Tour Down Under - Skoda advertising

[Sales @ Mentone Skoda]

They have broken with tradition

I was just watching the tour and was stunned when i saw a Superb ad during the breaks, which as KIWI pointed out is uncommon. It was also a positive thing to see them drop the 'not as expensive as it looks tag' and go with the 'looks pricey?.....be surprised at skoda.com.au' wording. It is enticing but doesn't cheapen the product like the first tag did.

It would have been nice though to have a teaser for the Superb Wagon as this is a captive audience who are already familiar with the product the could have used something similar to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1YhC...eature=related this clip is pointing towards sophisticated overtones rather than price, it seem to builds value rather than devalue it which is the imagery the Australian audience needs to be comfortable. Aussies feel if its Euro its got to be classy and worth the money, Euro and budget doesn't equate to them and with the current approach they will only ever attract a more educated niche audience and we need more than that to be successful.

The other anomaly that i can see with this is the intended audience, at Mentone we have quite a few amateur riders come in to look at what the cars all about. Almost all of them are looking exclusively at the RS Wagon, to advertise the Superb seems to be a misunderstanding of their audience, or maybe my view is skewed as we are so close to the bay??

And for those who say that TV advertising doesn't work this may be correct for you but is completely wrong for the majority. Being in VW and exposed to VGA reluctance to advertise i can tell you first hand we have seen the dramatic effect TV ads can have. The EOS stands out as a clear example, we were overstocked and struggling to get any enquiries on them about 12 months after launch. The EOS ad came out with the roof down 'country day trip' imagery and the soft calming audio song over the top and within 2 weeks our enquiries picked up 10 fold and then subsequently sales. TV is used by all the major players and sets the imagery and intended audience of the brand, without it we might as well take our ball and go home.

[Jake02]

I was just watching the tour and was stunned when i saw a Superb ad during the breaks, which as KIWI pointed out is uncommon. It was also a positive thing to see them drop the 'not as expensive as it looks tag' and go with the 'looks pricey?.....be surprised at skoda.com.au' wording. It is enticing but doesn't cheapen the product like the first tag did.

It would have been nice though to have a teaser for the Superb Wagon as this is a captive audience who are already familiar with the product the could have used something similar to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1YhC...eature=related this clip is pointing towards sophisticated overtones rather than price, it seem to builds value rather than devalue it which is the imagery the Australian audience needs to be comfortable. Aussies feel if its Euro its got to be classy and worth the money, Euro and budget doesn't equate to them and with the current approach they will only ever attract a more educated niche audience and we need more than that to be successful.

The other anomaly that i can see with this is the intended audience, at Mentone we have quite a few amateur riders come in to look at what the cars all about. Almost all of them are looking exclusively at the RS Wagon, to advertise the Superb seems to be a misunderstanding of their audience, or maybe my view is skewed as we are so close to the bay??

And for those who say that TV advertising doesn't work this may be correct for you but is completely wrong for the majority. Being in VW and exposed to VGA reluctance to advertise i can tell you first hand we have seen the dramatic effect TV ads can have. The EOS stands out as a clear example, we were overstocked and struggling to get any enquiries on them about 12 months after launch. The EOS ad came out with the roof down 'country day trip' imagery and the soft calming audio song over the top and within 2 weeks our enquiries picked up 10 fold and then subsequently sales. TV is used by all the major players and sets the imagery and intended audience of the brand, without it we might as well take our ball and go home.

It's your job, as the dealer, to relay this sorta stuff back to Skoda HQ. Think of it as Skoda being back at base, and you guys being at the forefront of the battle, getting right into the battle. They aren't gonna know anything unless they are told!

[Sales @ Mentone Skoda]

It's your job, as the dealer, to relay this sorta stuff back to Skoda HQ. Think of it as Skoda being back at base, and you guys being at the forefront of the battle, getting right into the battle. They aren't gonna know anything unless they are told!

You presume in making this statement that I have an open dialogue with HQ marketing and management and they actually care what I think or experience as a salesman?? I am as insignificant in the grand picture as anyone else in my role, that sounds rough but it's just how it is. Unfortunately the reality is far different but like all international groups they have a marketing department internal/external that advise them and they look at many factors such as demoghraphic and advise the best course of action

[woofy]

Lucky for me I work in a huge company that not only still listens to people on the ground, but also uses them to A: Find new technology, and B: Give ideas of what people want and the problems they need to solve and uses that as well to direct new products.

If our company listened purely to the marketing research and what the marketing people came up with without some input we would be in a world of trouble. We have found that some of the US marketing ideas, and also what some of the prior marketing people in Oz we have had do is spit out regurgitated uni taught crap that is not appropriate or really works in Australia. So much so that 3 marketing managers have been sacked in the last 8 years as all three caused a drop in sales, and in the last case caused a loss of customers.

[K1W1]

and also what some of the prior marketing people in Oz we have had do is spit out regurgitated uni taught crap that is not appropriate or really works in Australia.

I love it when you go to a company marketing presentation and the presenter stands up and announces something to the effect that "this is what we do in Sydney so we are going to roll it out across the country". If that happens I turn off.
Marketing is a very fickle thing and whilst broad brush approaches can be used for product awareness you really need to have detailed information about your targets for any realistic chance of success.
What Chris says about car sales people being not consulted is completely correct. They are the foot soldiers in the trenches and the concept of a manufacturer listening to them is about as alien as a World War 1 General taking advice from a Private who is up to his knees in mud.