Which companies have the best and worst marketing departments?

samsemtex

Best: Volkswagen - despite atrocious build quality which is roughly on par with Renault and older Alfas and part prices which are astronomical they still retain an image of quality and reliability. How is this possible? They are junk and have been for years. It actually boggles the mind that people think they are good.

People always make comments on me driving an Alfa as if it will literally fall apart in front of them. Nothing has ever gone wrong with it. At all. We had a VW passat before and it was full of electrical faults, 3 of my friends have Golfs and they have all been landed with massive bills for small things going wrong, my friend has a Touareg and the less said about that the better. Yet no one ever says a word to them when they say they drive a VW.

Worst: Volvo - despite not having put a boxy car out for years everyone still associates them with hearse like bricks. Too much focus on safety features as well and an very strong pipe and slippers image with younger people.

Merc - Never have i seen a Merc ad on UK or Irish TV.

robtri

Best marketing department for me would be BMW.....

everybody i know who has had a BMW over 3 years has had some problems with it, some real major 320D ... say no more mr swirl flaps

IMO there are more threads on here about issues with BMW than any other car, or it seems that way to me...

Matt Simis

Dont really agree fully with either of the 2 companies you picked there (VW not great but not that terrible and Volvo have consistently made odd looking cars and boxy enough upto 2years ago), but I would say:

VW, AUDI and BMW have marketing teams that are active and generally on the mark. Remember the "Safe Happens" adverts VW ran in the US? Shock effectiveness and catchy at the same time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpAKW7FMDIo
There are a host of good GTI adverts too.
EDIT: Put aside the VW hate for a moment, this is a short and amusing adverts that sells one clear message "VWs are good at overtaking":

VAG also get their vehicles ranged in Movies alot too. All in all they are clearly the best at marketing their product.


Honda spend all their money on fruity and annoying Brand Adverts and none on actual cars. So Honda seem to support their selling of lawnmowers as much as Integras.

Merc.. cannot recall any of their adverts.

Lexus.. can only recall the LFA ads (which were good)

Other Euro brands, aim at the family market or the commuter with dull and irritating ads.

KIA make those woeful and esoteric alternate world, waterfall CGI imagery rubbish ads for their equally s***ty little CEED etc.

Ford UK - decent adverts for cars I wouldnt ever consider. Also always come across as condescending.

Nissan - Seem to reuse Ford's storyboards and car designs (Qashqai, Juke etc vs Ford Kuga etc).

samsemtex

samsemtex wrote: »

Best: Volkswagen - despite atrocious build quality which is roughly on par with Renault and older Alfas

So you reckon modern Alfa's don't have atrocious build quality but Renault do ? Are Alfa's marketing department to be credited or not with alerting the public to the claimed improvement in their build quality ?

samsemtex

robtri wrote: »

Best marketing department for me would be BMW.....

everybody i know who has had a BMW over 3 years has had some problems with it, some real major 320D ... say no more mr swirl flaps

IMO there are more threads on here about issues with BMW than any other car, or it seems that way to me...

I was so close to putting BMW in as well. Definitely a good PR department there. Their new ads about selling "joy" are pretty slick as well.

samsemtex

RoverJames wrote: »

So you reckon modern Alfa's don't have atrocious build quality but Renault do ? Are Alfa's marketing department to be credited or not with alerting the public to the claimed improvement in their build quality ?

I think the modern alfas are better than Renaults and better than VW too but then everyone thinks they are ****e so its hardly a triumph of the PR department there. I dont think there is a huge change in perception of Alfa reliability.

samsemtex

samsemtex wrote: »

Best: Volkswagen - despite atrocious build quality which is roughly on par with Renault and older Alfas .

samsemtex wrote: »

I think the modern alfas are better than Renaults and as good as VW but then everyone thinks they are ****e so its hardly a triumph of the PR department there.

So modern Alfa's have atrocious build quality too then

mecanoman

Subaru don't advertise at all. Think they've even stopped bringin
in petrol Imprezas into the country unless specialised ordered.

CarMuppet

I have to say yes VW did have some clever ads on Irish TV for some time. this for me was an old classic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEFPldXp_u4

Perception is a great tool for selling stuff.. Friend of mine just got rid of his 2006 VW Golf after 3 years of ownership. He cursed the car and VW with passion. 2 blown turbos and a few simple elctrical niggles.. What did he replace it with? A Golf.

RE Alfa, I agree with you, I've owned dozens them for years and years so please don't let anyone know that they can actually be a nice and reliable marque. I like the fact you can pick up a 2nd hand one for little money in Ireland due to the 'crappy' perception. Schhhh don't let the secret out as personally I wouldn't like residual values to start climbing.

As far as Alfa Adverts...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePjq6MqNOdo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiLxfSH8Oe8

samsemtex

RoverJames wrote: »

So modern Alfa's have atrocious build quality too then

Well no, i just edited my post to correct that. I dont think modern alfas are anything to write home about in reliability. My one has been flawless and plenty of people i know have had flawless Alfas but I know there are troublesome ones out there. I reckon they are average in reliability. Based on my experience of VW and Alfa, VWs are probably worse. Yet VW have an infinitely better reputation.

