Mistake aiming at millennials?
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CL Town Crier
Joined: Jan 2017
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Mistake aiming at millennials?
There have been a few places lately where industry folks have said some of the recent updates and ad campaigns are going to alienate older Lexus buyers. But since sales aren't suffering, it seems like Lexus knows what it's doing here. Because even if the millennials don't wind up buying the cars now, changing the perception of a brand is like turning a battleship, so getting started now seems like a good idea to me. What do you think?
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Nov 2015
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From: CA
We're all getting old or older and as such we have a finite amount of time before we stop buying cars. If your audience hovers almost exclusively in that "old" range, well, the amount of water in that well is low, so to speak.
Having younger customers, especially for cars, provides an opportunity to build a long-term relationship that will endure. That's what these automakers want. They don't want people one or two cars away from no more cars, they want the younger folks with many more cars to buy and they want the chance to build that relationship so hopefully they keep coming back.
Lexus is repeating Cadillac's mistakes in my opinion. Like Cadillac, Lexus catered or caters to the more older crowd. They saw the writing on the wall and had to bring down that average age or face the aforementioned shallow well problem. Well Cadillac tried to address this by edging styling (AND NOTHING ELSE): poor technology, ancient power trains, and all around dull cars. IT CANNOT BE FIXED IF YOU JUST THROW ON A GIGANTIC GRILL AND SHARP EDGES. It needs everything, the entire image, persona.
Lexus got it wrong. Edgy styling that hides ancient everything: technology, power trains, you name it, it's old. IT WON'T WORK; SEE CADILLAC.
Having younger customers, especially for cars, provides an opportunity to build a long-term relationship that will endure. That's what these automakers want. They don't want people one or two cars away from no more cars, they want the younger folks with many more cars to buy and they want the chance to build that relationship so hopefully they keep coming back.
Lexus is repeating Cadillac's mistakes in my opinion. Like Cadillac, Lexus catered or caters to the more older crowd. They saw the writing on the wall and had to bring down that average age or face the aforementioned shallow well problem. Well Cadillac tried to address this by edging styling (AND NOTHING ELSE): poor technology, ancient power trains, and all around dull cars. IT CANNOT BE FIXED IF YOU JUST THROW ON A GIGANTIC GRILL AND SHARP EDGES. It needs everything, the entire image, persona.
Lexus got it wrong. Edgy styling that hides ancient everything: technology, power trains, you name it, it's old. IT WON'T WORK; SEE CADILLAC.
Thread Starter
CL Town Crier
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 669
Likes: 57
Having younger customers, especially for cars, provides an opportunity to build a long-term relationship that will endure. That's what these automakers want. They don't want people one or two cars away from no more cars, they want the younger folks with many more cars to buy and they want the chance to build that relationship so hopefully they keep coming back.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,302
Likes: 17
From: CA
CTS-V does have a great engine, but it lacks that great technology element. It needs everything. Not just one or two things.
Their normal models have poor engines for the most part and poor technology, all stuffed in an attempt to have an edgy style. It didn't work. Lexus is following the same path: crazy edgy styling trying to hide poor technology, poor technology integration, poor engines, poor, dull driving dynamics, etc., etc. etc.
Their normal models have poor engines for the most part and poor technology, all stuffed in an attempt to have an edgy style. It didn't work. Lexus is following the same path: crazy edgy styling trying to hide poor technology, poor technology integration, poor engines, poor, dull driving dynamics, etc., etc. etc.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,702
Likes: 290
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
We're all getting old or older and as such we have a finite amount of time before we stop buying cars. If your audience hovers almost exclusively in that "old" range, well, the amount of water in that well is low, so to speak.
Having younger customers, especially for cars, provides an opportunity to build a long-term relationship that will endure. That's what these automakers want. They don't want people one or two cars away from no more cars, they want the younger folks with many more cars to buy and they want the chance to build that relationship so hopefully they keep coming back.
Lexus is repeating Cadillac's mistakes in my opinion. Like Cadillac, Lexus catered or caters to the more older crowd. They saw the writing on the wall and had to bring down that average age or face the aforementioned shallow well problem.
Having younger customers, especially for cars, provides an opportunity to build a long-term relationship that will endure. That's what these automakers want. They don't want people one or two cars away from no more cars, they want the younger folks with many more cars to buy and they want the chance to build that relationship so hopefully they keep coming back.
Lexus is repeating Cadillac's mistakes in my opinion. Like Cadillac, Lexus catered or caters to the more older crowd. They saw the writing on the wall and had to bring down that average age or face the aforementioned shallow well problem.
Last edited by mmarshall; Jan 29, 2018 at 04:49 PM.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 35,651
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From: ON/NY
There have been a few places lately where industry folks have said some of the recent updates and ad campaigns are going to alienate older Lexus buyers. But since sales aren't suffering, it seems like Lexus knows what it's doing here. Because even if the millennials don't wind up buying the cars now, changing the perception of a brand is like turning a battleship, so getting started now seems like a good idea to me. What do you think?
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Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2005
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2017 has been best year ever for Lexus worldwide, even with most of their models being currently old and them missing few SUV model lines.
If you are talking about success, it is quantifiable, it is really not something subjective.
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Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,302
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From: CA
It’s relative.
Both catered to the older crowd. Both wanted to move down the demographic ladder so to speak.
Cadillac attempted this with “edgy styling.” It didn’t work.
Lexus is attempting this through crazy, edgy styling. Results so far are...
You see why I brought up Cadillac?
