The Outline

1. The Opportunity

To promote the Porsche 911 Carrerra 4S as more than just a summer sports car to attract
new buyers, increase sales and balance out the sales distribution throughout the year.
To create an advertising campaign to expand the positioning of the product from being
purely a performance car to a vehicle that offers the latest safety features and technologies
that can be enjoyed in winter as well as summer.
To communicate to Porsche’s target market that the 911 Carrerra 4S is the perfect year
round car by highlighting it’s all wheel drive capabilities and advanced safety features
while advertising heavily in the winter months so customers associate the vehicle with
being the ultimate year-round performance vehicle.

2. Objectives and Measurements of Success

Program Objective:

The program objective is to increase the product’s sales volume by 10% and consequently,
market share (from 0.7% to 1%) by repositioning the brand to extend the target market.
To increase awareness of the product’s capabilities and change consumer perception of the
product to being a year-round option instead of being a summer drive only. This can be
measured by increase dealership traffic, we would like to increase this by 10%.

 Core business objectives: Sales/Profits/Share Price

To increase the product’s sales volume by 10% and consequently, market share
(from 0.7% to 1%) by repositioning the brand to extend the target market by
combining women customers.

 Measurement tool: The percentage increase in the number of customers in

winter season and also the percentage increase in the cars bought by women
customers

 Marketing objectives: What role does marketing play in achieving overall

objectives?
Marketing will play a major role in the overall effort of this particular campaign
since we are repositioning our brand to be perceived as a car that can be driven
in any weather and preferred by both men and women.
 As a marketer, we will connect with consumers in a variety of ways, including
online marketing; email marketing, direct mailer marketing and inserting
marketing messages anywhere target customers spend time, online or in person.
Return on investment (ROI) is important in marketing as we want to ensure that
each campaign brings in more money than it costs to implement the campaign.

 Measurement tool: We will track the sales or revenue from a specific time period
to measure whether marketing campaigns were effective. For that, we will
analyze the revenue chart on the days or weeks leading up to a specific
campaign, and look at the same chart in the days or weeks following the
campaign. An increase in revenue will mean that the campaign was effective. But
the increase should be enough to cover the cost of the campaign plus profit, so
sometimes an increase alone is not enough. We will ensure that the campaign
generated more revenue than it cost1.

 Behavioral objectives: What do we want the consumer to do?

As indicated before, we want the customers from our target segment to perceive
that 911S4 has the features and capabilities to be used in the most extreme
climates and conditions. We want both men and women to exhibit this behaviour.

 Measurement tool: Behavioral objectives will be measured by the percentage

increase in the number people who buy the Porsche 911 S4 in winters. Also we
will measure the percentage increase in the women buyers.

 Communication objectives: What media/tactics should we use to reach our

target?
We will use the following media to reach our target:
1. Radio
2. Television
3. Website/Web Banners
4. Social Media
5. In-store advertisement
6. Print Ads (Magazines)

The tactics used will be to show people the real time performance of Porsche
911 S4 in all kinds of weather. We will also try to engage customers by urging
them to give in new ideas and share their experience on social networking
websites. The most influential customer in terms of public following or bringing
in a new idea through benchmarking and creative thinking will get monetary
rewards.

1
Marketing Measurement Tools | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_7782854_marketing-
measurement-tools.html#ixzz1HFj4N3iB
  Measurement tool: Measurement will be done based on the percentage increase
in number of people who get involved in sharing their experience on the social
networking websites and also through the percentage increase in people that
bring in new innovative ideas for the company. Overall the percentage increase
in the number of new customers in the winter season would be the indicator of
the worth of communication objectives.

 Campaign objectives: What measurement to use. How much of what?

We will divide the costs for various communication initiatives as indicated before
and will measure based on the balanced scorecard.
 Measurement tools: Balanced Scorecard

Success area Measure of

Target Wt Reason
success
Impact Number of
Increasing number of This is the major area where
of Website and hits per
hits and average time customers will actually gets a real
in-store month + time 30%
spent by any user by time application to play and get
advertisement spent on the
20% in an year the sense of the message
website
These social networking websites
To increase the
Number of are being followed majorly by
Impact engagement of men and
people who each consumer segment and can
through women to join and
follow the 20% help in better penetration of the
Facebook- comment on the
Porsche message to the target audience.
Twitter company initiatives by
Group These websites will eventually
30% in 6 months
link to the Porsche main website
Number of
To place the
people who Even with the eventual pick up of
advertisement during
Impact of TV switched to social media, TV still remains a
the best times when 20%
commercials Porsche consistent force that can help
customers are most
following TV spread the message
likely to watch TV
Commercials
Number of
customers
who signed To increase the number Today there is more trend of
Impact of
up for of people signing up for going online for advertisements.
magazines, 10%
magazines Porsche magazines by But there are some customers
web banners
and number 10% who really like to read magazines.
of hits on
web banners
Number of
people who Increasing the number
Impact of This is quite important since
showed up of people who hear
radio 20% people often listen to radio during
after hearing about the campaign
advertisement travel or at home.
from a radio from radio by 15%.
commercial

3. Brand Positioning: Porsche

Porsche is positioned in the Canadian auto industry as a luxury sports car manufacturer
that differentiates itself from other OEM’s based on price, performance and prestige. The
blend of these three attributes puts Porsche in a niche market and competes with specific
vehicles instead of a manufacturer’s entire line-up. The auto maker plays up on its racing
heritage and is the epitome of German engineering and craftsmanship as well as
performance and is the benchmark for all true sports cars. Porsche’s positioning as a
summer only car is unique to the North American market and is bolstered by the events
(24 Hours of Le Mans) and advertising message that Porsche uses to promote its cars.

