Marketing Case – Buick Motors

As mentioned preceding(prenominal), the average age of a Buick buyr in the early to mid sasss was in their early seventies. This was comp ard to the average age of 52 for a new auto vendee in general. In 2008, Buick s hoary vindicatory over 137,000 new cars for only a 4. 6% shargon of over every last(predicate) GM sales and only a 1. 04% commercialize place shargon In the united States. publicizing was almost non-existent. Bucks mood of leaf bladeing by corporate sponsorship of sporting events was to sponsor the Buick pioneer Golf Tournament. Golf Is not just now geared towards a materializationer audience. Doesnt inculpate value that the new-fangleder audience provide secure into the message and be converted.There has to be a legitimate reason for a puppylike audience to be attracted to the ware and not Just because advertisers and commercialiseers say you should. The main military issue facing Buick was that they had a fleet of white-haired carriageing cars that were not nearly as stylish as other sumptuousness cars in similar segments. Management do a clear decision to market its class of automobiles to a new urban crowd in major cities with the hopes that if these urban trendsetters liked what they saw and began to purchase Buick, this would stool a ripple effect into the mainstream market and would growing demand for Buick products across the board.This schema was pursued by customizing and det suffer Buick Lucents with big wheels, upgraded sound systems and detailing packages that catered to this new-fangleder urban buyer. The main businesss with this dodge were threefold. The first worry richlylighted in the case which I match with is that focus came across as feigned and out of touch. The media panel brought in by Buick commented that management showed a disconnect among the brand and its target audience and that Buick idea of urban calculates a bit old fashioned.Take for example Buick using tiger forest to remot e Buick cars. As a part of Tigers sponsorship deal with Buick, I would gestate that he may own a Buick or two but I also believe that Tigers car of woof is not a Buick The second problem with this outline was that by attempting to target a schoolgirlish urban audience, Buick risked alienating its summation consumer which was an elderly suburbanite who didnt give the first hint what urban was. If Buick customer base was alienated, that could mean the end of the brand.The third issue that I see with the strategy is a frail one because its a touchy issuance and that is he issue of racial discrimination. When a preponderantly Caucasian management team and brand attempt to target a Latino and Afri keister American audience, if they are sensed as not being authenticated or sincere, management could face whispers of racism and an anti-Buick backlash could easily taint and crush the brand. Solutions In order to support managements hugeing to attract a younger buyer, in that location has to be substance behind the merchandising and advertising blitz.Management has to seriously review the actual cars in the Buick brand and see to it what young buyers are looking for in a lavishness sedan. Once these consumer wants are identified, management must cater to them and design a younger looking class of cars with a level of luxury, quality, options, performance and price commove that rivals or beats its competition at bottom the class. Strong marketing campaigns can start consumer demand for only so long with smoke and mirrors. At the end of the day, the product has to meet customer and price determine success.My personal observations of young car buyers are that certain aspects of a car are important to them. A sleek and loud design is usually first and foremost. A car with regressive features like GAPS, mph and Pod compatibility along with a high performance sound system run into with young buyers as well. Of course young buyers dont usually use up as untold money as older buyers so price and affordability are important to a young buyer. In todays economy and society, young buyers are much conscious of passing green and gas consumption so the cars should be fuel efficient and cash in ones chips emissions standards.I also believe that Buick isnt ready to set off into the urban market. While I do believe in marketing towards a younger audience, Im not sure I would risk the brand on ailing to the urban market in the hopes that this will crossover to mainstream America. There are sight of marketing opportunities that can target a younger audience in mainstream America. Today, icon theaters show ads prior to movies and as we all know, young people make up the largest share of movie goers.I like Buick strategy of displaying Buick outside of clubs, bars, trendy shops and restaurants. At this arrange of their brand repositioning, any buzz astir(predicate) a Buick is great for the brand and to have it on the tips of peoples to ngues is the first step in hanging consumer perception that a Buick can be an option for a young buyer. I would also look to tack traditional marketing strategies like print, TV, billboards and home(a) campaigns with an internet and social media marketing strategy and campaign on Twitter and Backbone.Young consumers have a vast and important presence on these social media outlets. I would look to sever ties with the Golf sponsorship and Tiger Woods and either eliminate the use of honor endorsements altogether or revisit the celebrity spokesperson to be a more realistic Buick user. Any strategy to increase market share in the luxury segment must involve transaction with the strong presence that imports have. The main expressive style that domestic cars can compete with imports is on price.Young buyers are also very focus on price especially if they are a first time car buyer or even a baby boomer looking to fork out money in a flush economy. Based on my problem cited above w ith young buyer perceptions of what a Buick is, it would seem that Buick would struggle to get potential young buyers into their showrooms to even test drive a Buick. As such I would fence providing incentives o prospective buyers to come to a dealer and test drive a Buick. These could include cash payments or a reduction in price if they purchase a Buick.