Scion wants to “Grow Up”

UPDATE: Just checked Scion’s home page and it gives more details of their story.

Advertising Age just posted a story of Scion’s new marketing campaign which is quite different from the previous ads and campaigns.

Rather than making it about the car, Scion is focusing on the brand and telling their story. I like this new campaign and think its a good move for Scion since they want to broaden their target audience. As the article mentions, Scion’s previous work was geared to a younger crowd, especially first-time buyers, including creating its own record label and releasing music free of charge to consumers, as well as guerilla-marketing efforts and even ads on foreheads.

The challenge here will be to broaden their audience while still retaining their youth enthusiasts. Out of all of the automotive brands, Scion has one of the most passionate owners and enthusiasts that love showcasing their tricked-out models.  As newly appointed Scion VP Doug Murtha said in the article,  “We wanted to talk to our customers and consumers and we learned a number of things about our brand. And No. 1 on the list, from an awareness standpoint, was that nine years in we’re still a mystery to some of these buyers,” Scion VP Doug Murtha said. “Even though we’re talking to people we thought were in our age wheelhouse, in their minds we’re often their younger brother or sister’s car. We probably marketed too young to them.”

What do you guys think? Is this a right move for Scion? 

Lexus tops JD Power & Associates Vehicle Dependability Study

Lexus was named the most dependable brand in the United States according to the latest  J.D. Power and Associates’ annual Vehicle Dependability Study published earlier this month. Lexus was followed by Porsche, Cadillac, Toyota, and Scion.

Across the automotive industry, owners reported an average of 132 problems per 100 vehicles they had owned for three years, 13 percent fewer than the year before. The number had dropped steadily since the 2007 study, when the industry average was 216 problems per 100.

Why does it matter?

The Vehicle Dependability Study is used extensively by vehicle manufacturers worldwide to help design and build better vehicles—which typically translates to higher resale values and higher customer loyalty. It also helps consumers make more-informed choices for both new and used vehicle purchases.

How was the ranking measured?

JD  Power & Associates surveyed more than 31,000 U.S. owners of 2009 model-year vehicles. Those are vehicles sold in the quarter immediately following the September 2008 failure of investment bank Lehman Brothers which was the trigger point of the collapse that saw Chrysler and General Motors file for bankruptcy as industry sales plunge to 27-year lows.

Of 32 brands measured in the latest study, 25 improved vehicle dependability from the year before, one stayed even and six lost ground.

Lexus rose to No. 1 from the fourth spot last year. The brand ranked as the industry’s most dependable marquee for 14 years until 2009, when Buick and Jaguar tied for No. 1. Porsche and Lincoln have taken top honors since then.

The top 10 in the latest study was rounded out by Mercedes-Benz, three other Detroit 3 brands — Lincoln, Ford and Buick — and Korean automaker Hyundai. Acura and Honda were the only others to finish above the industry average of 132.

Brand Spotlight Part II: 2012 Scion iQ & Positioning the Brand

In part II of this webisode of BRANDInsider, we continue our interview with Jack Hollis, Vice President of Scion. Hollis introduces the new 2012 Scion iQ. The iQ will expand the Scion lineup from the three current models including the tC, xB and xD. The iQ will target the young consumer who is “a city dweller… who doesn’t need more car than necessary”, according to Hollis. Key marketing and selling features of the iQ include, fuel economy, ease of parking, the smallest turning diameter in the industry and fun appeal.

Scion’s Social Media Approach

Scion will be heavily engaged in social media to promote the iQ. Jack Hollis announced that the brand will feature up to 20 exclusive online commercials which add fun, humor and customer engagement to the brand message. The spot below is an example of Scion’s highly stylized marketing direction for the iQ online.

Scion FR-S

The new FR-S, recently revealed, will be marketed to the sport driving enthusiast. The FR-S will be released in Spring 2012.

As a brand, Scion has managed to attract the youngest buyers in the industry, with a median age of 35 years old which is twenty years younger than the average. Hollis attributes this success to authenticity, the PurePrice^® sales process, and faster transaction times for buyers. These factors contribute to making Scion a “unique” and “trustworthy” brand, which is “less about marketing, and more about building relationships.”

Let us hear from you! What do think of the new iQ? Do you identify with Scions brand values and marketing approach?

Brand Spotlight – Scion and the 2013 Scion FR-S

In this webisode of BRANDInsider, we take a look at Scion’s newest model, the 2013 Scion FR-S. We spoke with  Jack Hollis, Vice President for Scion, about the  new 2013 Scion FR-S [Front-engine Rear-drive Sport].  The FR-S concept model was on display and wowed the crowd at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.

