Marketing is Everything

[bigslim]

I just watched a video for "50 Cent's" rap group "G-Unit". In the video there is a shot of the new V8 Chrysler 300C. This car is not even on the street yet but it is in the video. I remember seeing a lot of Cadillac Escalades in the videos and look how well they sell in urban areas. Cadillac also payed a lot money to have their products it the "Matrix movies as well. Maybe this is what Ford needed to do with MM. I think the MM would have been a perfect fit in the "Men In Black II" movie. In the first one they drove a Crown Vic. It would have been cool to have seen them drive a MM instead of the Mercedes they had.

[Mongoose]

Couldn't agree with you more.:up:

[jfclancy]

Slim !!
Great idea!! pitch it for MIB #3

Joe CLancy

[jgc61sr2002]

Advertising is what sells cars. I concur.

[RCSignals]

Yes you are right. I wonder why the concept was so difficult for Philip Smoker? (That is who was in charge of Marauder marketing isn't it?)

[TripleTransAm]

Originally posted by RCSignals
Yes you are right. I wonder why the concept was so difficult for Philip Smoker? (That is who was in charge of Marauder marketing isn't it?)


Two possibilities, in my mind:

[list=1]
He's a lazy-azz that prefers to do minimal work and simply let a car sell based on emotional word-of-mouth from organizations such as our own...
no advertising budget available to market the vehicle
[/list=1]

To help determine which one of the above applies (applied), one would have to get his side of the story. Has anyone met the gentleman at any Marauder-related event?

The late Pontiac Firebird was afflicted with a similar problem. While it was known that the whole F-car platform was strapped-for-ad-cash, the Camaro brand manager Scott Settlemire was fairly active in attending F-body-events and getting in touch with the grassroots interest in the vehicles. In contrast, the Firebird brand manager's name (Bob Kraut) was unknown to me until he was put on the new GTO program. Ironically, the new GTO seems to also be relying on heavy pro-Pontiac / pro-Musclecar magazines for positive press, and a lot of that positive press and push seems to come from folks like Jim Wangers who probably don't have much official roles in the current car's marketing to begin with. So unless someone who knows Kraut can correct me with real-world info, I think I've pretty much made up my mind which one of the two above-listed categories he falls under.

(funny side-note: Settlemire took over the Firebird in the last few days before the cars' demise, but has nonetheless still been active in attending F-events harping on a possible 2006-2007 Camaro... truly grassroots if he can pull it off - read "All Corvettes are Red" for proof miracles can happen in the US auto industry thanks to devoted car guys)

Back to the Marauders... I think Paul Casey put it well in saying we should get rewarded for the freebies we've been throwing Mercury / Ford, in selling these cars for them. A little recognition is well deserved, I feel...

[RCSignals]

Yes, then of course there was the completely off the mark target demographic someone at Mercury set up for the Marauder.
Our discussions here, and our own "age" poll prove they were wrong.

[merc406]

It's all about $$$$, they spend more on the cars they know are going to sell more of, for Ford that'd be a truck, as in 150.

[woaface]

Originally posted by TripleTransAm
Two possibilities, in my mind:

[list=1]
He's a lazy-azz that prefers to do minimal work and simply let a car sell based on emotional word-of-mouth from organizations such as our own...
no advertising budget available to market the vehicle
[/list=1]

Uh, I'll pick both. No reason for number 1 though, even if number 2 gets in the way.

[TripleTransAm]

A few years back, when it was known that the F-bodies were in their throes of death (maybe summer of 2001?), the sales manager for SLP's Canadian operations met with the Canadian F-body marketing manager (some lady who's name I forget). She was in charge of (get this):
- the Firebird / Camaro (F-platform)
- the Cavalier / Sunbird (J-platform)

An odd matchup, no? In any case, she was asked why no advertising was done for the F-cars. She was honest in admitting all the money she had was going towards the J-cars since:
- they were selling in good numbers
- the F-cars sold themselves... she was amazed at the numbers considering ZERO cash outlay, marketing-wise.

[RCSignals]

on the other hand, if a car s selling really well, does it need a lot of advertising?
A new introduction, like the '04 F150 needs more than normal, yes. But then the Marauder was a kind of new introduction as well

[TripleTransAm]

Yep, I've always wondered about that. Perhaps it's the "if it sells well, let's keep pushing it for all it's worth". Although it would make sense to advertise the new stuff because... well, it's new! No one knows about it... isn't that what marketing is supposed to address???