Challenge
Porsche AG set up a Canadian head office in late 2008 to support a growth strategy for the brand in Canada. Until then, sales had been modest and the company saw a great untapped opportunity. Yield was hired to support Porsche with that mission.
Solution
Over seven years working with the brand, Yield helped spearhead numerous product launches, model upgrades and promotional campaigns that included: Segmenting Boxster/Cayman Audience; Lowering barriers to Porsche sports car ownership; Launching Panamera; Positioning Porsche for Winter; Launching Macan; To position the brands, we began by segmenting audiences according to their need state across four key attributes: performance, style and design, prestige and practicality. This helped position the four existing models: 911, Boxster, Cayman, Cayenne as well as the Panamera launch according to the functional and emotional needs of the audiences. Boxster/Cayman: These two sports car brands often stood in the shadow of the venerable 911 but nonetheless, had strong individual followings with male and female audiences. We decided to design specific campaigns for Boxster to women and Cayman to men, using two distinct online channels xyyz.ca for the male-oriented Cayman and sweetspot.ca for the female-targeted Boxster. Panamera: To separate the Panamera from the competitive set, and remain true to the Porsche brand, the car was positioned globally as “the first real 4-door sports car” for drivers who care as much about lifestyle and image as they do about the car and its performance. We aligned our messages/creative and communication strategies to the dimensions of lifestyle, design, fashion, and exclusivity. To launch the brand, Yield approached luxury retailer Holt Renfrew and negotiated a national partnership: Launch the car across the country in their stores at a huge event hosted by Holt Renfrew tied into their designer speaker series. Use their stores to display the cars post-launch. Invite their customers to the event, which gave us access to a whole new audience that matched the Porsche target perfectly. Have access to their marketing channels to build awareness of the car (emails, newsletters, publications, etc.) Use their stores as a vehicle to capture qualified leads for test drives via a promotion. Sports Car: Research indicated there were deeply ingrained barriers that prevented potential buyers from EVER putting Porsche on their consideration list. While these obstacles varied by model, in general, potential buyers perceived Porsches as: Too expensive; Old fashioned design; Not sporty enough; Gas guzzlers; Yield developed an “unexpected” campaign, challenging buyers to reconsider their biases towards Porsche vehicles. Outdoor was chosen as the lead channel given that Porsche had never used it before and would, therefore, be “unexpected”. It could also be geo-targeted to the locations where potential buyers tended to congregate. Winter: When drivers went to service their cars for the winter, they were increasingly abandoning the certified Porsche dealers once their vehicle came off warranty and giving their business to independents who they felt were less expensive and offered better service. Macan: This was Porsche’s first entry into the compact SUV segment. Positioned as a “Sports Car” focused on performance, with high everyday usability that provided a dynamic and exciting driving experience. The budget was limited to the launch strategy which was developed to use highly targeted digital channels for reaching the high-achieving, upper-income target audience of ‘exclusivity hunters’ seeking another German brand with more cachet.
Results
Yield worked with Porsche for over 7 years and during that time total corporate sales grew from 1,730 units in 2008 to over 7,000 in 2016. Boxster/Cayman: sales rose 9.6% and gained 11% marketshare during the campaign period. Panamera: Within the first 3 months of launch Panamera captured 17.3% of the total luxury sedan segment. Sport Car Campaign: 911 and Cayman increased sales 6% and 8%, respectively, while Porsche Canada overall sales increased by 12%. Macan eventually became Porsche’s best-selling model in Canada, selling 1,143 in the first year.
Yield Branding
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