In the high-energy flick 2 Fast 2 Furious, actors Paul Walker and Tyrese Gibson zip around in souped-up Mitsubishis, while in The Italian Job, the BMW Mini helps a revenge-seeking Mark Wahlberg get the job done.
A starring role on the silver screen allows auto manufacturers to convey the potency and road-handling capabilities of their vehicles. But it’s just one aspect of a trend towards performance- and style-based messaging, as car makers attempt to give their models more personality – and make them more desirable to consumers.
According to Ennio Longo, project director at Mississauga, Ont.-based automotive research firm Maritz Automotive Research Group, there is a ‘horsepower war’ among manufacturers right now, which extends across many categories. He says some companies are also turning to innovative design to gain a foothold in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
As a result, many manufacturers are showcasing the style and performance attributes of their vehicles. In the case of Mitsubishi, for instance, a U.S.-produced spot from its AOR, L.A.-based Deutsch, uses racing clips from 2 Fast 2 Furious.
Companies are investing in ‘a brand-building exercise,’ explains Longo. ‘It could have two very positive outcomes – first, if the brand becomes highly desirable and is differentiated from the competition, then the product will have high demand and sell at a premium, and second, the strategy will also attract a more affluent, younger buyer.’
But do the majority of consumers really care how quickly they can pass a car on the highway, or how pretty their vehicle looks, for that matter?
Consider the results of the 2002 ‘Maritz New Vehicle Customer Study,’ which asked 25,000 car and truck buyers in Canada for the three most important reasons for selecting a vehicle.
While ‘reliability/dependability’ was number one with 32% of respondents citing it as a top factor, followed by pragmatic matters like ‘price/cost to buy’ (29%) and ‘value for the money’ (24%), 21% of participants also mentioned that ‘exterior styling’ was a top concern. Furthermore, 16.6% purchase vehicles they consider ‘fun to drive,’ 13% consider ‘engine performance’ in their decisions and 12.5% look for ‘road-holding/handling capabilities.’
All of these influences were ahead of ‘safety features,’ chosen by 10.4%.
The study also looked at extremely important and very important reasons for purchasing a vehicle between the years 2000 and 2002, and found that ‘engine performance and acceleration’ has escalated in significance, with 78.8% of respondents reporting it was a factor in 2002 compared with only 72.3% in 2000. Plus, auto manufacturers realize that the performance approach has ‘done wonders for the BMW brand,’ adds Longo.
Certainly, Volvo, which has built its brand on its safety record, ‘is not as well recognized in the fun-to-drive, performance-oriented, proud-to-own categories,’ concurs Tony Miller, CD for Toronto ad shop Sharpe Blackmore EURO RSCG and Volvo Canada’s AOR. ‘But we find that the gap closes as soon as customers find out about the new generation Volvos.’
For instance, he says the recent introductions of the XC90 SUV, as well as the high-performance S60 R and V70 R, have led to an opportunity to ‘highlight the performance-vehicle attributes of the Volvo line-up.’
Thus a brand new magazine ad with the headline ‘Bjorn to be wild’ aims to change consumer perception, by ‘immediately placing the S60 in the same camp as its sporty competitors.’
The goal is to appeal to a subset of the target demo that is interested in performance. Explains Miller: ‘They want to know that there is powerful acceleration and exceptional handling, even if they never put it through that pace in city or highway driving. This can actually take someone who may never have considered a Volvo and get them on the consideration list.’
Others have tried to leverage BMW’s performance message through direct comparison. That is the strategy behind Ford Motor Company of Canada’s recent advertising for its Lincoln LS which, according to Ford, has ‘attracted a new generation of affluent consumers to the Lincoln brand’ since being introduced in 1999. In fact, 70% of LS buyers, typically in their early 50s, were first-time Lincoln buyers.
But there’s still opportunity to attract others, believes Dean Tesser, Ford’s Oakville, Ont.-based marketing communications director. ‘Auto writers have called it one of our best-kept secrets. We wanted to create [more] awareness for this product.’
