As reported in AdAge , VW will say goodbye to Crispin, Porter & Bogusky after a four-year run and is reviewing to find a new U.S. agency of record for its $200 million-plus account. Automotive News reported that VW saw its share of the U.S. market climb to 2% from 1.6% through July. The fact that VW’s sales declined only 13.5%, compared with an overall industry nosedive of 32% says they must be doing something right. Has it been Crispin’s work? Hard to say, since they seemed to be trying so many different things – a bit confusing, even for a big VW fan like me.
I see so many VWs on the road these days, it’s hard to believe they only have 2 percent of the U.S. auto market. And after more than fifty years in the U.S. market, VW is still perceived as a “quirky” brand in this country. Has Crispin’s work contributed to that image, or has it attempted to “mainstream” the brand?
I’ve been driving VWs for several years now. I can say that all they have to do is get people in the driver’s seat – let them experience a bit of that “fahrvergnugen” – and when they realize how comparatively antiseptc and non-driver-like the Japanese products feel, the purchase decision will be a no-brainer. Hard to beat them in the overall driving experience / quality / value ratio, no matter whose cars you're shopping. With the exception of some reliability issues - mainly with Beetle and Toureg – the VWs have been solid. The Jettas and Passats are slam-dunk winners and excellent values – BMW/Mercedes-like driving experience at a Joe Lunchbox price.
It will be interesting to see if "mainstreaming" the brand, as it seems the VW corporate folks want to do, will help VW or hurt it in the U.S. Since the U.S. only represents about 5% of their global market (remember they are the biggest car company in the world) it may not make much of an impact. But please, VW, let's maintain that Bill Bernbach tradition of creative, thoughtful advertising.
No comments:
Post a Comment