Navigating Speedbumps

Executive Summary

Challenge: The challenge was that the Driven Youth Potential audience that Porsche identifies as consumers ages 18–29 is very familiar with the parent Porsche brand, but they are unaware of the Porsche Track Experience and what it has to offer. Similarly, there was very low engagement with the Driven Females audience. These two audiences are most prevalent on Instagram, but PTX lacks a cohesive social media presence, leading them to miss out on an opportunity to appeal to these consumers and set PTX apart from the other Porsche Experience Centers in L.A. and Atlanta.

Strategy: 91% of the Driven Youth Potential audience values outdoor experiences, and 69% subscribe to both adventure blogs and the established Porsche global brand. The interests of the target market lay the foundation for PTX to connect with them and we have created a cohesive virtual voice for PTX in order to communicate all they have to offer. We implemented more photos and videos of customer interaction, highlighted the world class instruction, generated more stylized and dramatic content to appeal to the Driven Female audience, and scaled back on photos that solely displayed the Porsche vehicles themselves, ultimately creating a new image for PTX that properly conveys the full experience, setting PTX apart from their parent brand.

Navigating Speedbumps

Situation Analysis

S.W.O.T

Strengths:

Brand name recognition Global parent brand Brand is deemed luxurious and exclusive Experienced and highly qualified instructors

Opportunities:

Increasing buzz around sport–auto industry Driven Youth values experiences over material things Influencer culture and partnerships with brand

Weaknesses:

High Cost Geography/location Low rate of returning customers Porsche releases new cars/models every few years

Low awareness of PTX among target audience

Threats:

Environmental concerns Trending towards U.S. economic recession

Situation Analysis

Competition

AMG Driving Academy

They have multiple track locations, similar to Porsche Experience as a whole. AMG’s Atlanta track is 2.54 miles, 12 turns compared to PTX/ Barber Motorsports’ track being 2.38 miles long with 16 turns. Their Performance Training Program is the same as PTX’s one day course; both courses teach customers the same things, just tailored to that car brand. AMG’s program is $95 more expensive.

BMW Performance Driving

BMW’s M School is the same as PTX. When you compare the 1 day driving school from both PTX and BMW’s M School, they offer the same services, but BMW’s program is $450 cheaper. Both websites/ brands describe their program packages in similar wording (down to certain phrases).

Situation Analysis

Competition

Corso Pilota: Ferrari Official Driving Course

Offers a 2-day experience that includes classroom learning and course instruction. The price is around $16,000 including travel and hotel expenses.

Internal Competition

Porsche experience centers around the U.S. Differentiating the difference between PTX, PEC ATL and LA.

The Challenge

Our team’s challenge was to bring the exhilaration of going from 0 to 60 mph in a top–of–the–line Porsche 911 to PTX’s social outlets. In the past, their Instagram was bogged down with infrequent photos of PTX’s fleet of cars, similar to images that could be found by a simple Google search. Our team was challenged with bringing a youthful and bold image to our client’s social media in order to appeal to a new target audience of college–aged students while increasing posting frequency and engagement to increase Instagram’s reach.

From the Classroom...

Research Insights

Our research goals were to gain insights on the emerging target market of driven youth potential consumers, better understand the social media habits of this target audience, and gather information to aid in PTX’s decision on whether or not to preserve the Birmingham location’s off-roading track. A survey was designed and distributed to gather this information. Over a one-month period, 187 people participated in our survey. 76% of participants were college aged students 18–22 and 24% were part of Gen Z. We found that 72% of those who took our survey had never heard of the Porsche Track Experience, which we saw as an exciting opportunity to increase our reach amongst this age group via social presence. Additionally, 79% of participants reported that they already follow brands that are out of their price range, meaning that they would not be entirely turned off to being a “fan” of PTX despite not being able to purchase the experience.

Research Findings

83% are active watchers of Youtube logging in at least 3 times a week 91% cherish outdoor activity

79% follow brands out of their price range

69% subscribe to adventure or travel bloggers