Currently Porsche occupies a symbolic position within the industry as a prestige auto
maker that can influence ones image, status and sense of belongingness. While Porsche
competes with its fellow German automakers (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi) on price, the
company leverages the performance aspect in all its media by highlighting horsepower, 0
to 60 times and top speed. While highlighting the performance figures, Porsche uses the tag
line “Porsche, there is no substitute” to create the impression that Porsche is the only true
performance vehicle. Since Porsche launched an SUV (Cayanne), the company is careful not
to call itself a sports car manufacturer and instead broadens its market by allowing the
consumer to imagine what “performance” indicates.

Our goal is to change how the Porsche 911 Carrerra 4S is perceived in the minds of the
consumer from a summer only vehicle to the ultimate year round vehicle. We’d like to
convey the message that Porsche 911 Carrerra 4S is not just a performance car, but a
vehicle that offers the latest safety features and technologies that can be enjoyed all year
round, especially in the winter months.

4. Market Position: Porsche 911 Carrera 4S

The Porsche 911 Carrera 4S holds a dominate position amongst its immediate competitors.
While Porsche does not compete head on with any one manufacturer, the following are
primary primary competitors.

 Audi S Line - AWD

 BMW M Series – RWD
 Chevrolet Corvette - RWD
 Mercedes Benz E class – RWD/AWD
 Nissan GTR – AWD
 Subaru Impreza WRX STi – AWD

Chevrolet and Nissan follow a similar advertising strategy of promoting their products
heavily in the spring and summer months. BMW and Mercedes Benz promote their SUV’s in
the winter months but have however started to highlight the AWD capabilities of their
other vehicles. Audi and Subaru are well known for their AWD capabilities and possess
strong sales throughout the year with a clear cut message that safety and performance go
hand in hand.
Porsches advertising efforts have led consumers to believe that the 911 Carrera 4S
competes in a niche market. We intend to re-position the 911 Carrera 4S as a vehicle that
can be enjoyed in all seasons and driven on all occasions similar to the positioning of BMW
vehicles.

Marketplace:
Opportunities
 Increasing demand for AWD vehicles in Canada
 No automaker occupies the niche market of being a performance vehicle suitable for
year round driving
Threats
 Environmental concerns (high output engines yield higher vehicle emissions)
 Weaker economy decreases consumers allocation of income to vehicles

5. Customer Segmentation Strategy

The marketing campaign will be conducted in Canada, with emphasis on the metropolitan

areas. The target audience for this marketing campaign comprises of Porsche’s existing

target audience of 40+ males, single or married but with no kids and a household income of

over $150k, along with a newer target audience of women between ages 36-46 with a

similar household profile. Furthermore, this campaign will target both existing and

potential users of the Carrerra 911 4S.

Figure 1: Customer Segmentation

The key messages to be delivered by this marketing campaign are two fold. Firstly, we

want the customers to believe that the product is safe and has the features and capabilities

to be driven in winter-like conditions. Secondly, we want women to be an equal partner in

the overall buying and usage experience of the product.

The media campaign should effectively use several marketing tools such as print media

(magazines and newspapers), OOH (billboards), radio and television advertisements,

sponsorships (racing events and autoshows) as well social media (Facebook fan pages,

Twitter) and online marketing through web banners. In addition to that, the marketing mix

should include tools for customer interaction such as Porsche test drives through the

dealers and region-wide product demonstrations.

These promotional tools should build on Porsche’s current image of self-enhancement and

further promote the automobile’s safety features to the existing and the new target market.

The advertisements should be largely pictorial and should place the Carrerra in winter-like

situations to drive the association with year-round driving capabilities.

6. Current Marketing Communications Strategy

Currently the client promotes the product (via TV commercials, print ads and

sponsorships) heavily during the spring and summer months by featuring the car in

summer-like conditions and highlighting its performance. It has previously promoted

winter driving through their program “Porsche Camp 4”: a 3-day driver training program

located in Quebec in Canada and internationally, in Austria and Finland.

Website: Porsche Carrera 911’s webpage

(http://www.porsche.com/canada/en/models/911/911-carrera-4s/) showcases the car,

its pricing and all the detailed features of the car. The picture gallery contains pictures of

the interior and the exterior of the car. There is also a link for an interactive microsite with

Porsche commercials, detailed videos about the car’s features as well as high resolution

images of the automobile.