A recent study of the ‘luxury four-door sports sedan’ opened a door. It compared the LS to key competitors, in particular the BMW 5-series. ‘[The Lincoln LS] out-slalomed, out-accelerated and out-handled the BMW 5-series,’ boasts Tesser.
In a TV spot that debuted in the spring and was created by New York-based Young & Rubicam, this fact is made public; the vehicle takes on a dusty road where it leaves a trailing BMW ‘in the dust.’ Similarly a magazine ad has the headline, ‘if you’re looking for the BMW, it should be along any minute now.’
For Windsor, Ont.-based DaimlerChrysler, the Chrysler brand is similarly geared at those with ‘a passion for driving,’ according to Chrysler and Jeep brand manager Matt Brannagan, who says this positioning is relayed through the launch of ‘exciting new vehicles,’ like the Pacifica and the Crossfire, the latter of which will debut in the fall. ‘People are looking for ‘wow’ and Chrysler delivers that in design and engineering,’ he explains.
Just recently on the market, the Pacifica is considered a segment-buster, in that no other vehicle looks similar. It is also meant to address a new target, which Brannagan calls the sports tour. (The PT Cruiser also falls into this group.) The target consumer is about 45, with a higher disposable income, and the demo is pretty much evenly split along gender lines.
The first TV spot, from Toronto-based ad agency PentaMark Worldwide, begins with what appears to be a flood overtaking Los Angeles, but then viewers realize that the vehicle is creating the waves. The ad is filmed in black and white which Brannagan calls ‘classy’ but also distinctive. [Check out the spot at www.strategymag.com/screeningroom/] A print execution, named ‘Holy Moses,’ shows the Pacifica parting the sea. ‘We’re trying to show the vehicle as it is – beautifully designed and engineered,’ he says.
The Crossfire meanwhile, skews heavily to a male consumer. It is also considered the first real sports car Chrysler has ever built and has a unique appearance with its long hood, and a fastback rear window. In marketing, the Crossfire will ‘drive home the passion point of the Chrysler brand, because its expressive design really entrenches what the Chrysler brand is,’ says Brannagan.
DaimlerChrysler isn’t just trying to shake things up at the high end of the market though. In 2000, Dodge introduced the SX2.0 in Canada, which replaced the Dodge Neon, and its current ad campaign, from BBDO Montreal, is designed around the claim ‘fun to drive.’ Each TV instalment features the revamped ’70s disco tune ‘Born to be Alive’ and singing toes which can’t wait to put the pedal to the metal.
‘People look for quick response and for handling from a car,’ explains John MacDonald, Dodge’s brand manager. ‘They’re not looking to race it, they’re just looking for bragging rights. People also look at their vehicles as an extension of themselves.’
According to MacDonald, the original Neon was described as ‘cute’ and ‘perky’ in focus groups. ‘That’s nice, but it’s not how you grow [sales]. We reconfigured the product strategy and looked for a marketing message that resonated with Gen X.’
In terms of design, for instance, the SX2.0 has a front and back end that are more aggressive than the ‘cute smiley look’ of the Neon. So far sales are ‘substantially’ ahead of last year’s, with ‘great success in key markets,’ such as Vancouver, where sales are up 150%.
Later this year, Dodge will unveil the SRT4, which MacDonald describes as an SX2.0 ‘with a bigger and faster motor.’ Advertising for the car, geared at males 23 to 34, will definitely reflect this, he says.
Another player trying to rejuvenate its brand in the economy market is the Nissan Sentra. Last month, Toronto-based ad shop TBWAToronto unveiled a campaign for the vehicle that is built around ‘accessible excitement,’ explains TBWA CD James Spence. ‘Sentra didn’t occupy specific territory in people’s minds,’ he says, adding that the ad speaks to those aged 25 to 40. ‘The whole thing was about reintroducing the car with a more vibrant strategy.’
The initial TV ad depicts a couple who take a road trip; they throw a dart at a map and head wherever it lands. Viewers see what the driver would; diverse scenery whips by as they zip along.
