checked by Rich<\/p>\n
;JP;
\nANPAc..r..
\nCars-brand-image<\/p>\n
JP\/ \/<\/p>\n
Branding of luxury cars should be treated with great care<\/p>\n
Agus W. Soehadi
\nContributor
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
On one busy afternoon a flashy red Porsche overtook several
\ncars on one of Jakarta's longest roads, Jl. TB Simatupang.
\nAlthough not a very frequent scene or not exactly crowding the
\nstreets of Jakarta or the other major cities in Indonesia, a
\nnumber of luxury cars, such as Porsche, Jaguar, Rolls Royce,
\nBentley, Ferrari and Range Rover are found to be cruising the
\ncity from time to time. The list of luxury cars also includes the
\nlatest series and high end types of Mercedes and BMWs.<\/p>\n
This indicates that a demand for these extremely expensive
\ncars exists in Indonesia. Although the country's economic
\nsituation is yet to fully recover, the sales figures for luxury
\nitems, including cars, has grown over the past few years as
\nindicated by as sales data gathered by the Association of
\nIndonesian Automotive Industries (Gaikindo).<\/p>\n
PT Eukars Chrisdeco Utama, the authorized importer and
\ndistributor for Porsche and Saab cars in Indonesia, for example,
\nsold 50 cars in 2003, even though the company just started its
\nmarketing here in 2002.<\/p>\n
While vice president of VW Asia Pacific Wolfgang Glaser said
\nthat luxury car sales in the Asian market had not been affected
\nthe region's economic situation. The VW group recorded a 7.2
\npercent increase, totaling 461,000 cars in Asia.<\/p>\n
Although the growth of luxury car sales is promising, it is
\nnot a mass market, in fact, it is a special niche with plenty of
\nplayers today. Obviously, the target market is also very
\nsegmented and consists of high-income jet-setters. The key to
\nmarketing success in this segment, more than any other expensive
\nitem, is building a strong brand.<\/p>\n
Some important lessons can be found in Aaker's best seller
\nBrand Leadership. He wrote that two vital elements in
\nestablishing successful brands were brand performance and brand
\npersonality. Both elements are often used simultaneously in the
\nmarketing of a number of products. BMW cars, for example, carry
\nboth themes: the ultimate driving machine (for the performance of
\nthe product) as well as the personification of an achiever or a
\nhighly successful figure.<\/p>\n
Marketing luxury cars requires a different technique, which is
\ntotally unique in comparison with lesser priced cars, due to
\ncustomers' expectations both for product performance and the
\nrelated after sales service. Customer expectations are sky high
\nwhile at the same time manufacturers are competing with each
\nother in enhancing their products with the latest hi-tech and
\nluxury features. Speed is another plus point. The Jaguar XK-R,
\nwith its supercharged 4.2 liter V8 engine, for example can easily
\nreach the 100 kilometer-per-hour speed within 5.2 seconds.<\/p>\n
Realizing that after-sales service and the availability of a
\nwide service network with professional technicians is a must to
\ngive luxury car owners the real sense of security, all major
\nimporters of luxury cars have set up such a network throughout
\nthe nation. One of them, PT BMW Indonesia, has even gone as far
\nas to invest Rp 5 billion for the establishment of its National
\nTraining Center at the German Center in Bumi Serpong Damai,
\nTangerang.<\/p>\n
The company's main objective is to upgrade the competency and
\nmaintain professionalism of its local staff and mechanics to
\nconform with the international standards set by the company's
\nheadquarters in Germany. The result is the company is now ranked
\nnumber one for customer satisfaction based on the research
\nconducted by JD Power. In market share, BMW now leads with 46.8
\npercent in the related category as reported by the Prospektif
\nmagazine.<\/p>\n
To maintain customer loyalty, next to product performance and
\nservice that exceed their expectations, the brand should also
\nreflect the customers' personality. Clearly, luxury cars are more
\nthan simply means of transportation, as they emanate the owner's
\nstatus, prestige and lifestyle. The owners of these luxury cars
\nbelong to a privileged class and belong to an extremely affluent
\ngroup that is world apart.<\/p>\n
A brand that exudes a strong personality helps strengthen the
\nemotional bond between the product and its owner as it influences
\nthe owner's perception and thoughts. It also influences how the
\ncar owner defines himself and his position in society. The
\nCherokee Jeep with its macho image, for example, fits the owners
\nwho love off-road driving and often express their masculinity in
\nvarious ways.<\/p>\n
Building the personality of a brand is quite a challenge for
\nmarketers as sometimes a certain image evokes different emotions
\nin different parts of the world. The physical prowess of \"Rambo\"
\nof United States films is clearly not the same as the more subtle
\nstrengths of James Bond in the United Kingdom. Both are hero
\nfigures, but each represents a different kind of strength. Hence,
\nmarketers have to be careful in using celebrities to endorse
\ntheir advertisements.<\/p>\n
Mark and Pearson in another best selling book on marketing,
\nThe Hero and The Outlaw: Building extraordinary brands through
\nthe power of archetypes suggested the use of archetypes that can
\nconvey not only the most basic or elementary ideas, but can
\ndeliver elementary feelings, create elementary fantasies and
\nvisions. They believe that archetypes can bridge consumers'
\nmotivations and product features.<\/p>\n
Based on their research they found that there are 12
\narchetypes that can contribute to marketing themes: hero, outlaw,
\ncaregiver, lover, innocent person, magician, explorer, ruler,
\njester, regular guy, sage and creator or inventor. One of the
\nphenomenal successful marketing stories on the use of an
\narchetype is the outlaw by Harley Davidson motorcycles. The
\nVolkswagen Beetle has also gained popularity through the innocent
\nimage that is incorporated in the baby face of its front.<\/p>\n
A valuable lesson for car companies, including those producing
\nluxury cars, is the importance of building a most effective brand
\nthat can convey both messages: superior performance of product as
\nwell as personality that matches the target market. In many
\ncases, as proven by several advertising campaigns, the use of
\narchetypes can be helpful as long as the marketer hits on the
\nright one. In short, the communications in marketing luxury cars
\nshould be an effective combination of both the tangible and
\nintangible elements. After all the promise of an advertising line
\nshould be proven by the product and in the field, that is in the
\nafter sales service that ensure the longevity of the extremely
\nexpensive items. -- The writer is chairman of the marketing
\nfaculty at Prasetiya Mulya Business School<\/p>",
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