Saturday, October 31, 2009

Family Tree

Me and Michael (little bro) were talking tonight (Halloween) about how to attract old customers to new technologies. I used the analogy of the tough guy (see Clint in Grand Torino) who bought his Ford Truck in 1976 and still has it. He countered with the fact that the son-of-the-tough-guy doesn't want his Dad's truck, he wants the new, exciting, sexy, sleek, high-performance, head turning, kitten purring, cutting edge, high fashion, ultra-cool, best there is. Or the best he can leverage. Times change.

Then I remembered the new Porsche commercials we saw in Kona and how I somewhat subliminally, opened a critical eye and ear. From the creation standpoint this is classic, superb writing, cinematography and execution, I get it. But I didn't get the main point that Michael did.

They were four seaters. FOUR seats in a Porsche. Sacrilege. Unheard of. Totally Wrong. But.....

They took all the things that they do right, and have been doing right for a long time, and added the one thing that they didn't do, and so created a new brand, attracting the audience that came after 1976. Hello Baby Boomers, remember your 1961 Bathtub? Do your remember what THAT was all about? It is now over thirty years down the line, and we just thought you might want some of that feeling back (with room for the progeny and starting at 100K).

I have one comment:

Fucking brilliant. Pardon my German.

Here it is:

5 comments:

ej said...

This is what they want in Newport Beach. Here there is nowhere to drive and it rains.

ej said...

PS - Here the kids are programmed to wear sweaters with buttons down the front and drive whatever Kurt Cobain drove around here, likely a rusted out four-wheel drive Volvo station wagon. :)

KML5 said...

Programming: The clever convincing of you to buy the want and not the need.

Hwy 101 from PA to Greys Harbor, Hwy 2, Newhalem to Mazama, Stevens Pass in the fall, The climb to Sunrise, Loup-Loup to Omak, Hwy 97 Toppinish to Goldendale. I could go on.

Making something out of nothing is the idea. If they can move enough of these puppies in Newport Beach, they don't care about Manitou Beach.

Personally, I would rather have the rusted out (and paid for) Volvo than to go into debt for a Porsche, but I am doing the selling here not the buying, giving a nod to the agency who created this very clever and powerful piece targeting a demographic I am as far from as (musically speaking) I was from Kurt Cobain.

ej said...

Check out the band Son Volt then, they wouldn't buy it either.

ej said...

PS - too much air on that route.