The MARKETING thread. Lexus Advertising vs All!!
03-11-05, 01:25 PM
#1
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The MARKETING thread. Lexus Advertising vs All!!
Okay, so I'm not really a T.V person but when I do turn on the tube, I've seen GS ads plastered all over. The funny thing is, manytimes I'm on the computer with my back turned to the T.V and I'll hear the "VRRRRRRROM" and growl of the V-8, which alerts my brain, I turn around, new GS.
I was watching the History Channel and Lexus was the official sponsor. GS ads all over.
In watching TNT (basketball) and VH-1, CNN, GS ads all over.
I get either my monthly mags in the mail or go Barnes and Nobles . In most major ads, the GS has a 2-page spread in the front page or somewhere in the begining of the magazine.
So even if I was not a Lexus enthusiast, I would be like "mahn, I guess they have a new car out" since its all over. You almost cannot miss it.
I haven't seen an RL ad in awhile but it was a slick one, showing how the realtime NAV can help you skip rush hour and the guy takes a curvy road to get to work. I can't remember too many print ads, the car is not impressionable.
I have been impressed with AUDI really stepping up, I see new A4 and A6 ads in print and on T.V. I like how they use the advantage or > . See I remembered. Very solid ads and the new Audi face, hate or love, is pretty recognizable.
Haven't seen any 5 or E ads at all recently. I do remember seeing a Lincoln LS V-6 print ad, basically it was 25k advertised with a lease deal. So sad.
FInally, I come to Infintii who is really disapointing out the gate. I honestly thought, and I thought they said, they had $65 mill invested to promote the new M. I have not seen 1 ad on T.V yet (though I hear there is one out). In print, they have 2 ads, 1 is just a regular one page ad and the 2nd is nice, the same 1 page ad but they also have a nice 4 page brochure on the inside.
But they are SO CLUELESS. They advertise the adaptive headlights (ala Lexus) but the pic of the headlights looks like HALOGEN bulbs. Where the heck is the HID pic?
I thougt the M was to be launched BEFORE the GS. The reviews are a full 2-3 months AHEAD of the GS. They have gotten positive reviews, they should be PUSHING THEM, before the GS had a chance to start.
Instead, they seem to be waiting for April. What on Earth is their issue? Have they not LEARNED anything?
So
Lexus A (could be better, tons of press, 3 diff T.V ads, from GS 430 to AWD GS 300)
Audi A- (good ads, but not enough)
Acura B+(good ad, not enough, maybe the product?)
Infiniti C- (waiting too long, only 1 pg ads, where is the marketing blitz?)
Can an Infiniti guy explain maybe? If it was me, I'd have so many ads all over, you would think the Infiniti M is the ONLY CAR OUT.
I was watching the History Channel and Lexus was the official sponsor. GS ads all over.
In watching TNT (basketball) and VH-1, CNN, GS ads all over.
I get either my monthly mags in the mail or go Barnes and Nobles . In most major ads, the GS has a 2-page spread in the front page or somewhere in the begining of the magazine.
So even if I was not a Lexus enthusiast, I would be like "mahn, I guess they have a new car out" since its all over. You almost cannot miss it.
I haven't seen an RL ad in awhile but it was a slick one, showing how the realtime NAV can help you skip rush hour and the guy takes a curvy road to get to work. I can't remember too many print ads, the car is not impressionable.
I have been impressed with AUDI really stepping up, I see new A4 and A6 ads in print and on T.V. I like how they use the advantage or > . See I remembered. Very solid ads and the new Audi face, hate or love, is pretty recognizable.
Haven't seen any 5 or E ads at all recently. I do remember seeing a Lincoln LS V-6 print ad, basically it was 25k advertised with a lease deal. So sad.
