Global customer courted locally
The launch of the Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan is a prime example of dialogue marketing
The launch of the Saab 9-3 Sport sedan is a model case for dialog marketingBy Andreas Panzeri Following the takeover of Saab by General Motors, the Swedish car company not only wants to turn its dealer network around worldwide. With the new 9-3 model, the brand also wants to break out of its previous niche. In the future, a new model is to be launched once a year. The advertising concept for the new sports sedan is also exemplary.
A few discreet advertisers in Switzerland, successful German chefs, English moose hunters or otherwise gnarly loners have represented the typical clientele for the niche brand Saab up to now. They wanted to be able to rely on a car at the technical forefront in the area of active and passive safety. That is to remain the case in the future.
But since Saab had been driven to the brink of ruin by the dramatic collapse of the global automotive market in the 1990s, not only a new financial backer was needed in Trollhättan, Sweden, but also new marketing with somewhat trendier styling. Financially, Saab has since been 100 percent under the control of General Motors. Stylistically, the Americans want to use Saab to build a premium GM brand for the European market.
"We no longer want to be, and can no longer be, the brand for the total individualist," said Saab Germany boss Johannes Cürten a few days ago at the opening of two new Saab City Centers in Hamburg and Munich. Similar to four German cities now, Saab has also created such showroom centers directly in the city center in London and Paris. San Francisco and Tokyo are to follow soon.
Saab wants to target its advertising media more effectively
In Switzerland, Saab has long held a very high market share, namely the fourth largest in the world. Sales are managed centrally from Glattbrugg via a dealer network of 49 garages. 25 employees, 4 of them in marketing, have so far brought about 3000 cars per year into the niche market. This niche market is now to be expanded in Switzerland, as Bruno Mettler, Project Leader Advertising & Direct Marketing at Saab Automobile Schweiz AG, hopes.
From September, the new Saab 9-3 will offer a 150-210 hp tool for this purpose. The sports sedan with the trendy notchback, which is unusual for Saab, is positioned in the premium five price segment together with Volvo, Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Saab sees the "career-conscious, high-earning individualists around 40" as its desired clientele.
The company aims to reach this new Saab driver with a three-stage campaign across its five different target groups - dealers, employees, media, existing customers and new prospects.
To conclude the positioning a TV spot
The prelaunch phase lasted from May to July and has so far reached around 33000 Internet users after test drives for selected journalists. Of these, more than 300 have registered for the Saab newsletter, 87 have already booked a test drive via the web, and 244 have ordered a brochure.
In the launch phase starting in September, the aim is to send out 6000 personal invitations to existing customers and other interested parties, with a further 500 test drives and at least 1000 detailed brochure orders.
And the model-like thing about it? Compared to other applicants in the car trade, Saab also wants to weight the advertising media somewhat differently in line with its niche audience and use them in a more targeted manner, according to project manager Bruno Mettler. Saab's appearance in the first prelaunch phase should not be as large as the advertising for small cars or as loud as the announcement of new models from major brands. Classic means such as advertisements will only now follow in the launch phase from September to October.
A TV spot to cement the broader image will have to wait until November, when the launch phase is followed by the final positioning phase.
Advertisements, brochures and the commercial were all created identically by Saab headquarters in Sweden for worldwide use. However, Saab Switzerland was given more freedom for local dialog marketing.
The concept for this launch communication, which is weighted very significantly at Saab, is to work the market as a niche market. If someone shows interest, an active dialog starts. This advertising, based primarily on direct marketing, is handled by Fisch Meier Direkt for the special Swiss clientele.
Almost every Saab buyer has long considered the purchase
The DM agency, which belongs to Publicis, has prepared various campaigns on the net and also directly on the sales front. With an exclusive event on September 5 and 6, selected customers will come into contact with the Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan for the first time as part of a "Swiss preview" - and will then hopefully be able to rave enthusiastically about the new styling of the sports racer to their acquaintances as opinion leaders.
A broader, but still personally addressed audience of some 40000 existing customers received an invitation for the subsequent official "Swiss premiere" on the weekend of September 7 and 8 at regional Saab dealers.
Classical campaigns as well as an insert with a circulation of one million in target group-oriented titles should then generate another 150,000 contacts with defined media numbers in late fall to winter, from which finally 1000 test drives would have to be concretized.
Regional advertisements with dealer advertisements are also scheduled in this phase. In all advertising activities, however, "unnecessary pressure should never be created," as marketing manager Arno Gunsch explains, even when personally following up with dealers. People "on the verge of buying a car" should not be introduced to the hitherto exclusive world of Saab with cheap market clamor, in keeping with the brand's noble reputation. In addition, this clientele is not under time pressure. It takes three to nine months on average for someone to decide on a new car in the Saab category of the new 9-3 from at least 39000 for the Linear model to 50000 francs for the Aero.
