After reading Caroline Evan’s blog on ‘Volkswagen’s Success’, it suddenly triggered to me that i had to write something on motoring marketing.What I found interesting, was the reference, of how Volkswagen used movie characters like Darth Vader to connect to the consumer. The target group there was more family oriented and ‘clean’.
On the contrary, I found this marketing was more of a concentrated(niche) marketing and also more ‘dirty’. Nissan was going head to head with its ‘competitor’.
Heres the Hottest Debate in most Petrol head minds these days.
2012 Nissan GT-R: $90,000 VS. 2012 Porsche Turbo: $137,500
The Nissan GTR is perhaps the most significant ‘super-car’ in recent times as it obliterates its competitors in the super-car field in terms of performance and employs the value proposition called, more for the same. One of the goals of the GTR was to dethrone the Porsche turbo from the leader in its class. Nissan has been very clever in positioning the GTR alongside the Porsche Turbo since day one. This has create an image etched in the public’s mind that a GTR is a Turbo alternative. Porsche aficionados will argue that a comparison should not exisit as Porsches are regarded as a higher end brand.
Nissan has previously used the Nurbringrin lap times to contest its rival in achieving the fastest timing around the track. This time, Ad agency TBWA, Düsseldorf undertook a campaign on behalf of Nissan Germany to increase the awareness concerning the Japanese sports car and to encourage more test drives of the new 2012 Nissan GT-R. by sticking the rear of a GTR onto Porsche owners Windshield (shown below)
The agency came up with a great solution of making sure the car is recognized by current Porsche owners. This video shows the results as well as the unconventional way in which they reached out to Porsche owners.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjjqKLWP_aw&feature=player_embedded
Is Nissan vandalizing Porsche cars? Should we condone such behaviors? Dirty tactics or not, the fact is Nissan has in my opinion accomplished what it set out to do which is to create publicity and actually have Porsche owner thinking if they actually want to always be ‘behind’ the GTR?
The publicity has also attracted almost every car journalist out there. They are eager to find out and share their assessment of how the GT-R fair against its rival. Below are some examples of the additional marketing NISSAN has achieved.
If your interested in this Rivalry:
I don’t know much about cars, but you did a great take on your classmates blog and did an awesome job discussing in your post! Well done 🙂