Subaru Badge of Ownership Program Already a Success
Readers of European origin will no doubt be familiar with the concept of a car company doling out special badges to help award loyal brand fanatics for specific vehicular achievements. Mercedes-Benz, for example, offers a series of badges designed to recognize drivers who have managed to push the odometer on their automobiles to impressively high levels. Other European car companies have also long embraced this practice of grille or trunk-mounted badges as a way of generating a sense of community amongst its owners.
The practice never really spread to North America, at least not outside of certain racing series or classic car clubs. Subaru, however, has decided that the time has come to introduce its own badge system in an attempt to bring together what is already one of the most closely-knit ownership groups in the industry. The initiative is known as the Badge of Ownership program.
In Japan, Subaru's country of origin, automotive accessorizing has been taken to an extreme level, with entire subcultures rising up around the vans, big rigs and station wagons popular with the island nation's custom car builders. Unsurprisingly, Subaru has made the decision to keep its American badging initiative within the confines of generally accepted good taste. The badges in question feature two primary elements, with the most apparent being a large blue circle with a number in the middle representing how many Subaru vehicles that the proud owner displaying the symbol has owned. To the right of that badge is where the car company allows its fans to get creative: as many as 12 different 'lifestyle' icons can be stacked up alongside.
What exactly are the options for Subaru owners anxious to flaunt their particular hobbies, habits or interests on the trunk of their automobile? The choices are surprisingly varied, and reflect the active, outdoorsy demographic that the automaker has long been successful in reaching. Some of the more predictable choices include badges which denote outdoor and snow sports, a badge aimed at bicycle lovers and icons to represent the interests of both animal and environmental issues lovers. Other available badges that fit in well with a general automotive theme are a performance badge (suitable for WRX owners), a mechanical badge meant to indicate a love of tinkering with one's own car and a high mileage badge for die-hard Subaru drivers.
Less obvious amongst the badges shown on Subaru's Badge of Ownership ordering website are the love badge, the music and arts badge and the gardening badge, pursuits which are not typically tied in with automobiles. The company also offers a specific badge representing the lesbian, bi-sexual, gay and transgendered community, a segment of the population that the company has always specifically included in its marketing and promotional efforts.
The best part about the Subaru Badge of Ownership program? It's completely free for any Subaru owner to participate in, with online ordering merely requiring a valid VIN number from the brand for the badges to be sent off in the mail. So far more than 7,000 fans of the company have participated, which must be counted as a great success for a small car company which has not yet actively promoted or even made mention of the program in the press. It would appear that Subaru's cadre of drivers were poised and ready for just such a community outreach, meaning that other niche automakers might want to follow the brand's example of generating grassroots interest in its products and image.