2013 Scion FR-S- a New Breed of Scion

The FR-S is Scion’s fifth model and the automaker’s first rear-wheel drive vehicle designed to appeal to the Scion driving and racing enthusiasts.  As Hollis tells BRANDInsider, the FR-S is a “pure-balanced performance car”, featuring a2.0 liter, front mounted 200hp Boxer engine wrapped in a lightweight design and compact size. Scion will offer a variety of cool options & accessories that can be added to the FR-S.

2013 Scion FR-S & Driving Enthusiasts

With the release of the 2013 FR-S the Scion brand will gain additional credibility and influence in the racing & drift circuits.  According to Hollis, many of the Scion Racing teams are passionate advocates of Scion and often modify their vehicles for RWD drift, drag, and road-rally races.  The FR-S is a potent and paramount addition delivering power, performance and agility, to the Scion lineup.

From Concept to Production 

Since this webisode was shot, Scion released the production-ready 2013 Scion FR-S. Prior to the production launch, VP of Scion,Jack Hollis, told BRANDInsider that 90% of the concept shown at the LA Auto Show would be transferred into the production-ready model, which was indeed true as you see here.

We want to hear from you? What are your thoughts on the FR-S?  What does the new car do for the Scion brand?

 

Spotlight Acura & the New 2012 TSX Special Edition

Acura plans to become more active in the young professionals market with the launch of a sportier, more youthful 2012 Acura TSX Special Edition.  BRAND Insider got an up close and personal look at the new TSX.  In this webisode,  Acura spokesperson Allison Sobkowski,  walks us around the Special Edition and highlights the vehicles key features.

Acura, competing more in the Youthful Market-2012 TSX in spotlight.

Acura is banking on increasing their market share in the youthful market from automakers like Audi, Scion, and Volkswagen, by introducing the 2012 TSX Special Edition. This Entry Premium Market model extension of the TSX is designed to target and appeal to young college professionals who have been loyal to the Acura brand or looking to step up to the luxury brand.  These customers are called image seekers, consumers that will appreciate the styling and performance of the vehicle while addressing their need to identify with  their growing personal and professional success.

With the target audience in mind, the 2012 TSX Special Edition has been designed to appeal to young professionals from the inside out. The Special Edition Package includes a new bumper fascia, unique side sills, an exclusive “Special Edition” badge on the trunk lid and 17.5 inch alloy wheels.

Not only will the TSX SE look youthful, it will run with added zeal on the road as well.  Acura has installed a 2.4 liter 4 cylinder engine with either a close ratio 6 speed manual or the Sequential SportShift 5-speed automatic transmission.

Inside, the TSX Special Edition has a very sporty look. The seats are perforated with Black Lux Suede® inserts with Red backing and unique red stitching used around the interior,  combined with red lighting cues for the instrument cluster gauges, overhead and foot-well areas.

Recap:  With a sporty interior, powerful yet fuel efficient engine, an aggressive exterior, and an affordable  entry level luxury segment price,  Acura is looking to attract the next generation of luxury oriented young professional, to the brand.

 

LA Auto Show 2011 – ALL INSIDER ACCESS

The LA Auto Show kicked off  on Nov 16^th and 17^th  for the press and BRAND Insider has the inside scoop on this year’s auto show. BRANDInsider’s coverage will include world debuts, concept cars, and our must-see picks! BRANDInsider -are you in?

Keynote

The 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show started things off  with Mazda’s CEO Takashi Yamanouchi, giving the Motor Press Guild Keynote. Mr. Yamanouchi addressed Mazda’s recovery in the aftermath of the recent Japan earthquake and tsunamis. He also discussed  how the automotive industry as a whole has been adjusting to these economic times.

Debuts

This year’s auto show is going to be debuting more than 50 vehicles including unique concepts, world debuts, and new vehicles for North America.

Here are some of the debuts to look out for:

The new 2012 Honda CR-V:  according to Cars.com, the CR-V will be more fuel efficient, has a fresh new look, a complete interior and exterior redesign and gets better  fuel economy than previous CR-V models.

Another debut to look forward to is the Mastretta MXT. This is the first Mexican sports car that is projected to have a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder engine with 240 horsepower. Only 200 will be produced for the states with a base price of around $60,000.

Volvo is hoping to gain traction in the luxury market and will be debuting the Volvo Concept You.  The Concept You, is a luxury sedan concept designed around modern people and continues to pave the way for the Volvo Car Corporation’s global growth.

