn’t the fastest bike or the best handling it was by far the coolest, with off the scale street cred.
The Chopper proved to be the saviour of Nottingham-based Raleigh in the 60s and 70s until it was overshadowed by the BMX brand in the 1980s. However, five decades later they have given it a new lease of life by launching it to a new generation of 10-15-year-olds.
This led me to think what other wheeled brands have stayed front of mind with me since my childhood, and the impact brand affinity has had on me over the years. After the Raleigh, my next bike was an Eddy Merckx, named after the five-time Tour de France winner. After taking delivery of my first bike in 1981 and covering thousands of miles prior to passing my driving test, it was top of my list when I returned to cycling a few years ago – a testament to the power of the brand.
On moving from two wheels to four, the first car manufacturer that came to mind was Ford and its RS brand. The Mark 2 Ford Escort RS2000 with mesh headrests looked good, sounded good and, for a 15-year-old, was very aspirational. Over 40 years later, the Ford RS brand still holds the same respect with the driver community, both young and old.
My very first journalist job saw me drive an orange VW Transporter van for six months. Its build quality made an immediate impression particularly after surviving a 40mph head-on shunt with another vehicle. This faith in the brand has seen me own three VW Golfs.
The same happened after watching Steve Soper race his BMW M3 in the German Touring Cars championship against the mighty Audi V8s in the late 80s. This started a 35-year passion for the BMW M brand - and I’ve owned three M cars since.
From toys to breakfast cereals, children are having brands put in front of them at an increasingly early age. It’s not surprising that car companies appreciate the importance of engagement with children way before they are old enough to drive - that’s why the Motor Show and Carfest exist and are so popular. After all, these kids are the car maker’s customers of the future.
My son and I were made very welcome on recent trips to HR Owen Lamborghini, Maranello in Egham and Ascot Koenisegg dealer, SuperVettura, when looking at their latest supercars. They clearly appreciate the importance of forging brand recognition and loyalty for their supercar brands at an early age – and if they’re doing it, then the volume brands should be doing it also.