Print Ads: These advertisements are mostly placed in magazines such as XXXXXXXX and

demonstrate the automobile in summer conditions, with ‘high performance’ as the

highlight of the advertisement.

TV Commercials: Previously, 911 Carrera advertisements focused solely on highlighting the

superior quality and performance of the vehicle. However, in recent trends, Porsche has

been actively utilizing its rich heritage and experience in the industry to create an image of

desirability for the vehicle in its television commercials.

Sponsorships: Porsche currently participates and sponsors the 24 Hour Le Mans Race,

which is the world’s oldest endurance car racing.

Winter Training Program: “Porsche Camp 4”, a 3-day driver training program in Quebec

that allows drivers to explore the vehicle’s capabilities in winter-like conditions via multi-

turn road courses, skidpad tests and snow-bound racetracks.

a. Review of the Current Marketing Strategy

While the website is very comprehensive and provides all the details of the product, the

images portray the Carrera only summer conditions with no details on its performance in

the winter months. Furthermore, the webpage for the Camp4 Program is not linked to the

Carrera’s webpage, making it extremely difficult for the consumer to be aware of the

training program or the functionality of the vehicle in extreme winter conditions.

Similarly, the print advertisements are only placed in magazine during the summer

months, creating a positioning for the Carrera as a summer-only car. The advertisements,

also only contain images of the vehicle in summer conditions.

The television commercials are well outlined and have appropriately evolved over the

years. However, similar to other media, TV commercials aim to create a desirable image for
the car through its rich heritage, association with affluency and superior performance

features. The TV commercials again, put the vehicle in ideal conditions with no emphasis

on its year-round functionality.

As for the winter training program, that is the only tool used in the current strategy to

encourage Carrera’s performance in the winter months. Furthermore, it also encourage

trial of the product which could lead to higher sales. However, this program is not widely

advertised, and with limited reach, Porsche is likely to have limited enrolment. Although

the details for this program are available on their website, the Camp4 webpage is not

effectively linked to the rest of the pages, thus limiting exposure and awareness.

7. Brand and Creative Strategy

Given that the business objective is to attract new buyers, increase sales and balance out
the sales distribution throughout the year, the marketing campaign’s immediate objective
is to promote the Porsche 911 Carrerra 4S as more than just a summer sports car.

Brand Strategy
In terms if the brand positioning strategy, we choose to adopt the Positioning by Usage
Situation strategy in order to better compete in the market. In order to effectively expand
the situational usage of the product, we will communicate a specific position for the brand
and have it associated with a specific use, in this case driving in winter like conditions. By
doing so, our unique selling proposition would be to communicate to the customer that
when it comes to purchasing an all year long car, Porsche does indeed have the desired
safety features and benefits that one would want in an all year long car.

Advertising Objective
The goal is to reintroduce the car to the market in a unique and inviting way
that will encourage consumers to purchase the 911 Carrerra 4S model. As
previously stated, a unique and inviting message must be developed to urge
consumers to purchase this model instead of spending money on a different
luxury car that they believe can be driven all year long. Showing how well
and comfortably one can drive in winter like conditions will effectively get
this message across to consumers.
Creative Strategy
The type of advertising appeal that we are going to use will be an informational appeal.
The advertising will showcase Porsche’s competitive advantage and feature its AWD
capabilities. More importantly, by having a strong and well-executed creative strategy, we
aim to transform the customer’s experience of using the product and create the desired
meanings and beliefs about our product.

The key message/response of the creative message we choose to communicate is to have

consumers drive the product, Porsche 911 Carrerra 4S, all year long. We want people to
believe that the product is safe and has the features and capabilities to be driven in winter-
like conditions. As well, we want women to be an equal partner in the overall buying and
usage experience of the product.

The brand personality is a high performance, ego-driven, prestigious, high quality, fun and
exciting, luxury brand. The mood to be created by the communication is to be: Informative -
Luxury meets safety.

8. Media Strategy

Print Media: Ads showcasing the car in winter conditions highlighting car’s winter
capabilities to encourage purchases and use in the winter. Ensure equal frequency of ads to
run in summer and winter months.
TV: Similar to the print media strategy, the commercials will show the car in winter
conditions and emphasize on winter capabilities. Furthermore, these advertisements will
communicate to the viewer that the car is a safe drive regardless of weather conditions.
Dealership cooperation: Encourage test-driving of all Porsche models in the winter months
along with promoting the “Porsche Camp 4” training program.
Expand on each of the following
 Radio
 Television
 Social Media
 In-store advertisement
 Print Ads
Budget (range if possible):
The annual budget range is between $3-5M and it will be allocated in the following
proportions:
Break down exact costs of each of the following
TV advertisements: $2,500,000 (For the making of the ad and the TV spots)
Print – Newspaper: $720,000 ($60,000 x 12)
Print – Magazine: $600,000 ($50,000 x 12)
Web banners: $ 50,000
Test Driving: $300,000
Product Demonstrations: $500,000

9. Conclusion