FInally, I come to Infintii who is really disapointing out the gate. I honestly thought, and I thought they said, they had $65 mill invested to promote the new M. I have not seen 1 ad on T.V yet (though I hear there is one out). In print, they have 2 ads, 1 is just a regular one page ad and the 2nd is nice, the same 1 page ad but they also have a nice 4 page brochure on the inside.
But they are SO CLUELESS. They advertise the adaptive headlights (ala Lexus) but the pic of the headlights looks like HALOGEN bulbs. Where the heck is the HID pic?
I thougt the M was to be launched BEFORE the GS. The reviews are a full 2-3 months AHEAD of the GS. They have gotten positive reviews, they should be PUSHING THEM, before the GS had a chance to start.
Instead, they seem to be waiting for April. What on Earth is their issue? Have they not LEARNED anything?
So
Lexus A (could be better, tons of press, 3 diff T.V ads, from GS 430 to AWD GS 300)
Audi A- (good ads, but not enough)
Acura B+(good ad, not enough, maybe the product?)
Infiniti C- (waiting too long, only 1 pg ads, where is the marketing blitz?)
Can an Infiniti guy explain maybe? If it was me, I'd have so many ads all over, you would think the Infiniti M is the ONLY CAR OUT.
03-11-05, 01:51 PM
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Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX
Okay, so I'm not really a T.V person but when I do turn on the tube, I've seen GS ads plastered all over. The funny thing is, manytimes I'm on the computer with my back turned to the T.V and I'll hear the "VRRRRRRROM" and growl of the V-8, which alerts my brain, I turn around, new GS.
I was watching the History Channel and Lexus was the official sponsor. GS ads all over.
In watching TNT (basketball) and VH-1, CNN, GS ads all over.
I get either my monthly mags in the mail or go Barnes and Nobles . In most major ads, the GS has a 2-page spread in the front page or somewhere in the begining of the magazine.
So even if I was not a Lexus enthusiast, I would be like "mahn, I guess they have a new car out" since its all over. You almost cannot miss it.
I haven't seen an RL ad in awhile but it was a slick one, showing how the realtime NAV can help you skip rush hour and the guy takes a curvy road to get to work. I can't remember too many print ads, the car is not impressionable.
I have been impressed with AUDI really stepping up, I see new A4 and A6 ads in print and on T.V. I like how they use the advantage or > . See I remembered. Very solid ads and the new Audi face, hate or love, is pretty recognizable.
Haven't seen any 5 or E ads at all recently. I do remember seeing a Lincoln LS V-6 print ad, basically it was 25k advertised with a lease deal. So sad.
FInally, I come to Infintii who is really disapointing out the gate. I honestly thought, and I thought they said, they had $65 mill invested to promote the new M. I have not seen 1 ad on T.V yet (though I hear there is one out). In print, they have 2 ads, 1 is just a regular one page ad and the 2nd is nice, the same 1 page ad but they also have a nice 4 page brochure on the inside.
But they are SO CLUELESS. They advertise the adaptive headlights (ala Lexus) but the pic of the headlights looks like HALOGEN bulbs. Where the heck is the HID pic?
I thougt the M was to be launched BEFORE the GS. The reviews are a full 2-3 months AHEAD of the GS. They have gotten positive reviews, they should be PUSHING THEM, before the GS had a chance to start.
Instead, they seem to be waiting for April. What on Earth is their issue? Have they not LEARNED anything?
So
Lexus A (could be better, tons of press, 3 diff T.V ads, from GS 430 to AWD GS 300)
Audi A- (good ads, but not enough)
Acura B+(good ad, not enough, maybe the product?)
Infiniti C- (waiting too long, only 1 pg ads, where is the marketing blitz?)
Can an Infiniti guy explain maybe? If it was me, I'd have so many ads all over, you would think the Infiniti M is the ONLY CAR OUT.
I was watching the History Channel and Lexus was the official sponsor. GS ads all over.
In watching TNT (basketball) and VH-1, CNN, GS ads all over.
