i never liked badging either, it started with the powerstroke, cute name i guess, i know they put "turbo" also on the 7.3 idi turboed trucks.

and it went from a sticker to a big name plate on the door.

now they separated the line, its not just f250/350......its the "superduty" line up. just call it what it is. and the 2008 labeling everywhere looks ridiculous.

at least its not as bad as dodge having the hemi....all of the idoits with one don't even know what it means!

 

I guess I just don't get it, must be getting old. I don't understand how the badging/superduty embossing makes it tougher, more powerful, and more fun to drive. I've also never liked those hideous 4X4 decals the manufacturers started putting on the 4wd's back in the 80's. It doesn't add anything to the performance of the pickup, just a few dollars to the price tag. Let the performance and durability of the pickup speak for it's self, I say.

A great looking, high performance body doesn't need makeup and jewelry to look good, and doesn't need to advertise to get attention.

I'm speaking of automobiles, although that could apply to other things, too.
JMO

 

I would like to agree with you about the badging and decals....but..ITS about sales....people spend billions to say something. If the majority of the public didnt like badgeing, auto parts specialty shops and stores would loose half thier business. PEOPLE SPEND MONEY....to say something. I don't agree but it majority rules....so we get badges. Give me a one color work horse that actually does some serious work and likes it.

 

well, no one ever asked me if i liked the badging or not, and i seriously they would lose sales if they didn't plaster badging all over the place.

at least on my 2006 i can remove the powerstroke on the door, fill in the holes and call it good, have no idea really on the new 2008, an after market grill would do hopefully up front, but the tailagte and dash would be a challenge.

now if they would knock off money from the truck for me to advertise for them, then that would be cool!

or maybe, as i said before, the auto companies know that thier cars are looking to much the same, so have to advertise so people don't get them confused.

 

I don't drive my '06 to show how macho I am, etc. I drive it because I enjoy it. I ordered it the way it is, because I wanted to. I see no problem with the "super duty" across the grille, although I'm not wild about it, personally. As for naming engine lines, it's called marketing. Geez, man, lighten it up a tad!

 

IMO Badging on ANY vehicle is STUPID except for what it is (Ford, F250, F350, etc.). Get rid of the dumb "Powerstroke" badge on the door (and soon to be vent) and V10 Triton badge on the fender. Also the HIDIOUS "SUPERDUTY" on the grill, tailgate, and dashboard. Oh yea. What's with the 4x4 and FX4OffRoad too.

This is not limited to Ford vehicles.

Is having diesel a status symbol? It's only about a $5k option. And a vehicle that costs around $50k certainly does not qualify as a status symbol.

 

doesn't necessarially have to be expensive to be condsidered a status symbol. To me it's all about one-uping your peers.

"mine's bigger, better or faster then yours" so to speak. People want to feel special (making a sweeping generalization here) and they want to flaunt what they've got.

 

So if Ford wants the whole world to know these are the Super Duty pickups, what's that say about the F-150 and Ranger?

What can we expect to see embossed across the grill of the F-150 for 2008?
Regular Duty
Average Duty
Normal Duty
Standard Duty

How about the Rangers?
Light Duty
Delicate Duty
Wimpy Duty
Howdy Duty

You really think what it says across the grill doesn't imply something about the driver, and people will buy and drive them anyway just because they enjoy it?

I see these pickups and I think of the same marketing strategy that produced the Edsel.

 

Well, according you guys, we should all just rip the emblems off our trucks. And, if I can afford something like a superduty, does that mean I'm flaunting my money, or just want a nice truck to pull my boat with, which I guess according to you guys, is flaunting too. If you guys don't like the trucks, don't buy them. but I notice that you already did, so I guess you flaunting you manhood, or whatever, also!

 

I think you're taking my comment out of context. I wasn't speaking of anything in specific. Just a generalization of why some people buy what they do, whatever it may be.(car, gas grill, jewelry, house...whatever)

I bought my truck because I love the style of it and I like having the capabilities my truck provides. Yes, it's big...But I bought it for me, and me alone. I'm not out to impress anybody, as I suspect the majority of people out there are not out to impress others either.

 

i don't know, i don't see ferraris or lamborghinias (sp?) with it plastered all over the body on what they are, nor do i see it with bentleys, but they are expensive cars and everyone knows one when they see it.

 

Put me down as one vote for Howdyduty!!!

 

Yeah, I may have. Sorry about that. I just get sick of people saying that when you buy something like this truck, or whatever nice thing it might be, that you must be showing off, trying to impress others. Like you, I bought this thing for me, I could care less what others think. As far as the badging thing is concerned, if these guys don't like the badges, order the truck without them. Nothing wrong with a badge stating what motor it is.

 

Since my F-250 was stolen, put me down for Diaper Duty (That and I have a 1 year-old).

 

I would take the powerstroke emblems off my pickup if there weren't holes underneath. Just a blue oval up front an in back would be fine with me. Anyone who wants to know more than that about my pickup is welcome to ask me.

I don't think that because someone has one they are flaunting anything. My point is that I think Ford marketing is going astray by thinking putting "superduty" all over the pickup is going to motivate buyers.

Why has the superduty been a great selling pickup? Is it because of the superduty name, or because they are well built, powerful, and good looking? I like the looks of my 2000 because it has nice clean body lines, and a simple, understated grill that still has a lot of style and resembles ford grills of the past, and it's given me (so far) 170,000 relatively trouble free miles.

How did the "powerstroke" name come to exist? Seventeen years ago, powerstroke was just a meaningless name ford gave to the 7.3 navi diesel engine in it's existing pickup line. It didn't carry any name recognition with it like the Cummins name that Dodge was using. In spite of that, the engine would become extremely popular over the next 10 years, to the point that it was by far Ford's best selling engine. Did that happen because of the powerstroke name? I don't think so, I think it became popular because the 7.3 is extremely reliable, powerful engine in a pretty good pickup. Ford sold a lot of them, not because powerstroke name, not because it was in a all new flashy body, but because of the 7.3's performance. Then they threw the powerstroke name on the new 6.0. What happened to sales? Did the powerstroke name save the 6.0, which is in all honesty a pretty good engine? Just the opposite, the powerstroke name now has a somewhat sullied reputation.

I think if ford is going to rely on marketing gimics to sell pickups, they will be as dissapointed as the marketers who thought up a new formula for Coca-Cola.