Astra Hatchback Client: Saturn Why are we doing this? Saturn is launching a new hatchback in the U.S called the Astra. The car has been a success in Europe and Saturn now wants to sell it in the U.S. Manufactured in Belgium for both European and now American buyers, the car was rushed to market and still has a European dashboard, 24-hour clock, and lacks an armrest, cupholders and iPod jack. Saturn was already deeply invested in its marketing plan when it decided to switch its target market from Gen Y males to Gen X/Y females. The car gets 32 mpg; okay but not best in class. While financing can help entice car buyers, Saturn’s hands are tied. It’s parent company, GM, has little to no flexibility in this area. Business Problem Gen X/Y females are buying more hatchbacks than any other demographic, but, they see Saturn as offering boring, drab cars for grey-haired, risk-averse drivers. Insight A high percentage of the target market have been to Europe through student exchange programs, etc. They tend to see European fashion, art, cuisine, and more as being interesting and inspirational. Strategy: Embrace Saturn's/Astra's European story. Just as Saturn went to Europe and came back with something interesting, people return from Europe with flair; a hint of an accent, or an affectation. Capture this sense of enhancement that brings out the best in their personalities.
Audience Gen X/Y urban, athletic females with college degrees. This group often uses public transportation on weekdays, using their cars on evenings and weekends. They frequent urban farmers’ markets and like being outdoors. Because so many colleges now require study abroad, many of these women have been to Europe. Marketing Budget $10 million Positioning To Generation X & Y urban females who are educated and welltraveled,Astra is the right-sized car, that meets their price of admission with flair, because it is a practical car that upholds their own tradition of looking to Europe for inspiration.
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Recommendations for Saturn Astra
Embrace Astra’s European story Saturn’s Opel became so popular in Europe that they wanted to offer it in the U.S. under the name, “Astra.” It’s a true blend of American business & European engineering. While many American car companies no long manufacture cars in the U.S., Saturn did not partner with Belgium in order to get away from U.S. manufacturing. Rather, Saturn fell into success in Europe. What company WOULDN’T want to share that in the U.S.? So, Saturn still has its American roots and values. What’s more, in true American spirit, it’s embraced the ideas and talent of another culture, and found a way to blend the best of American/European thinking. This would be well executed via PR & the Astra website. Sponsorships that embrace Euro/American culture This would be well executed by sponsoring a public/private film board, such as the type found in Minnesota and Wisconsin. (Eilm boards exist to nurture state economic development. Their job is to bring HolIywood feature film projects to the state because just one movie can employee 4,000 people. Many workers make a year’s worth of income off one 3-month film shoot.) Include a car in the deal so people will see influential, artistic film board staff driving Astras around town. If you’re not acquainted with film boards, then you may not realize that film board staff schedules are filled with visits to film sets, corporate sponsors, the capitol, and film premieres. They get around to a lot of places and are likely to cross paths with urban Gen X & Y females. What’s more, they’re often female, well-traveled and appreciate European culture. So having them in an Astra is like having the perfect example of the target audience inside the car. As a subtext, wouldn’t it be cool for a car company to be associated with creating jobs in the U.S.? It would give them bang for their buck! A film festival sponsorship would work, too. Saturn could do either a film festival, film board, or both. There is so much room for flexibility here. Saturn could pick the location, date, entry criteria, you name it. Both of these sponsorship ideas fall well within the $10 million budget and there would be lots of room for negotiation.
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Recommendations for Saturn Astra
Bring Astra to urban rec areas & farmers markets. Show Astra loaded with bikes, produce, etc. Saturn currently has Astras on display in suburban malls. I drove through the mall’s parking lot on several occassions, observing the cars. It was often packed full, but, I saw only one or two hatchbacks. Same at suburban park and ride lots. Then I went to the gritty, urban, artsy neighborhood called Uptown, and hatchbacks lined the streets. This is also where some of the city’s most popular beaches, bike paths and rec areas are. People here need hatchbacks to load up their windsurf gear, bikes, rollerblades and more. And better explained by the creative..
Astra Target Consumer
An array of interactive connections including -Facebook applications -“Elf Yourself” type applications -Widgets -Microsite -Plus posters, and branded giveaways for farmers market showings and/film festivals.
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We choked. We sputtered. We brainstormed for hours, then threw out every last idea. Up until now, I’d felt comfortable with my team’s ideas. We’d exchanged feedback, but had not yet found ourselves forced to deliver “tough” feedback to each other. After our third round of meetings, my creatives called to relay their new concepts. I knew I’d seen better from them. Even though we were running out of time, I had to say no to each. It wasn’t a matter of tweaking. The ideas simply had to go. I offered to change the brief.
“No!” They said. “It’s a good insight. We get it. It’s true, we need to embrace the story, and, going to Europe gives people flair.”
I had a new brief to them the next day. They ignored it. The deadline loomed. At the 11th hour, they showed me their next round. Following are the ideas from this moment, which required little to no tweaking from me at all.
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Saturn Astra Creative
A. “He left me completely krap.” Series of posters playing on the innuendo of Euro/English words. B. C. • •
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Film Festival Poster Web: Places to go Features a roundabout intersection. (Did you know that roundabouts are environmentally friendly? They cut down on idling. This is not lost on our target audience.) Try out a European boyfriend! (Upload your own photo to see how you’d look with these beautiful models.)
Try out a European adventure! • •
D. •
E. • •
E.
(Upload your own photo to see how you’d look running with the bulls.) Send to friends or upload final image to Facebook. The possibilities are endless. Widget Enter an English word and Astra will generate its German equivalent. Keep this widget handy on your desktop. (The cards, calculator, etc. are examples of how widgets are popularly used today.) Sunshade for car window. Give-away at Astra showings at Farmers Markets. Give to new owners to keep on-hand to keep spreading the message of European flair wherever they are. Apron give-away for Farmers Markets showings.
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Leave behind for client after pitch: Minnesota Film Board Production Guide -Includes contact info for local crew, studios, and other film industry resources. - Includes local film festival info.
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