I get either my monthly mags in the mail or go Barnes and Nobles . In most major ads, the GS has a 2-page spread in the front page or somewhere in the begining of the magazine.
So even if I was not a Lexus enthusiast, I would be like "mahn, I guess they have a new car out" since its all over. You almost cannot miss it.
I haven't seen an RL ad in awhile but it was a slick one, showing how the realtime NAV can help you skip rush hour and the guy takes a curvy road to get to work. I can't remember too many print ads, the car is not impressionable.
I have been impressed with AUDI really stepping up, I see new A4 and A6 ads in print and on T.V. I like how they use the advantage or > . See I remembered. Very solid ads and the new Audi face, hate or love, is pretty recognizable.
Haven't seen any 5 or E ads at all recently. I do remember seeing a Lincoln LS V-6 print ad, basically it was 25k advertised with a lease deal. So sad.
FInally, I come to Infintii who is really disapointing out the gate. I honestly thought, and I thought they said, they had $65 mill invested to promote the new M. I have not seen 1 ad on T.V yet (though I hear there is one out). In print, they have 2 ads, 1 is just a regular one page ad and the 2nd is nice, the same 1 page ad but they also have a nice 4 page brochure on the inside.
But they are SO CLUELESS. They advertise the adaptive headlights (ala Lexus) but the pic of the headlights looks like HALOGEN bulbs. Where the heck is the HID pic?
I thougt the M was to be launched BEFORE the GS. The reviews are a full 2-3 months AHEAD of the GS. They have gotten positive reviews, they should be PUSHING THEM, before the GS had a chance to start.
Instead, they seem to be waiting for April. What on Earth is their issue? Have they not LEARNED anything?
So
Lexus A (could be better, tons of press, 3 diff T.V ads, from GS 430 to AWD GS 300)
Audi A- (good ads, but not enough)
Acura B+(good ad, not enough, maybe the product?)
Infiniti C- (waiting too long, only 1 pg ads, where is the marketing blitz?)
Can an Infiniti guy explain maybe? If it was me, I'd have so many ads all over, you would think the Infiniti M is the ONLY CAR OUT.
From what I've heard, the Infiniti TV marketing blitz will start toward the end of March. There could be 2 reasons for this:
1) Typical Infiniti marketing incompetency. Something went wrong during filming of the commercials, so it's been pushed back.
2) But more likely, I think they're delaying on purpose until the spotlight gets off the GS a bit. The 2 cars are being released at the same time, and Infiniti knows that if they air ads at the same time, the GS will overshadow the M because Lexus is just better known and has more cache. By delaying ads, they let the buzz from the GS die down a little, compete less with the GS for people's attention, and give the impression that the M is a bit newer (even though this isn't true).
Anyways, I bet the M's sales don't do as well in March b/c of the lack of marketing to the masses. Sales should be better in April and onward after the TV ads start airing.
03-11-05, 02:17 PM
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Originally Posted by jrock65
From what I've heard, the Infiniti TV marketing blitz will start toward the end of March. There could be 2 reasons for this:
1) Typical Infiniti marketing incompetency. Something went wrong during filming of the commercials, so it's been pushed back.
2) But more likely, I think they're delaying on purpose until the spotlight gets off the GS a bit. The 2 cars are being released at the same time, and Infiniti knows that if they air ads at the same time, the GS will overshadow the M because Lexus is just better known and has more cache. By delaying ads, they let the buzz from the GS die down a little, compete less with the GS for people's attention, and give the impression that the M is a bit newer (even though this isn't true).
Anyways, I bet the M's sales don't do as well in March b/c of the lack of marketing to the masses. Sales should be better in April and onward after the TV ads start airing.
1) Typical Infiniti marketing incompetency. Something went wrong during filming of the commercials, so it's been pushed back.