A few discreet advertisers in Switzerland, successful German chefs, English moose hunters or otherwise gnarly loners have represented the typical clientele for the niche brand Saab up to now. They wanted to be able to rely on a car at the technical forefront in the area of active and passive safety. That is to remain the case in the future.
But since Saab had been driven to the brink of ruin by the dramatic collapse of the global automotive market in the 1990s, not only a new financial backer was needed in Trollhättan, Sweden, but also new marketing with somewhat trendier styling. Financially, Saab has since been 100 percent under the control of General Motors. Stylistically, the Americans want to use Saab to build a premium GM brand for the European market.
"We no longer want to be, and can no longer be, the brand for the total individualist," said Saab Germany boss Johannes Cürten a few days ago at the opening of two new Saab City Centers in Hamburg and Munich. Similar to four German cities now, Saab has also created such showroom centers directly in the city center in London and Paris. San Francisco and Tokyo are to follow soon.
Saab wants to target its advertising media more effectively
In Switzerland, Saab has long held a very high market share, namely the fourth largest in the world. Sales are managed centrally from Glattbrugg via a dealer network of 49 garages. 25 employees, 4 of them in marketing, have so far brought about 3000 cars per year into the niche market. This niche market is now to be expanded in Switzerland, as Bruno Mettler, Project Leader Advertising & Direct Marketing at Saab Automobile Schweiz AG, hopes.
From September, the new Saab 9-3 will offer a 150-210 hp tool for this purpose. The sports sedan with the trendy notchback, which is unusual for Saab, is positioned in the premium five price segment together with Volvo, Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Saab sees the "career-conscious, high-earning individualists around 40" as its desired clientele.
The company aims to reach this new Saab driver with a three-stage campaign across its five different target groups - dealers, employees, media, existing customers and new prospects.
To conclude the positioning a TV spot
The prelaunch phase lasted from May to July and has so far reached around 33000 Internet users after test drives for selected journalists. Of these, more than 300 have registered for the Saab newsletter, 87 have already booked a test drive via the web, and 244 have ordered a brochure.
In the launch phase starting in September, the aim is to send out 6000 personal invitations to existing customers and other interested parties, with a further 500 test drives and at least 1000 detailed brochure orders.
And the model-like thing about it? Compared to other applicants in the car trade, Saab also wants to weight the advertising media somewhat differently in line with its niche audience and use them in a more targeted manner, according to project manager Bruno Mettler. Saab's appearance in the first prelaunch phase should not be as large as the advertising for small cars or as loud as the announcement of new models from major brands. Classic means such as advertisements will only now follow in the launch phase from September to October.
A TV spot to cement the broader image will have to wait until November, when the launch phase is followed by the final positioning phase.
Advertisements, brochures and the commercial were all created identically by Saab headquarters in Sweden for worldwide use. However, Saab Switzerland was given more freedom for local dialog marketing.
The concept for this launch communication, which is weighted very significantly at Saab, is to work the market as a niche market. If someone shows interest, an active dialog starts. This advertising, based primarily on direct marketing, is handled by Fisch Meier Direkt for the special Swiss clientele.
Almost every Saab buyer has long considered the purchase
The DM agency, which belongs to Publicis, has prepared various campaigns on the net and also directly on the sales front. With an exclusive event on September 5 and 6, selected customers will come into contact with the Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan for the first time as part of a "Swiss preview" - and will then hopefully be able to rave enthusiastically about the new styling of the sports racer to their acquaintances as opinion leaders.
A broader, but still personally addressed audience of some 40000 existing customers received an invitation for the subsequent official "Swiss premiere" on the weekend of September 7 and 8 at regional Saab dealers.
Classical campaigns as well as an insert with a circulation of one million in target group-oriented titles should then generate another 150,000 contacts with defined media numbers in late fall to winter, from which finally 1000 test drives would have to be concretized.
Regional advertisements with dealer advertisements are also scheduled in this phase. In all advertising activities, however, "unnecessary pressure should never be created," as marketing manager Arno Gunsch explains, even when personally following up with dealers. People "on the verge of buying a car" should not be introduced to the hitherto exclusive world of Saab with cheap market clamor, in keeping with the brand's noble reputation. In addition, this clientele is not under time pressure. It takes three to nine months on average for someone to decide on a new car in the Saab category of the new 9-3 from at least 39000 for the Linear model to 50000 francs for the Aero.