Anyway the topic is not actual reliability, its perceived reliability/quality.

samsemtex

CarMuppet wrote: »

I have to say yes VW did have some clever ads on Irish TV for some time. this for me was an old classic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEFPldXp_u4

Perception is a great tool for selling stuff.. Friend of mine just got rid of his 2006 VW Golf after 3 years of ownership. He cursed the car and VW with passion. 2 blown turbos and a few simple elctrical niggles.. What did he replace it with? A Golf.

RE Alfa, I agree with you, I've owned dozens them for years and years so please don't let anyone know that they can actually be a nice and reliable marque. I like the fact you can pick up a 2nd hand one for little money in Ireland due to the 'crappy' perception. Schhhh don't let the secret out as personally I wouldn't like residual values to start climbing.

As far as Alfa Adverts...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePjq6MqNOdo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiLxfSH8Oe8

Exactly, and at the opposite end of the spectrum a work colleague of my mothers curse his 156 as if it is the most unreliable thing he has ever owned. He had to change a belt on it and you would swear it was being fixed everyday. But because he has expected it to go wrong all along when something did go wrong he whinges like its a disaster. If it was any other car make it would just be considered standard maintenance. :rolleyes:

Anyway lets not derail this into an Alfa or VW thread. For it will not end well...

CarMuppet

samsemtex wrote: »

Exactly, and at the opposite end of the spectrum a work colleague of my mothers curse his 156 as if it is the most unreliable thing he has ever owned. He had to change a belt on it and you would swear it was being fixed everyday. But because he has expected it to go wrong all along when something did go wrong he whinges like its a disaster. If it was any other car make it would just be considered standard maintenance. :rolleyes:

Anyway lets not derail this into an Alfa or VW thread. For it will not end well...

Was is a year 2000 2.0 TS?? Joking... yup perception is crazy... and again I bet when/if this car was to be sold on they would drop the price "to get rid of it" and someone else gets to pick up a nice car. Strange. Reputation is a hard thing to shake.

I know the original point to this thread was marketing... in Ireland most of the car ads I see on TV here are basically advertising warranty and scrappage deals. Gone are the days that a marque was selling/advertising a lifestyle image.. or dare I say it, a car on the open road benig driven in a 'spirited' fashion. Are car ads of old now un- politically correct due to the RSA etc?

samsemtex

CarMuppet wrote: »

I know the original point to this thread was marketing... in Ireland most of the car ads I see on TV here are basically advertising warranty and scrappage deals. Gone are the days that a marque was selling/advertising a lifestyle image.. or dare I say it, a car on the open road benig driven in a 'spirited' fashion. Are car ads of old now un- politically correct due to the RSA etc?

Thats why i think BMW's new ads are pretty class. They are selling this image of a BMW as a lifestyle choice that will make you happier as a person. Full of bright colours, smiling people and includes clips of BMWs old and new. It kinda made me want one.

RedorDead

samsemtex wrote: »

I was so close to putting BMW in as well. Definitely a good PR department there. Their new ads about selling "joy" are pretty slick as well.

Possibly the wankiest smuggest infuriating ads i have seen to be honest.

When BMW marketing department can stop the majority of non BMW drivers reckoning that BMW drivers (especially modern 3 series ones) are kn0bs then they will have done a good job.

MetzgerMeister

mecanoman wrote: »

Subaru don't advertise at all. Think they've even stopped bringin
in petrol Imprezas into the country unless specialised ordered.

Have you not seen the add for the subaru with someone who sounds like (or maybe it is) michael gambon?

AFAIK Audi were the first company to ever advertise a supercar i.e. the R8. They also have product placement in nearly every film these days e.g. transporter, iron man, even date night!!

djimi

samsemtex wrote: »

Merc - Never have i seen a Merc ad on UK or Irish TV.

I was always of the impression that Merc simply dont need to advertise, as in the people who buy Mercs do not do so because they saw a catchy ad on tv.

CharlieCroker

I reckon Honda have great advertising campaigns. Stuff like the Accord ad with all the moving parts, and the power of dreams ads

Matt Simis

CharlieCroker wrote: »

I reckon Honda have great advertising campaigns. Stuff like the Accord ad with all the moving parts, and the power of dreams ads

Hate them pure fluff, they dont even advertise anything other than how awesome and aspirational the Honda corporation may be. All I know is they like dreaming.

VolvoMan

samsemtex wrote: »

Worst: Volvo - despite not having put a boxy car out for years everyone still associates them with hearse like bricks. Too much focus on safety features as well and an very strong pipe and slippers image with younger people.

I'd say they've pretty much given up to be honest. They've been trying with each successive model generation since the 850 in 1992 and can't seem to convince people:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9hWhje8n54

Merc - Never have i seen a Merc ad on UK or Irish TV.

That's because they don't need to. The three pointed star they put on the bonnet is all that's needed to sell their cars.

I do agree that the VW Group marketing team is probably among the best around. Without them the likes of Audi probably wouldn't be competing head to head with BMW and Mercedes today.

alexmcred

Merc 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-YAtljsldg

Merc 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bc43153Wlw

Have seen a couple of Subaru ads mainly on Setanta