2) But more likely, I think they're delaying on purpose until the spotlight gets off the GS a bit. The 2 cars are being released at the same time, and Infiniti knows that if they air ads at the same time, the GS will overshadow the M because Lexus is just better known and has more cache. By delaying ads, they let the buzz from the GS die down a little, compete less with the GS for people's attention, and give the impression that the M is a bit newer (even though this isn't true).
Anyways, I bet the M's sales don't do as well in March b/c of the lack of marketing to the masses. Sales should be better in April and onward after the TV ads start airing.
1. Person sees ads on T.V or print
2. The Infinti M35 or 45 is reviewed that month(s)
3. The person goes to the bookstore looking for info on the car. Voila, its there, all the great reviews. He also sees print ads.
4. Person goes home, more ads on T.V. This car must be hot.
Instead.
1. No ads on t.v or print
2. Infiniti M35/45 are reviewd positively
3. If your not an auto enthusiast (not these cars target markets) you missed the review.
4. Then ads are in magazines, you look for review in mag? No review.
5. You have to go to the Infintii website.
6. Ad campaign starts in April. Reviews are now back-issues.
7 GS starts getting its reviews the month Infintii starts their marketing blitz.
I am also confused by sales. They sold no new Ms in February? The GS was supposed to be officially launched in March. Sales in Feb for the GS were 2k, above the 800 the last few months.
So Infiniti pushed the car back but didn't tell anyone? I didn't see that anywhere.
Infiniti now has a head on battle with the GS. ANOTHER Theory is Nissan is so confident this car will crush the GS, they waited for the GS to debut? I hope they don't read Edmunds
03-11-05, 02:23 PM
#5
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Originally Posted by dseag2
I agree on all counts, but the M pull-out mini brochure in one of the car mags is a nice touch.
I may not agree with the crap they are feeding me but, its marketing. Acura missed a great oppurtunity there. Unless I missed those ads.
Its funny, Benz owners complain "Lexus has ads for keyless entry" (and other Benz firsts) but Leuxus presents them first to the general public. The FX has a back-up camera but the RX ad with the camera is what I see.
And the LS 430 going backwards, the driver looking at the rearview camera, is pretty slick.
NIssan did a good job with the Altima. its a fat, awful handling pig, but their marketing has the car doing 180s, and speeding, people jumping in cars etc, and people honestly think its a sports sedan and the car sells 20k a month, every month. Good job
Even Ford, bless they're heart, has a new 500 ad "features you won't find in a Camry or Lexus for thousands less".
03-11-05, 03:48 PM
#6
Lexus Connoisseur
Marketing. Interesting point. Here in SoCal, the SoCal Lexus dealers have teamed up and have sponsored almost every type of traffic report on the radio both FM and AM. Either calling out "Lexus Dealers Chopper..." or the "Lexus Dealers Traffic Report"....they're pushing the name out there...and it's apparent!
03-11-05, 04:48 PM
#7
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My take on Lexus advertising
I saw the "Mission Impossible" GS commercial last night. The one with the woman dangling down from the wire upside down and presses the "Start Button". My eyes got a little bigger as I watched it. Glad they used a black GS in the commercial. That car looks so good in black. Lexus had a full 2 page spread in USA Today on Wednesday and they are saturating the market with ads now. My thinking is this: they released the car early for the people on waiting lists and all the other people who are "in the know", and now that the dealers all have good inventory, they are telling the rest of the public. I think this is pretty smart marketing. This way they get all the loyalist in first and make sure dealers have a lot of cars to sell. It's a lot of work to stock up 200 dealerships across the United States. And it's not like we build them here, they all have to come over on vessels from Japanand then get loaded onto trucks so it takes some time to do it right. I'm grateful Lexus corporate is doing it this way. They are planning smart selling.
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03-11-05, 05:51 PM
#9
Thinking Out Loud...
Just a few thought on this thread...
* The plastic bag that my Wall Street Journal comes in has had a GS ad on it for the last 2 weeks. Plus there is a full page ad inside. I see TV and mag ads everywhere too.
