THE BIG 4 LUXURY CAR BRANDS

A look into Brand Positioning& Driver Imagery

By Dan Pankraz

Dan Pankraz

Senior Planner, DDB

Youth Planning SpecialistBut also LOVE cars

danpankraz.wordpress.com

WHAT I DID TO ANALYSE AUDI, BMW, MB AND LEXUS

• Test drove a BMW 325i, Lexus IS250, Audi A4 S Line and Mercedes Benz C200, all cars were in the $80-100k price range

• Wrote letters to dealers and asked them to send me back information on the cars.

• Spent time on social media sites analysing content/ads

• Browsed car forums and blogs to get a better picture of the driver

• Spoke to drivers of all four marques

• …And most importantly, I spent lots of time ‘watching’ drivers in Sydney and Melbourne

Technology and Performance

Sophisticated driving

experience

Car is hero Badge is hero You are hero

ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE

CLASSICPRESTIGE

LUXURY AND LIFESTYLE

Sporty and stylish driving

experience

Design is hero

INNOVATIVEDESIGN

BRAND POSITIONING SUMMARY

BMW and Audi are closely aligned,MB and Lexus are similarly aligned

Ownership Experience

OWNER TYPE- Progressive, Stylish, Urban Cool, Creative- Aspirational, design oriented, sporty, motivated

CAR SAYS“I move with the times, I appreciate design but equally want a drivers car”

CAR MAKES ME FEELInnovative, stylish, sporty

AUDI DRIVER IMAGERY

Audi is more likely to be successful through passion, cool and socially aspirational

AUDI BRAND BOARD1. Design

2. Innovative Technology

3. Sports appeal

4. Stylish

5. Modern

Innovative design, contemporary, desired.

RETAIL AUDIT: AUDI IS MODERN

Audi experience focuses on the design, styling of the car and feels very accessible, yet not pushy.

BRANDCommunicates style and driver focus.

Modern, grey, accessible but not overly sophisticated.

CARShowcase latest models, A8 and RS6

Ability to get up close and personal to car

PEOPLERelaxed, friendly, approachable, early 30s, open shirts, casual feel

SALESSell styling, design and driving technology (Quattro, FSI)

OWNER TYPE- Powerful, Masculine, Teutonic- Wears badge on their sleeve- Aggressive, dominant, driven,

determined

CAR SAYS“I’m on my way to the top and I achieve

in all aspects of my life…no compromises”

CAR MAKES ME FEELPowerful, strong and in control

BMW DRIVER IMAGERY

BMW drivers have ‘more to prove’, are less open to change, and more competitive.

BMW BRAND BOARD

1. A real drivers car

2. Exceptional Performance

3. Powerful cars

4. Makes the right statement about me

5. Great reputation

Ultimate Performance but lacks emotion

RETAIL AUDIT: BMW IS COLD AND CLINICAL

BMW experience puts the car first. However, does not create the perception of contemporary progress

BRANDNo ability to engage with the brand. Cold, clinical, and big open space.

Nothing progressive / interesting.

CARSelling technical features of the car Benefits of driver feeling ignored

PEOPLESuper serious and professional. Suits and ties, business meeting feel.

SALESHighly knowledgeable about car, limited lifestyle appeal

OWNER TYPE- Heritage, Stylish, Sophisticated- Traditional, badge on their blazer- Showy, conservative values,

maintaining status quo

CAR SAYS ABOUT ME“Look at me! I’ve made it: money and

assets, its mine, mine, mine!”

HOW IT MAKES ME FEELSuccessful in the eyes of others

MERCEDES BENZ DRIVER IMAGERY

1.Prestigious

2.Great reputation

3.Luxurious

4.Good resale value

5.More than just a car

MERCEDES BENZ BRAND BOARD

RETAIL AUDIT: MERCEDES BENZ IS POMPOUS

Mercedes Benz showcase car quality and try to appeal to vanity and importance of customers

BRANDFocus on prestige, elegance of the cars. Quiet environment, symbols of

luxury

CARFocus on luxury E class saloons, C-class. Cars are all locked.

PEOPLEAggressive sales staff, hard sell Suits an ties, big deal being done

SALESSell quality, safety and luxury. Can you afford this mentality? No solo test

drives.

OWNER TYPE- Understated, Engaging,

Intelligent- Independent confidence- Progressive, open-minded,

intelligent, energetic

CAR SAYS ABOUT ME“I’m confident in my own skin, I

don’t need to shout”

HOW IT MAKES ME FEELQuietly confident and

comfortable

LEXUS DRIVER IMAGERY

Not a ‘driver’. However, successful and wants the lifestyle attached to that.

LEXUS BRAND BOARD

1.Quiet and precise

2.Great after sales service

3.Gadgets and extras

4.Lifestyle living

5.Luxurious

Luxury and lifestyle..ME, ME, ME

RETAIL AUDIT: LEXUS = REAL ESTATE SELL

Lexus try to make you feel like a guest, but it becomes too much of a hard sell - it’s very hard to get to experience car without being

hounded.

BRANDLuxury ‘guest in your own home’.

Pristine, quiet, immaculate, black and white

CAR‘No touching allowed’, all cars in black

Car put on pedestal, all cars in showroom

PEOPLE40 something sales staff, friendly

Suits an ties,

SALESHard sell, very slow, focus on Encore program. Sit down to talk about your

needs.

SEMIOTICS OF LETTERS TO DEALERS

Put in letters

AdvancedSophistication

Personal

Privileges

Innovative Engineeringand technology

Joy of motoring

Dynamic and refined,

Young and dynamic

Thoughtful Engineering

Innovative design

Letters from dealers reinforce similar codes of communications those uncovered in the dealership visits

23

Not Progressive

Progressive

HOW THE BIG 4 LUXURY BRAND EXPERIENCES MAP OUT

Active Driving(Car & Drive are

central)

Passive DrivingOther priorities like

lifestyle or badge value

- Luxury- Quality

- Refinement- Prestige

- Designer- Innovation- Sports performance- Sexy, not serious

- Luxury- Value- Experience- Refinement

- Machinery, Performance- ‘Us’ not you

- Aggressive

LEARNINGS• It’s clear Audi have taken on BMW and are now the more

‘progressive’ luxury choice

• Mercedes Benz have rested on their laurels and provide no motivation for anyone under 40.. under serious threat from Lexus.

• Lexus focuses heavily on their unique ‘ownership experience’ and is very understated

• BMW have amazing machinery and is still the ‘Drivers Car’, but they’re ‘cold’ and a little self obsessed - they need to create a more consumer centric brand experience