German automaker Porsche says it’s crucial that it’s accepted not just by its customers, but by the wider population.
Robert Ader, the brand’s global vice president of marketing, told media “social acceptance is absolutely crucial” to the company’s future survival as it discussed its new marketing slogans “Driven by Dreams” and “Dreamers. On.”
“The majority of initiatives we are doing is to foster our social acceptance, be it in the area of society, how active we are, many things we do with branding, gaming industry, toys.. etc,” Mr Ader said.
The brand’s new marketing slogan and marketing material evokes the emotions of customers reaching their dream with the purchase of a Porsche vehicle.
However, the company is keen to communicate that its advertising campaigns are not always targeted at actual Porsche buyers.
“[We are changing] the way we communicate, a lot of advertising we are doing is not for the owner but for the neighbour,” Mr Ader said.
The new marketing initiative is backed by the company’s move toward better representing itself as a sustainable luxury brand which takes its social responsibilities seriously, rather than just a sports car manufacturer.
Part of that process will see the iconic manufacturer utilise advertising and brand messaging that includes no vehicles at all.
With Porsche selling significantly more SUVs than traditional sports cars, the company is also aware of its true positioning in market.
“To most of our customers, we are a luxury brand,” Mr Ader admits.
“Luxury is when the emotional value of the product is significantly higher than the rational, there is a certain point that the rational product value is hard to increase, but the emotional value you get from the product is significant.”
Although plenty of customers value the rational aspect of owning a Porsche due to its performance, capability, and engineering, Mr Ader says the emotional element is equally important.
“Many customers value the rational product, but for many other customers it’s also the emotional benefit, owning it, looking at it in the garage, waking up in the morning and passing by a Porsche car… so we have this two sides, which is very important if you are a luxury brand because you have to play to the rules of a luxury brand,” he said.
“Because luxury brands don’t sell products, they sell dreams.”
Questioned on whether Porsche customers truly care about the environmental issues such as global warming and sustainability, Mr Ader said the company believes its customers are very socially aware.
Macan EV
“A lot of our customers know that they are rich and privileged, they really want to give something back, not pretend to give something back,” he said.
With 900 dealers worldwide, Porsche is aiming for the new marketing approach to help usher in a new era of its models.
The new electric Macan is set for unveiling later in the year, and the brand says by 2030 more than 80 percent of the vehicles it sells annually will be electrified.