* I'm wondering how effective are ad blitzes in generating sales? What percentage of those who are in the market for this class of car are already informed/plugged-in and will not be influenced by the ads? And for those who are not plugged-in now when it comes time to buy, would they drive all of the vehicles in the class anyway and decide based upon their own perception? I'm not suggesting an answer either way - just pondering the effectiveness for sales.... How much of it is for the effect of changing or deepening brand recognition and the longer term benefits of that?
* What have sales of the M35/45 been like since mid Feb? Could it be that they are selling well based upon Mag reviews and informed consumers? And therefore Infiniti is saving the cash? Infiniti advertises the hell out of the G35. Or maybe they are having production problems with the M and are holding back until they get them worked out? Again just pondering...
* The plastic bag that my Wall Street Journal comes in has had a GS ad on it for the last 2 weeks. Plus there is a full page ad inside. I see TV and mag ads everywhere too.
* I'm wondering how effective are ad blitzes in generating sales? What percentage of those who are in the market for this class of car are already informed/plugged-in and will not be influenced by the ads? And for those who are not plugged-in now when it comes time to buy, would they drive all of the vehicles in the class anyway and decide based upon their own perception? I'm not suggesting an answer either way - just pondering the effectiveness for sales.... How much of it is for the effect of changing or deepening brand recognition and the longer term benefits of that?
* What have sales of the M35/45 been like since mid Feb? Could it be that they are selling well based upon Mag reviews and informed consumers? And therefore Infiniti is saving the cash? Infiniti advertises the hell out of the G35. Or maybe they are having production problems with the M and are holding back until they get them worked out? Again just pondering...
03-11-05, 07:17 PM
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Infiniti marketing should hit soon and hard.
The company is regulating $65 million dollars towards the marketing push. That figure represents more than one-third of what the luxury division of Nissan North America Inc. spent on all U.S. advertising in 2003.
IMO, should be a great success. Good advertising and most importantly, an excellent product should translate into a new level of success for high priced Infiniti sedans.
Should be an interesting battle down the line between Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura. Hopefully, they can all pose serious challenges to their European competitors in the segment.
The company is regulating $65 million dollars towards the marketing push. That figure represents more than one-third of what the luxury division of Nissan North America Inc. spent on all U.S. advertising in 2003.
IMO, should be a great success. Good advertising and most importantly, an excellent product should translate into a new level of success for high priced Infiniti sedans.
Should be an interesting battle down the line between Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura. Hopefully, they can all pose serious challenges to their European competitors in the segment.
Last edited by Guy Legend; 03-11-05 at 07:28 PM.
03-11-05, 08:55 PM
#13
Lexus Connoisseur
Originally Posted by LEXUS FAN!
Infiniti has been advertising the M since a year ago in those little brochure ads in the middle of a page...it was annoying.
03-11-05, 09:08 PM
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The M magazine brochure is smart and the car looks like a $65k machine. The website is really luxurious and has the same look as the print ad. The TV ads on the academy awards had the same look as the brochure and website. Infiniti seems to be laser sharp in its focus. The M is really the star. Not sure why you guys are so negative. They're doing a pretty good job of telling the world about their car. The Lexus commercials feel like mini-movies, but all I get out of them is that the car has a push button start. I'm not so sure the Lexus guys have one this battle at all.
03-11-05, 10:14 PM
#15
Lexus Connoisseur
Originally Posted by L-Finesser
The M magazine brochure is smart and the car looks like a $65k machine. The website is really luxurious and has the same look as the print ad. The TV ads on the academy awards had the same look as the brochure and website. Infiniti seems to be laser sharp in its focus. The M is really the star. Not sure why you guys are so negative. They're doing a pretty good job of telling the world about their car. The Lexus commercials feel like mini-movies, but all I get out of them is that the car has a push button start. I'm not so sure the Lexus guys have one this battle at all.
