Marketing Coup?

Ah, its all just communist propaganda. :shock:

It's an 'attitude'!!

[quote:4dfa11adf7="benoit42"]So, I've been pondering all the "Honda is SO far off on this marketing campaign" posts and would like to present an alternate theory.

Honda is saying this is made for 20 somethings with an active lifestyle, yet most of the buyers are 30 and over. Do you think that Honda intended this to be the perfect mid-life crisis car? I've never thought of buying the sterotypical litte red two seater, even though I'm only 33, but I must admit that the youthful appeal of the E attracted me to it very much. A fountain of youth, maybe?

Whaddya think?

B[/quote:4dfa11adf7]

Do a search. Many people on this board have voiced this exact theory and discussed it in great depth in the past - including myself.

Honda did indeed aim the E at GenY. It, the siimilar looking Toyota Scion and a Nissan that's not imported are all part of a market push in Japan and here aimed at twenty-somethings looking for cars (and other things) with a style completely different from what their elders embrace. They don't want the riced-up Civics that every GenX-er west of the San Andreas Fault seems to be driving. (Note to GenX-ers: You're old now. Turn your baseball hats around.)

There's also a mainly West Coast US trend among young consumers for objects that reek of Japan domestic-market-only marketing. The E was supposed to tap into this.

Interestingly the Scion, which to my eyes is a really ugly car, does have a younger demographic than the E. Not that's they're selling all that many.

I was annoyed enough about all the Gen-X and Y talk to go find out just what it is. this is from this page: http://www.wellsfargo.com/biz/bustips/tip/mktgdemographic.html
Generation X-born between 1965 and 1976-and Generation Y-born between 1977 and 1994-make up about 44% of the population.
Gen X represents $190 billion in spending power while Gen Y represents $115 billion.
People belonging to Gen X are defined by high education, informality and a slow transition into adulthood.
Gen Y'ers have been characterized as technology literate and materialistic

Mikeyj, I have to disagree with you on a couple of points. Everyone I see driving customized civics look like they are younger than me (I'm 24). and on another post there is an article stating that they actually underestimated demand for the Xcion xB.

Hunter is right, Toyota is selling the Xb like mad, much above their projections. They are already increasing the production. California is the only state where they are selling them so far (the east coast soon), so most people haven't seen them yet. I have even hear that people are coming into to CA to buy them! (all that extra sales tax should help out with our deficit). I have already seen several around my area.

As a propagandist, er, ad copywriter, let me say that if Honda had meant to reach the 35+ crowd with E as mid-life crisis salve, there would be wealthy, active mid-lifers in Honda ads. You might even see -- gasp -- this lil' script I just fashioned:

SFX UP: AMBIENT NATURE, PEOPLE LAUGHING
Group of mixed-culture, hip, mixed-weight hikers come off the trailhead at dusk, high-fiving each other, squirting water bottles, etc. We only see them from behind. They walk toward a sparkling, bland Mercedes suv and keep walking to...a muddied-up Element where we see them open up all doors and crank the tunes.
MUSIC UP: MELT WITH YOU BY MODERN ENGLISH
One breaks out a hibachi grill, other gets the cooler and flings out the brewskis, two others dance. We finally see their 40ish faces as Girl knocks the backwards-positioned ball cap off Guy's head.
Honda Element logo up.
Tagline: Honda Element. Act your age.


Steve

SteveO - brilliant. :lol:

PINKIE!

I got my E in late March because my original car broke down in Jan. I didn't even know the E existed until my brother told me to look into the E. I didn't buy the car because of a mid life crisis, i got the car because it was versitile and priced right for a SUV. Even though Honda wanted the 20 something to buy into it, instead we get the 30's and beyond snatching it up.

Bottom line is Honda had to start with a generation group and instead older people are the ones buying the E

as i said in another thread on this topic, the main problem with honda's marketing of the E, is the lack of it. one very bland tv add, and one mag page are all i have seen on the E. how do they expect anyone to buy it? at least toyota has been purportedly pursuing an "underground" campaign, by positioning the scions at raves, etc. i think the biggest plus for the wimpy, underpowered, undersized, scion is it's low price. thats really what kids want (unless their daddies are buying the cars for them). the E is NOT cheap. even the bottom end Dx (which is stripped-not even a/c!) is more than a fairly loaded Xb. Don't get me wrong. I like my E very much. But they need to quit crying about their target group, and try some real marketing!

Where do you work? Did you do that all by yourself? (-:

Ed

He works for a group hell bent on subverting the dominant paradigm.


Drat!


:roll:

I think it's quite funny that some are saying Honda's marketting is flawed or that they've got it wrong or don't know what they're doing. Evidence of 40,000 sold and thus well on target to beat expectations for the year would suggest they got something right!

yeah, the design of the Element!!

The marketing sucks, who cares?? It is one extremely well-designed, well-built tall wagon. I hope marketing is not THE only factor in anyone's (roughly) $20,000 purchase.

Design, yes most certainly. But there is more to selling 40,000 cars in 7 months than that.

ok, seeing an ad for the Element, no matter how inane the ad is, is exposure. People have to know it exists to buy it.
But honestly, why can't attention to detail, innovative packaging, and a nameplate with a good image sell a car??

What other elements (hah hah) do you think account for the strong sales?

Honda wants younger buyers. They are spending a lot of effort to get them.

They have not hit their target. :-(

... It is kind of like if you are taking a trip across the desert with no refrigeration and have asked someone to go to the store and bring back $100 worth of dates and trail mix and they come back with $100 worth of lettuce that is already starting to rot. Sure it is food, but it is not what you asked for. And it doesn't get you across the desert.

You can't go where you need to go, so you send somebody back to the store with $100...

Have the ads stolen the decision from the Y people? ...