When is a sports car not a sports car? When it’s a minivan – sort of.
In a new advertising campaign for its slow-selling 911, Porsche Cars North America is repositioning the $78,000-to-$143,000 sports car as an “everyday” vehicle.
Think the 911 is only good for its fantasy-fulfillment chops? Think again.
Boasting a new “Engineered for Magic. Everyday” tagline, Porsche highlights 911 owners as they use the rakish racing machine for a series of mundane errands and other activities.
“We like to think that people want that Porsche experience every day,” David Prior, vice president of marketing, told brandchannel. “You get in a 911 and it gives you that great feeling that kind of takes you away from your day.”
While overall Porsche brand sales last year in the U.S. were up 29%, 911 sales flagged, dropping by about 16% — despite recently being deemed "most reliable" by JDPower.
Labeling 911 a “snowmobile,” “pet carrier” and “school bus,” the TV spots feature Porsche owners loading the trunk with fertilizer, sliding school kids – two small ones, anyway — into the back seat, and taking a big dog on a joy ride. The ads also splice in luxury messages, including shots of dual tail pipes, the convertible model, and a driver stroking the steering wheel.
The basic idea is to communicate, as one of the voiceovers says, that 911 is “designed with a singular purpose. Yet somehow, it manages to be so much more.”
The TV spots debuted during NCAA March Madness games late last week and the campaign will span print, mobile, direct mail and online.
Digital elements of the campaign include a website, PorscheEveryday.com, that invites visitors to share their "everyday stories" of 911 practicality, and a partnership with ReelzChannel to invite amateur filmmakers to submit films that demonstrate “daily magic.”
But isn’t the 911 supposed to be just a toy, or be owned and driven by people who have no real obligations in life?
“We have heard people fear that [the new campaign] would extract value from the brand or take away from its iconic status,” said Scott Baker, marketing manager. “But people don’t just buy our brand to drive it on weekends. They’re driving our cars every day.”
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