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How much does brand awareness influence the cars we choose to drive?

Image of Alisdair Suttie
Author: | Updated: 12 Jun 2015 15:43

At a dinner the other evening, I was sat next to the Brand Manager for a very exclusive sports car manufacturer. Making conversation, I asked what the job involved and the answer was making sure the customers were aware of the firm’s heritage and they always had a warm feeling about the company.

Given customers for this particular car maker will be required to spend at least a six figure sum to become an owner, it made me wonder how many have already decided to buy into the brand and how many need to be lured in? Also, does a slick service really make them more loyal when they can afford to own not one or two but many cars to suit their needs and moods?

Porsche decided to launch its Cayenne SUV, much to the horror of its existing customers, as it realised many of its owners already had an SUV in the garage. The reasoning was: if they have an SUV, why not make it a Porsche SUV?

This was absolutely logical thinking on the part of Porsche. The hard part was selling the idea of a high-ridin’ 4x4 to existing and new Porsche customers. History has shown the idea and execution were spot on, even if the styling of the Cayenne remains divisive.

The trick with the Cayenne was tapping into Porsche’s brand history and perception. It’s a sports car company, so the Cayenne had to be the sportiest of sports utility vehicles. By offering a halo model in the shape of the bonkers Turbo model [pictured], the Cayenne gained acceptance and many sales.

Porsche Cayenne Turbo 2015

We also have the recent announcement of the relaunch of TVR. This is a company that has huge brand awareness among sports car fans, even though the firm has not turned out a car in 10 years or more. Think of a sports car that offers thrills, big engine noise and doesn’t break the bank and TVR will top most enthusiasts’ lists.

However, TVR is the brand to break the rule. Former boss Peter Wheeler couldn’t give a stuff about brand awareness or tempting in buyers who have a lifestyle and aspirations. Frankly, if you had the cash and wanted the car, Wheeler was more than happy to oblige.

This sort of anti-brand promotion turned out to be all part of the appeal of a TVR as it tuned in to most owners’ desire not to be pigeon-holed as an Audi/BMW/Ferrari/Maserati/Mercedes/you-name-it owner.

Yet, was TVR any different? Perhaps in as much as Peter Wheeler didn’t set out with a deliberate objective to create a car company with no obvious branding. However, he did have a clear idea of what his cars should be, which meant they had a defined type of buyer who would, in turn, be attracted to TVR.

Perhaps Wheeler was a brand guru without realising it, though I suspect he would dismiss this notion with his usual blunt forthrightness.

Even so, TVR buyers and every other car buyer are influenced to some degree by brand awareness. Whether we like it or not, car companies are working hard to make us feel good about their products and company in a bid to make us part with our cash.

Whether it’s the feel-good factor of a Bentley or the straightforward approach of Skoda, all of these car companies speak to an inner part of us. Depending on our perception of our driving needs, wants and how we want the outside world to look on us, it all goes towards influencing which car we drive.

It all starts with the perceived need for a car. If all we thought was required of a car was transport in its most basic form, we would never have moved on from the Ford Model T, which provided reliable, rugged performance for millions around the world.

Having identified that buyers want more than just the most fundamental form of transport, car companies have become very sophisticated in aiming cars at more than just our logical minds. This is why car adverts are more akin to Hollywood movies and many don’t even bother with a specific model, instead concentrating on promoting the values of the company.

Remember the Honda advert for the Honda Accord where components from the car domino into one and other? The car was almost irrelevant but the lasting impression was of a company that made precision-built cars for intelligent people. Even today, this advert is well remembered and cited as a great way of building a brand’s image.

Brand awareness, though, is about more than good advertising. It’s about imbedding the company into the minds and hearts of owners, making them ambassadors for that make or even a particular model.

The best example of all time of this is Apple. What started out at a computer firm making quite dull machines now turns out the most desirable laptops, phones and MP3 players in the world. Almost everyone who owns and Apple product is delighted and happily advocates others to use the same machines.

There isn’t a car company quite in the same league as Apple, but it explains why so many spend fortunes on offers to entice customers. It also tells you why car firms are happy to sponsor events that are not directly related to selling cars. It’s all about being associated with a vision their customers identify with and want to be a part of.

If you think you are immune to such trickery, try a simple experiment. Draw up a list of the your requirements for a car and then draw up a list of the cars you think fit those needs. This has been carried out many times by researchers and the outcome is almost always the same: the driver matches their needs to the car, rather than the other way around. Job done for the brand managers.

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