Marketing Techniques keep evolving

As to car racing, Drifting is not only a fighting technique, but also a dazzling way to show off in order to please audience. Likewise, automakers need such technique to stand out from the competition in vehicle market. Besides basic essentials, it depends on empathy to master it brilliantly.

According to 21st century Business Herald, with a variety of marketing techniques and fancy concepts one after another, it is a gratifying situation for the emerging vehicle market during the decade. Nowadays, vehicle advertisements of Europe and America are capable to deliver beauty and imagination to audience, even without having the cars to turn up. However, with endeavor to search for every eye-catching element, domestic automakers even invite some hot artists of couple dance opera to promote vehicle images.

The great demand in vehicle market is able to make renowned international brands bend over, which may stretch the limo’s wheelbase just for meeting consumer’s needs. What’s more, the tailor-made vehicle products in Chinese market further to clarify the great demand in the market is the top priority for automakers, even for international brands, such as, Audi, BMW, Benz and Volvo.

A decade ago, consumers had no doubts about Jetta judging only by the slogan that it may drive 60 kilometers without overhaul; 8 years ago, consumers rush to purchase Sail, only because it was labeled as Buick and called as family sedan with 100 thousand Yuan. According to a survey, the most basic requirements for vehicle consumers are the price should not be too high and the quality must not be too low. Any automaker will be a winner by fulfilling these two points. With new automakers flooding in the market, there is a great increase in the low price products, although some models are known for poor quality.

Compared with the high price of joint ventured products, domestic vehicle models with low price have shown great market potentials determined by our national conditions. Low-price vehicles were thought as nothing, but a means of transportation in the early period, such as Xiali and Alto. Nevertheless, consumers are starting to go for car appearance. Cherry QQ in hot sales indicate that consumers hold the rebellion attitude to some models with boring and stiff appearance in 90s, as well as the pursuit of vehicle appearance will become a universal demand, no matter the price is high or low.

Domestic consumers have wired needs for vehicle space. It’s certain for consumers to need more space when they select hatchback and sedans with the fixed price range. However, MPV met with cold acceptance, when it initially appeared in the market, because this model encountered the concept contradiction between being practical and being decent. After all, wagon or small MPV are not like traditional sedans in the concept.

In this case, low-end vehicles suffered sales quagmire, such as Hafei Saima and Cherry Cross; average vehicles, like VW Touran, reached flat sales. Thus, almost no automakers dare to bring into production of a variant of wagon and MPV. On the contrary, consumers would prefer lengthened sedans even more, such as Audi A4, Volvo S 80, BMW 5 series, and Benz E class. The domestic consumer behavior is quite different from Europe and United States. But, it is reasonable for any phenomenon to exist.

With an annual growth rate of one million units in domestic production and sales, the speed for the popularity in vehicle consumption is getting faster and faster. As the new models are delivered to the market one after another, automakers are burdened with much more pressure in terms of marketing. Meanwhile consumers are almost lost among various dazzling products in few years, from only few choices in the beginning. Vehicle appearance had nothing to do with consumers, so automakers are forced to rack their brain trying other new marketing techniques in the end.

Now consumers are not simply satisfied with the product itself, but hope the vehicle may become a carrier to release some intangible information. As a symbol with mobility and sociality, vehicles are people’s name tags in the society, no matter it reflects their external pretentiousness or internal accomplishment.

It is an easy and visual way to label social class with vehicles. Besides being hot topics in public, vehicles are attached to cultural characteristics. Only if the marketing focus deviates from products and technology, it may provide automakers a broad and flexible stage. After all not every automaker have strong belief in their products and technology, as well as there are a great amount of models available in the market. In this way, one of core competencies for automakers is to make use of marketing techniques excellently.

The major difference between mature market and emerging market lies in whether consumers know what they need indeed. The majority of automakers and consumers are newbie in the vehicle market, so it takes time for both sides to seek for experiences through trial and error.

Originally dismembered by SAIC and Nanjing Auto, the British MG Rover has been assembled into a new car in the domestic. On one hand, it holds the banner of self-owned brand; one the other, it repeatedly emphasis its origin is England. At the end it is no surprise that the market results are not good with the contradictory idea. After Roewe550 was available in the market, the sales surge as known as self-reliance and independence, without showing off its England origin on purpose. London taxis produced by Geely are quite popular for its uniqueness. Whether it is from England or not will not affect the market result.

It is understandable for many independent brands to outsource vehicle design, but the result is quite disappointing. They carried the banner of self-owned brands as they show off their products from some foreign master designers. Unlike BYD, it came out of an independent way after all these experiences it has learned.

Self-owned brands with shallow foundation try to gain some strength by getting external help, but the market result is not desirable. After accumulation for 30 years, Dongfeng motors led a path to independence and innovation. Its marketing techniques don’t play the concept card, but bring customers to experience their products by themselves. Audi Q5 brings out its original model to interpret its aesthetic design with every little detail.

Some automakers adhere to the principle and let the fact speak for themselves, for example, Benz made their four SUV drive on the bumpy roads, and Cherry pulled their G5 into the north circuit of the Nurburgring.

In addition to the above examples with solid demonstration, other automakers excel in marketing techniques in terms of technology, such as Volkswagen. And Volvo sticks to its value on vehicle safety.

Generally speaking, it has been an emerging vehicle market for a decade, but automakers still are not able to figure out whether it is a brand-orientated or price and products oriented. Therefore, the marketing techniques will keep springing up due to the fierce competition till the brand-orientation. ( Translator：Qinghua /SERENA)

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