Both catered to the older crowd. Both wanted to move down the demographic ladder so to speak.
Cadillac attempted this with “edgy styling.” It didn’t work.
Lexus is attempting this through crazy, edgy styling. Results so far are...
You see why I brought up Cadillac?
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,702
Likes: 290
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
It’s relative.
Both catered to the older crowd. Both wanted to move down the demographic ladder so to speak.
Cadillac attempted this with “edgy styling.” It didn’t work.
Lexus is attempting this through crazy, edgy styling. Results so far are...
You see why I brought up Cadillac?
Both catered to the older crowd. Both wanted to move down the demographic ladder so to speak.
Cadillac attempted this with “edgy styling.” It didn’t work.
Lexus is attempting this through crazy, edgy styling. Results so far are...
You see why I brought up Cadillac?
Cadillac (and Mercedes) didn't even show up at the D.C. auto show (I was there today). You can't (effectively) market to anyone if you won't show off your products LOL.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,634
Likes: 296
From: Illinois
That is surprising, Same with Porsche skipping some shows. All three of these brands have decent size display areas mapped out at the Chicago show. You'd think they'd want some kind of presence at most of the shows.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 20,248
Likes: 275
It’s relative.
Both catered to the older crowd. Both wanted to move down the demographic ladder so to speak.
Cadillac attempted this with “edgy styling.” It didn’t work.
Lexus is attempting this through crazy, edgy styling. Results so far are...
You see why I brought up Cadillac?
Both catered to the older crowd. Both wanted to move down the demographic ladder so to speak.
Cadillac attempted this with “edgy styling.” It didn’t work.
Lexus is attempting this through crazy, edgy styling. Results so far are...
You see why I brought up Cadillac?
Of course, that does not mean that You should like it or buy it... but me not liking lexus vehicles does not mean it is not successful.
I bet 2018 will be even better year, if they manage to release new ES and UX in next 6-7 months.
Lead Lap
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 782
Likes: 1
From: West Coast
There's no way you can compare GM's attempts at Cadillac with Lexus.
Lexus has one of the strongest brands of any automaker in the world. To add to that, they've been making relatively well-regarded cars since their inception. GM, on the other hand, had been spewing crap out of the Cadillac division since the early '70s. Forget about its reputation to the world, Cadillac has been a forgotten brand in its home turf for two generations now.
Millennials grew up with Lexuses in their parents' driveways but with Caddies in their grandpa's driveway. They view the brand way more favorably than they do Cadillac.
Vehicles like the IS and NX have been very attractive to millennials. The changes Lexus has made have been for the better.
Lexus has one of the strongest brands of any automaker in the world. To add to that, they've been making relatively well-regarded cars since their inception. GM, on the other hand, had been spewing crap out of the Cadillac division since the early '70s. Forget about its reputation to the world, Cadillac has been a forgotten brand in its home turf for two generations now.
Millennials grew up with Lexuses in their parents' driveways but with Caddies in their grandpa's driveway. They view the brand way more favorably than they do Cadillac.
Vehicles like the IS and NX have been very attractive to millennials. The changes Lexus has made have been for the better.
Last edited by BrownPride; Jan 29, 2018 at 05:46 PM.
We're all getting old or older and as such we have a finite amount of time before we stop buying cars. If your audience hovers almost exclusively in that "old" range, well, the amount of water in that well is low, so to speak.
Having younger customers, especially for cars, provides an opportunity to build a long-term relationship that will endure. That's what these automakers want. They don't want people one or two cars away from no more cars, they want the younger folks with many more cars to buy and they want the chance to build that relationship so hopefully they keep coming back.
Lexus is repeating Cadillac's mistakes in my opinion. Like Cadillac, Lexus catered or caters to the more older crowd. They saw the writing on the wall and had to bring down that average age or face the aforementioned shallow well problem. Well Cadillac tried to address this by edging styling (AND NOTHING ELSE): poor technology, ancient power trains, and all around dull cars. IT CANNOT BE FIXED IF YOU JUST THROW ON A GIGANTIC GRILL AND SHARP EDGES. It needs everything, the entire image, persona.
Lexus got it wrong. Edgy styling that hides ancient everything: technology, power trains, you name it, it's old. IT WON'T WORK; SEE CADILLAC.
Having younger customers, especially for cars, provides an opportunity to build a long-term relationship that will endure. That's what these automakers want. They don't want people one or two cars away from no more cars, they want the younger folks with many more cars to buy and they want the chance to build that relationship so hopefully they keep coming back.
Lexus is repeating Cadillac's mistakes in my opinion. Like Cadillac, Lexus catered or caters to the more older crowd. They saw the writing on the wall and had to bring down that average age or face the aforementioned shallow well problem. Well Cadillac tried to address this by edging styling (AND NOTHING ELSE): poor technology, ancient power trains, and all around dull cars. IT CANNOT BE FIXED IF YOU JUST THROW ON A GIGANTIC GRILL AND SHARP EDGES. It needs everything, the entire image, persona.
Lexus got it wrong. Edgy styling that hides ancient everything: technology, power trains, you name it, it's old. IT WON'T WORK; SEE CADILLAC.
I am 26 and agree with you completely, young kids dont want a lexus boys want sportier, louder vehicles and girls want mercedes, audi or bmw, my friends bust on me all the time because my ls430 is an "old man car. With the rise of uber and other ride service's, as well as delivery options such as amazon, walmart, people my age are not very much into cars and some are not even getting there drivers licenses.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,702
Likes: 290
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
