Automotive

Client: Vespa
Product: Vespa S, a re-issue of the 1970’s classic Vespa with characteristic square headlights and mirrors. The current bestseller has a round light and round mirrors.
Agency: Dentsu Canada

What?

Five Canadian cities (Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Clagary and Vancouver) were invaded by scooter-headed hipster cut-outs, Dentsu’s Canada’s street propaganda that promoted the new Vespa S. The army of seven-foot-tall black-and-white SquareHead ads appeared on dumpsters, vacant storefronts and other urban areas littered with graffiti.

What does the Brand stand for? What’s the Background?

Vespa scooters have long embodied that iconic retro, urban Italian lifestyle that is very much in vogue right now. The brand marries both fashion with practicality, and I would dare to say that the word “Vespa” is as synonymous with the word “scooter” as “Kleenex” is with the word “tissue”. The pragmatic consumer who wants a scooter as an alternative to automobiles will choose a Honda or a Buddy scooter, but the person who wants to make a fashion or personality statement will pay a premium for a Vespa. And for the Vespa aficionado, the unique characteristics that distinguish the Vespa S from other Vespa models are key.

What is the Marketing Objective?

Although I don’t have visibility to the sales objectives, it’s apparent from the inherent exclusivity and obscurity of the message that Vespa is relying on Vespa owners to recognize the ads. And it’s the veteran Vespa riders who will appreciate the return of that classic straight-edged silhouette, while newer and younger riders seek the more contemporary and bubbly look that is currently trendy. Other onlookers will either be curious enough to get it or not, and the ones who do will bring new business to the brand.

Who is the Target Audience?

The target audience of this campaign is the urbanite who chooses a scooter as a practical alternative for zipping around in metropolitan areas. But not just with any scooter. The Vespa rider will sometimes pay twice as much for a Vespa - just like those who will choose the $150 Jordan Basketball shoes over the Payless Knockoffs - for the name, the look, and the “performance”. Prices for a Vespa range from $3K - $7K, whereas similar Honda scooters (excluding the wannabe motorcycle looking ones) range around $2500. For this target audience, their identity needs to convey a message of panache, regardless of the costs. So this demographic is not just riding Vespas, they’re wearing Vespas, hence the Vespa SquareHeads.

To uncover what sparks that Vespa allure and to get deeper into the minds of the Vespa rider, Gary and I went around downtown SF to ask a random sample of people what they think of scooters.

So it looks like Vespa is a well-established brand known for reliability and urban lifestyle. The brand has a niche culture of fans similar to, for example, that mustang-gear-head culture depicted by those grease-monkeys who spend hours restoring their classic 1955 Thunderbirds. But the brand also appeals to a younger generation simply because the brand marries practicality with Italian cachet, a look imported by that generation of American students for whom backpacking through Europe is a rite of passage.

Good job video-editing, Gary!

What does the Target currently think of the Product? Are they thinking about the Product at all?

Given the state of the economy, consumers are weary of rising gas prices and their declining purchasing power. Guys with big trucks are buying motorcycles, riding classes have never been more popular, and the DMV folks have never issued so many M1 licenses. A Hitwise search word report I pulled in June show that the most popular search term in the automotive industry is “motorcycle”.

This means that consumers are definitely considering alternative means of transportation, and the two-stroke engine is becoming trendy. So as more and more people are looking into motorcycles and scooters, that niche of fashion-conscious urbanites who are looking into the two-wheeled alternative will then definitely be looking into Vespas.

How does Vespa want to be seen? What is the Brand Tone?

The Vespa S is a nostalgic return to the classic 70’s Vespa look, and the black and white color scheme brings us back to those nostalgic days when disco, ‘fros, and bell-bottoms were in vogue. The look and feel of the cut-outs also suggest grunge and rebellion, yet a certain down-to-earth, casual, understated sophistication. The wardrobe style of the cut-outs isn’t defined by any season’s trend, and has a non-exclusive universal look that plays it safe and can be relevant to any decade, and is, therefore, relevant to the two Vespa sub-cultures mentioned above. Think Eric from “That 70’s Show”.

And what’s great about the cut-outs is that instead of directly telling consumers how stylish and cool the Vespa S is, the images allow consumers to figure that out for themselves. No words, no brand mark, just images that blend well into their grungy backgrounds. Vespa is about design, so their ads should embrace art and design too. And as for the brand-tone in these ads, if you don’t get it, then you’re not cool enough for it.

What is the media idea?

There are millions of brands and products competing for our attention, and each of us is exposed to over 3000 brand messages a day. As consumers become quick to flip the channel when a commercial comes on and train their eyes to ignore online banners, advertisers are coming up with more creative ways to interact with consumers. And a method that exists outside of the 30-second broadcast spot and other standardized rules of engagement is “guerrilla marketing”, and Dentsu Canada successfully embraced this marketing tactic as part of their campaign strategy to capture at least of few seconds of our attention to make us think about the Vespa S.

