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Not entirely... Posted by Justin VanAbrahams [Email]  (#32) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Justin VanAbrahams) on Thu, 24 Jan 2002 05:53:37
In Reply to: Rookie Marketing Mistake #1 - Hyping unavailable..., Scott Paterson   [Profile/Gallery]
, Thu, 24 Jan 2002 02:29:16
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I agree that it would be silly to hype a "new and improved" 9-3 before the current one runs its course. That is silly. But look at VW - they really don't have any remarkable new products coming out right now save the, uh, whatever it was called... Phaeton? The new big one. Instead, VW advertises "their" technology - turbos, 5v/cyl engines, domed roofs, etc. Saab, being if nothing else a technology company, should ABSOLUTELY take this approach. If you don't have any new products, sell HYPE, and Saab could do that. VW has a turbocharged engine? Saab has a turbocharged engine pushing 20psi. Why not show some dude (or better yet, some chick) driving a Viggen, hitting the gas, and being deposited into her seatback as the torque kicks in? Or why not expouse the virtues of Trionic? Maybe repeat the old 9000 Trionic sucking in 2-stroke exhaust fumes and "cleaning" them up, only replace the 2-stroke with some hi-po car from some other manufacturer, perhaps something German? Saab has some quality technology that no one ever hears about until its ancient history. I will NEVER forget the article in some mechanics trade rag blabbering about BMW's new "pyrotechnic seatbelt pretensioners." This was in '98!!! My freakin '86 9000 had those. No one ever heard about it. If Saab buyers are as smart as Saab thinks they are, they WILL appreciate these little feats of technology.
Saab is out of its gourd if it thinks it will convince people to buy a Saab with parasailors. That's inane. If you don't think a Saab fits your active lifestyle now, a 30 second spot is NOT going to convince you otherwise. People need hard facts, or at least exaggerations of hard facts, to make an emotional car purchase. BMW kicked ass with their Ultimate Driving Machine campaign a few years back, VW kicked ass with its recent Drivers Wanted ads - showing all those enthusiastic owners loving their express-down windows and whatnot. Saab needs to take a cue, and not show us *how* we'll enjoy our cars (we will figure that out ourselves) but WHY we will enjoy are cars. Sadly, Saab currently doesn't have V8, 300hp, AWD, cheap, or cute associated with them, so why not capitalize on what they do have? Big turbos, Trionic, all-weather capability, safety, etc.
Recall that ad with the two girls in a convertible passing a bus over and over again? That's a feel-good ad, showing the people why they'll enjoy the ride - open top, prodigious power. Good things. How about an ad showing us a why a Saab convertible is a practical snow car? It's really too bad that insurance company (Allstate?) stole the "surprise accident" campaign, with all those people getting creamed in their cars. That would have been a killer campaign for Saab.
I dunno... I could write forever on this topic. The fact of the matter is that Saab *does* have things to sell, but they don't seem to know what it is. And perhaps that's the tragedy of the whole situation - if they don't know what they're selling, how can they ever expect to build it? Remember the ad campaigns in the '80s? Saabs are fast, Saabs are economical, Saabs are good for the environment. These are things people identify with. Your average Joe does NOT identify with Finding His Own Road, no matter how hard he tries. 99% of the world doesn't get that luxury. Joe does NOT identify with Vivaldi or Russian Roullette. I'm guessing that in a similar vein he does not identify with parasailing either.
So catch a clue Saab, you're not selling to Bentley's clientele, you're selling to people who just graduated from VW High School and are deciding what College of Automobile to attend - BMW, Volvo, Lexus, or Mercedes (maybe Infiniti. maybe). These are people who have good jobs, work hard, and raise middle-upper class families. Sell them something fun to drive, moderately practical, safe, and reliable. Tell them, or SHOW them, why your car fits into these categories. WHY is the question here, not HOW. If Saab owners really are smarter than the avergae buyer, I'm pretty sure they will, if so inclined, figure out the wagon will tow a guy with a parachute. What they want to know is WHY the Saab is a good choice for that activity.
Bah... It's 3:00am. Night night!
posted by 66.123.9...
, Wed, 23 Jan 2002 23:30:51, Thu, 24 Jan 2002 18:33:22, Thu, 24 Jan 2002 02:29:16, Thu, 24 Jan 2002 05:53:37 <-- Viewing This Message, Thu, 24 Jan 2002 15:30:01, Thu, 24 Jan 2002 12:08:07
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