2012 Green Car of the Year

The Green Car Journal awarded the Honda Civic Natural Gas the 2012 Green Car of the Year award. The car is the cleanest-running internal combustion vehicle certified by the EPA, with a 48 MPGe highway fuel economy rating. The Civic Natural gas beat out the Ford Focus Electric, Mitsubishi i, Toyota Prius v, and the Volkswagen Passat TDI.

 

Courtesy: Auto Guide

What are you most excited to see at the LA Auto show?

Share your comments below!

 

IntelliChoice & AutoPacific Motorist Choice Awards 2011

In this episode we profile IntelliChoice and AutoPacific’s Motorist Choice Awards, 2011. The award winners were announced at this years first major auto show, the 2011 Orange County International Auto Show in Anaheim, California.

Now in its sixth year, the Motorist Choice Award is designed to recognize vehicles and automotive brands that deliver the best combination of high consumer satisfaction and low ownership costs over time.

We interviewed Charlie Vogelheim, executive editor for IntelliChoice as he describes the process, strategy and criteria for selecting this year’s winning vehicles. Vogelheim explains that Intellichoice and AutoPacific looked at over 1800 makes, models and trim levels in order to give consumers valuable insight on which vehicles had highest value in performance, efficiency,  and price over a five-year period.  AutoPacific surveyed over 72,000 consumers in 2011, asking owners for feedback on their purchased vehicle, using 48 attributes covering all aspects of their ownership experience.

With these two combined, Intellichoice and AutoPacific selected 30 winners in two different categories based on price, popular [less expensive] and premium [more expensive] as well as lifestyle categories that shoppers can easily identify with like “Active Lifestyle”, “Cargo Hauler”, “High Tech” and others.

Ford led the list of winning vehicles with four models including the Expedition and Ford Focus.  Repeat winners included the Dodge Ram HD in the Popular Active Lifestyle category, Hyundai Genesis in the Popular Luxury Lifestyle category, the Lexus IS in the Premium Youthful category, and the Scion tC in the Popular Youthful category.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL WINNER LIST

“The Motorist Choice Awards are designed to assist consumers by using a categorization scheme other than traditional vehicle classes. “Our research has shown that buyers often shop in more than one vehicle segment based on their needs and uses, rather than simply choosing a segment and then comparing models within it,” said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. “Whether buyers are seeking a kid friendly, youthful, or fun to drive vehicle – we have a suggestion that will fit their budget and needs.

 

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Top Ten ‘Youthful’ Automotive Brands

[Post from BRANDInsider.tv written by me]

Asian Brands are preferred by Generation Y buyers.

According to a new study by TrueCar.com, Scion, Mitsubishi, and Mazda are the most popular brands in the automotive market among young drivers [17-28 year olds]. These three brands accumulated 52.2% of market share within Generation Y buyers. We will take an inside look of why these brands are popular.

Social

Social interaction has become an important factor for the newest generation of auto buyers. They live in a time where new friends are made through Facebook, one checks-in to their favorite locations onto Foursquare,  share interests on Twitter, and recommend their favorite foods on Yelp! The top three automotive brands have adopted these new social sites and have engaged in the social conversation.

“Generation Y buyers are very important to automakers because they help set trends from popularizing social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter or technologies such as the iPhone and iPod,” said Jesse Toprak, Vice President of Trends and Analysis at TrueCar.com. “It’s also important for an automaker to get a young buyer into their vehicle from the beginning in hopes of continued loyalty to the brand.”

Here are the following stats on the top three brands using social media. [As ofJuly 15th]

1.  65,756 likes for Scion on Facebook

7,723 Scion Twitter Followers [50 Klout score]

2.   178,999 Mitsubishi Likes on Facebook

6,362 Mitsubishi Twitter Followers [48 Klout score]

3.    337,488 Mazda Likes On Facebook

9,945 Mazda Twitter Followers [58 Klout score]

Unique Design &  Technology driven

The Anticipated 2012 Scion iQ Courtesy: Green Car Reports

Many of these vehicles appeal to the newer generation because they are not your typical sedan or compact car. Scion and others strive to create and design vehicles that are unique, modern and affordable for their young market. For example, the 2011 Scion tC [the most popular car among Gen. Y] comes with 44 standard features including an USB Port with iPod connectivity and over 150 accessories.

“Generation Y buyers want vehicles that look distinct and can be tailored to their individual tastes” said Kristen Andersson, an Automotive Analyst at TrueCar.com. “Buyers from this generation are also looking for vehicles that have the technology features they are accustomed to built into the vehicle at an affordable price.” Below is the ranking of the top ten ‘youthful’ automotive brands:

Top Ten Youthful Brands According to TrueCar.com