Spence hopes to make an emotional connection. ‘It’s dangerous to talk about the performance of a car, because [other companies] will just replicate it. A strong brand has an emotional connection with the consumer; without that it’s just another product on the shelf.’
Dealers more trusted than ads
Would you trust a car salesperson? That question may have led to guffaws five years ago, but general opinion has changed, according to a new study by Mississauga, Ont.-based Maritz Automotive Research Group. The research shows that dealer advice has become more of a factor in purchasing a vehicle in Canada, while the impact of traditional advertising has lessened in recent years.
Maritz polled 25,000 new car and truck buyers from across the country, 53% of whom said the dealership salesperson was the leading influence on their decision to buy or lease a car in 2002, an increase of 22% over 2000.
Why the change of heart? John Kalsbeek, director of the automotive group at Maritz Canada, suggests that consumers now walk onto dealership lots armed with reliable information about product and pricing, thanks to the Internet and increased interest in automotive trade media.
‘The experience of meeting with a salesperson has changed dramatically – they are now going to the dealership to finalize the acquisition of the sale,’ he says. ‘[The attitude] is ‘help me buy a car how I want to buy it, not how you want to unload it.”
Meanwhile, the number of Canadians who were swayed by TV and radio advertising has dropped from 12.2% in 2000 to 11.7% in 2001 and 10.3% in 2002. Instead consumers have turned to targeted marketing and alternative forms of media, such as magazine and newspaper articles or reviews, awards and consumer car guides, for counsel. In fact, 62.6% relied on such media in 2002, compared to 56% in 2000.
That doesn’t mean, however, that automakers should drastically alter their traditional ad budgets. ‘The presence has to be there to pique awareness…and to build the brand,’ points out Kalsbeek. ‘But below that, auto manufacturers are beginning to pay more attention to one-to-one marketing, focusing on client loyalty. And of course, when you do that, you can measure the return on investment.’
You’ve earned that ice cream…and a Mercedes Benz too
Many Canadians apparently yearn for a Mercedes-Benz, but they can’t justify the indulgence. Now the Toronto-Ont.-based automaker wants to tell them that they deserve to splurge.
Late last month, Mercedes Benz broke ‘The Story of Raymond,’ its first Canadian-made branding spot, which is geared at younger consumers who feel the luxury auto brand is out of their reach.
In 2002, Mercedes-Benz Canada had its best year to date, with sales of 14,520 units, but felt that it could accelerate growth by speaking directly to this new audience.
JoAnne Caza, director of marketing for the automaker, says the idea for the spot sprouted from extensive research with Mercedes-Benz owners and non-owners alike. Working with Toronto’s ABM Research, the company spoke to ‘a broad cross-section of the population,’ from teens to those in their 70s, in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto. What it found was a stigma against the upper-class brand.
‘The same thing kept coming up – ‘I really love your product…but I’m going to have to wait, because I don’t feel like I deserve it.”
Hence, ‘The Story of Raymond,’ from Toronto agency Lowe Roche, is meant to eradicate this notion. It stars a regular guy who goes through his life without ever tasting ice cream, because he feels a need to achieve certain milestones, like turning 30 or getting a job promotion, before he can treat himself. But when he reaches these goals, he still can’t justify delving into the dessert. At the end of the 60-second commercial, the Mercedes-Benz is presented, followed by the tag, ‘You’re ready.’
Of course, there is an enormous price discrepancy between ice cream and a Mercedes-Benz, which could pose a risk in terms of viewer reaction. But Caza thinks consumers will see this as a fun-hearted analogy, as they did in pre-testing.
‘There’s a stigma about ice cream that you don’t necessarily have to have it, but you want to have it,’ she points out, adding that the intention was to be captivating. ‘This is not a product shot. The objective was very much to break out of [that mould.]’
Also, she points out that Mercedes-Benz isn’t just about ultra-expensive cars anymore. In 2001, it introduced a sports coupe for $34,450, and in 2005, a new A class will be positioned as an entry-level luxury vehicle, with price tags lower than that for the sports coupe. If that’s still out of your price range, there’s always Haagen-Daaz.