The street propaganda creates a certain intrigue as onlookers wonder if these cut-outs are part of the graffiti landscape that surrounds them or some kind of marketing stunt. Initially I thought that these cut-outs appealed exclusively to the Vespa aficionado, who would be quicker to recognize the cut-outs as a marketing message. It might then have generated a lot of hype and discussion amongst that group, and subsequently, they’ll influence their friends with their opinions. And then perhaps those who don’t have an older and more classic Vespa in their collection would be eager to get one. But what about the normal non-scooter riding bystanders? My guess is that they’d initially dismiss the ads since they’re irrelevant. But if these people saw the ad every other corner they turned, they’ll start to wonder and their curiosities will peak, and if they’re curious enough, they’ll eventually figure out the message. And perhaps they’ll go and fill up their cars and see how gas prices are eating away at their wallets, or get on a crowded bus on a hot summer day. They’ll remember the 7-foot tall glorified graffiti ads and start thinking of alternative means of commuting, and perhaps they’ll think of Vespa.

My Criticisms:

I’m a huge proponent of guerrilla marketing tactics, so this campaign really grabbed my attention especially as I am in the market for an alternative to my Toyota 4Runner (I just got my M1 license!). The cut-outs are great attention-grabbers, but aside from piquing curiosity and asserting Vespa’s casual coolness, I would’ve liked to see a call-to-action. Perhaps the Squarehead cut-outs could’ve pointed to a central ad where a location for a Vespa publicity event is indicated. And this publicity event could’ve taken place somewhere similar to NYC’s Central Park where people can test ride Vespas - a sort of “product sampling” - on a charted course around the park. Test-riders who have positive experiences zipping around the park on the Vespas will start to think that they could really make scooters a part of their life. This reminds me of Universal McCann’s “It’s Better with the Butterfly” guerrilla tactic for Microsoft’s MSN8. In this campaign, 16,000 butterfly stickers appeared overnight on Manhattan buildings, windows, and sidewalks, forming a trail that lead from Times Square, where MSN had a major billboard, through to Central Park where a promotional event was taking place.

And why not women cut-outs? Women are just as much a part of the Vespa culture as men are. Think Donna from “That ’70’s Show”.

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What does the Vespa brand mean to you?

The energy crisis and the concern over soaring fuel and food prices makes penny-pinching consumers conscious of their declining purchasing power. Major purchases are increasingly being evaluated by their utility, durability, and return on investment. This kind of forethought is most prevalent amongst the middle and lower classes, generally the kind of people who would be buying Acuras, if they’re even buying cars at all. So is it really smart for Acura to position their new TSX as an object of frivolity and impulsiveness? The latest commercial is below:

SUV plants are shutting down and the sale of automobiles is seeing a sharp decline. I’m assuming the new TSX was too far along its development for fuel-efficiency modifications when the energy crisis took over newspaper headlines and gas was at $4/gallon. Given that assumption, Acura must’ve recognized the poor timing of the TSX debut, knowing that, unless it was a hybrid or an electric car, the new TSX was going to be poorly received. So the only demographic Acura apparently thinks it can appeal to is that which “start a business, sell it, and then start another one”, the entrepreneuring start-up yuppies in their mid-twenties who define themselves by their VIP status in clubs, not by how “green” they are. Think “Entourage” (and coincidentally, this commercial broadcasted during that show). Acura depicts this demographic as impulsive, consumptive, and therefore, wasteful: “Buy a car, sell it, and then buy another one”. If this demographic really wants to show-off their financial and social prowess and their indifference towards global warming, I doubt they’d do that in an Acura. Brands like Aston Martin, Lotus, Bentley – not Acura – define prestige for those yuppies who crave it. Acura is saying that anyone driving this car is a wannabe opportunistic yuppie.

With consumer concerns in mind, the angle I propose for the new Acura TSX is “Affordable Luxury that’s also Fuel-Efficient”, or something along those lines. With that, you attract those lower and middle class consumers who are becoming increasingly aware of their carbon footprints and how light their wallets are getting. These buyers can’t afford to pay for bragging rights with more elite brands, but still want the amenities that luxury cars promise: the i-VTEC engine, Bluetooth phone connectivity, and Navigation with voice recognition. This messaging better aligns with the way more and more people are starting to think. I know the mid-sized Sports Sedan market is crowded and Auto-making companies want to stand apart from competitors, but this TSX ad really narrows the reach of its message. “Affordable Luxury that’s Fuel-Efficient” screams sensibility and good judgment for the buyer who is still too cool for the Prius and the economy car, but who really does want something that’s fuel efficient as budgets tighten over recession concerns.

The only thing I liked about this commercial is the song…

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What do you think of the new Acura TSX?

Rather than tell about BMW’s latest advertising, it’s better to show how “ultimate” the “ultimate driving machine” really is:

With four M-series BMWs spread over a 1.5-acre banner, the 90+ year-old company has applied guerilla advertising in the loudest way. This reminds me of the Adidas vertical soccer billboard display in how BMW is able to cut through the clutter by making a “larger than life” type of billboard. The ad makes itself known to the world, causing people to can’t but help stare.

Should the display stay up for an extended period of time, it could very well become a tourist destination. While I’m at it, I’d want to spend some rubles on those hats that every Russian typecast is wearing…and stare into Lenin’s grave.

I have no idea which agency came up with this idea or the budget required for such a display (I could guess at least quarter of a million dollars just for the cars alone), but the loudness of the monster display shows that yelling louder gets you heard.

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