"Studies have standardized car advertising"
The British «Land Rover Experience» campaign is one of the most eye-catching and most award-winning automotive campaigns in the world. Matthew Berry, Account Manager for Land Rover at Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R in London, on excellent automotive advertising.
The British "Land Rover Experience" campaign is one of the most eye-catching and award-winning car campaigns in the world. Matthew Berry, Account Manager for Land Rover at Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, London, on excellent car advertising.
WW What characterizes good car advertising? Matthew Berry: A strong advertising idea as the core of a campaign - embedded in a solid advertising strategy - distinguishes good from bad advertising in all industries. The backbone of a good campaign is always a brilliant creative idea. A good example of this is the British advertising strategy for the VW Passat. It positions the car as a family car that is so perfect that you wouldn't want anyone else to touch it. The entire creative idea is based on this obsession.
Can only prestige brands like Land Rover or Audi afford award-worthy campaigns?
That's a lame excuse. Today, every brand can afford excellent advertising. It certainly takes some courage, because you have to leave the well-trodden communication paths. The Japanese car manufacturer Honda currently has one of the best campaigns in its category. It pursues a clearly defined, customer-oriented brand positioning that invites the viewer to remember their childhood dreams.
It is often the case that especially in
the automotive industry
are very reluctant to come up with unusual advertising ideas. Why is that?
Market research is not entirely innocent in this respect: in our industry, market studies have reached such proportions that they have a standardizing effect on car advertising. Most managers prefer to stick to showcase campaigns with lots of metal because they believe that people buy a model primarily because of its design. They also firmly believe that the more expensive the product, the more often consumers have to see it. This is a very short-sighted approach that only makes sense during the launch phase of a new model.
Car campaigns are usually
Products from a central lead agency. Are such globalized and leveled implementations at all suitable for local markets?
In today's automotive market, the market leaders - Ford Motor Company, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler - manage a brand portfolio in such a way that they can benefit to the maximum from rationalization effects (economy of scale). All synergy effects, from the manufacturing to the sales cycle, are exploited as much as possible. It is therefore only understandable that marketing communication must also adapt. It is important that local features are integrated into the global marketing strategy. For "niche brands", it is crucial that they use cost-effective advertising to create a sustainable brand positioning that makes the brand unique and thus gives it a high level of value.
Where is the trend in car advertising heading?
For a good ten years now, the main trend has been moving away from products and technical attributes towards brand differentiation tailored to individual target groups. Land Rover, for example, is moving its brand positioning away from the product home of "The Best 4x4xFar" towards "The Land Rover Experience" with more lifestyle, which is intended to awaken the spirit of adventure. Mercedes and BMW, on the other hand, are trying to fit their brands into a value setting with a desirable high lifestyle, rather than focusing solely on their technological edge. Today's buyers are equally divided between men and women. Women are less interested in value propositions than men and are much more seduced by emotional, communicative value propositions. In addition, the standardization of cars has forced marketing to develop new methods for brand differentiation.
Multiple awards: Land Rover ad campaign by Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, London.
Interview: Luca Aloisi
WW What characterizes good car advertising? Matthew Berry: A strong advertising idea as the core of a campaign - embedded in a solid advertising strategy - distinguishes good from bad advertising in all industries. The backbone of a good campaign is always a brilliant creative idea. A good example of this is the British advertising strategy for the VW Passat. It positions the car as a family car that is so perfect that you wouldn't want anyone else to touch it. The entire creative idea is based on this obsession.
Can only prestige brands like Land Rover or Audi afford award-worthy campaigns?
That's a lame excuse. Today, every brand can afford excellent advertising. It certainly takes some courage, because you have to leave the well-trodden communication paths. The Japanese car manufacturer Honda currently has one of the best campaigns in its category. It pursues a clearly defined, customer-oriented brand positioning that invites the viewer to remember their childhood dreams.
It is often the case that especially in
the automotive industry
are very reluctant to come up with unusual advertising ideas. Why is that?
Market research is not entirely innocent in this respect: in our industry, market studies have reached such proportions that they have a standardizing effect on car advertising. Most managers prefer to stick to showcase campaigns with lots of metal because they believe that people buy a model primarily because of its design. They also firmly believe that the more expensive the product, the more often consumers have to see it. This is a very short-sighted approach that only makes sense during the launch phase of a new model.
Car campaigns are usually
Products from a central lead agency. Are such globalized and leveled implementations at all suitable for local markets?
In today's automotive market, the market leaders - Ford Motor Company, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler - manage a brand portfolio in such a way that they can benefit to the maximum from rationalization effects (economy of scale). All synergy effects, from the manufacturing to the sales cycle, are exploited as much as possible. It is therefore only understandable that marketing communication must also adapt. It is important that local features are integrated into the global marketing strategy. For "niche brands", it is crucial that they use cost-effective advertising to create a sustainable brand positioning that makes the brand unique and thus gives it a high level of value.
Where is the trend in car advertising heading?
For a good ten years now, the main trend has been moving away from products and technical attributes towards brand differentiation tailored to individual target groups. Land Rover, for example, is moving its brand positioning away from the product home of "The Best 4x4xFar" towards "The Land Rover Experience" with more lifestyle, which is intended to awaken the spirit of adventure. Mercedes and BMW, on the other hand, are trying to fit their brands into a value setting with a desirable high lifestyle, rather than focusing solely on their technological edge. Today's buyers are equally divided between men and women. Women are less interested in value propositions than men and are much more seduced by emotional, communicative value propositions. In addition, the standardization of cars has forced marketing to develop new methods for brand differentiation.
Multiple awards: Land Rover ad campaign by Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, London.
Interview: Luca Aloisi
