When was the last time you saw a Ferrari ad?

[GTO]

Really...when was the last time that you saw a Ferrari advertisement? Or a Lamborghini advert? Chances are you havent ever. And why not? There are other exotic brands such as Porsche, Jaguar among others that advertise aggressively around the globe.

Also its not that Ferrari and Lamborghini are the best known brands world wide. Ford, Mercedes, Honda and Toyota take the distinctions for that.

The truth is - Italians are passionate people and most Italian goods sell on passion. Most dont even use traditional channels of marketing...The hype and aura that their image creates is enough to get the counters go "chang chang".

Ferrari's primary marketing and advertising tool is Formula 1. Second, its heritage (racing and otherwise). Third its market positioning. You wont ever hear of a Ferrari SUV ( a la Cayenne) or a cheap Ferrari (Porsche Boxster). Its high-end...its supreme.

Think about it, having a brand so powerful and so exotic that you dont need to advertise at all?

GTO

[v12]

very true GTO. I wuw never want Ferrari to advertise. Will get their image down. They dont need advt. They dont need to make people aware of their car. If they dont know whats a Ferrari, they dont deserve it.

[Dippy]

They dont need advertising ... Just the name is enough FERRARI or LAMBORGHINI.. Just the name sends a tingle down my spine .. I love it

Dippy

[Shan2nu]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (v12 @ June 28 2004,07:37)]If they dont know whats a Ferrari, they dont deserve it.

But in the Enzo's case, even if you know a ferrari, you don't deserve it unless Ferrari knows you. Can't buy one of those if you aren't invited by Ferrari.

Regards...
Shan2nu

[Hatari]

dont u think Ferrari have the most effective advertising ?
F1 !

Ferraris' arent family cars.. they dont give good mileage..
they'r made to be driven hard.. and fast !
why shud they advertise anywhere else ?
..they'r spending $ 440 millions US a yr on F1 !

[Aditya]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Hatari @ June 27 2004,23:34)]dont u think Ferrari have the most effective advertising ?
F1 !

Ferraris' arent family cars.. they dont give good mileage..
they'r made to be driven hard.. and fast !
why shud they advertise anywhere else ?
..they'r spending $ 440 millions US a yr on F1 !

That's more like it. Not many can afford a Ferrari or Lambo. Those who can, already know all about them.
As Shantanu said, the Enzo can only be bought by people who are invited to do so. There's no point in advertising such a product.

[ported_head]

Well a lot depends on what market segment, or for that matter price range they cater to. Porsche might have to advertise for say a Carrera 2, because there are quite a few options in the 60,000 pounds price range that it fits in, such as the BMW 6 series or the Jaguar XKR. So you do need that extra edge. Ferrari and Lamborghini on the other hand cater to the 100,000 pounds and over price range, which may still be called a niche market. the buyers there already know what they want. I don't recall seeing an ad for a AM DB7 or a Vanquish. But they might just advertise for the AM V8 on it's way because the 911 Turbo is it's competitor and the 360 Modena too to a certain extent. But i don't think Porsche advertised for the CGT, then again i might be wrong and i take it back if i am. so i guess where there are volumes to be gained, they have to advertise to get the edge, to put their strong points through.
But then again manufacturers like Ferrari are way well known, and way more respected, so their advertising is just by word of mouth.

[ajmat]

Let me tell you how the 612 was released according to CAR. In Italy, various High net worth people and Ferrari owners were sent an exotic booklet + an opportunity to spend 8000 pounds to visit Maranello for a weekend launch. If they liked it, the 8000 forms part of the deposit. Other mere rich mortals, get the buzz from the press and queue up at the dealer. Another unspoken atrategy of Ferrari is to make sure the right people own a Ferrari.

[Hatari]

agree with u ajmat..
ferrari want ppl. who are passionate about cars/racing to buy their cars..
not just ppl. with heaps of money

thats the reason why u have to sign a contract with the company.. about reselling the car..
i'm not sure.. but if u want to sell a ferrari before a period of 2 yrs ( after u'v bought it )
the company buys it back !

[Revvmaster]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]. But i don't think Porsche advertised for the CGT,

Yes pal, you are wrong. Porsche did advertise for the Carrera GT. I have a copy of its print ad on my comp. Will mail it to u sometime soon.

Regarding Ferrari and Lambo, i think PH otherwise has summed it up very well. Those generally going in for 1,00,000 pound+ cars don't need much of advertising. But if you thought that they don't do any promotion at all, just forget it. Niche cars have gala launch parties that cost some real obnoxious amounts. How does $5000 bottles of wine(each!) for around 200 guests sound? Or some really exotic cheese varieties. Or Caviar. Yup, they do spend a lot on the launch parties. Then are the brochures. These arent any ordinary ones. And as one might tell you, buying the brochure itself is probably 1/4 the selling price of a new Fiat Panda in the open market.

Though overall the total expenditure on promotion activities is far less than Ford's expenditure on say the Focus's for a period of just 3 months, its still considerable. And with the number of sports cars and sports car companies coming up these days (Ala Pagani, Noble, TVR...), it just means every car of those 1000 odd made a year need to be sold. And sold whichever way possible.

Revv

[GTO]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]

Regarding Ferrari and Lambo, i think PH otherwise has summed it up very well. Those generally going in for 1,00,000 pound+ cars don't need much of advertising.

A 100 thousand pound "car" may not require advertising, but most certainly every premium "brand" does. Note...I am talking advertising and not marketing.

Brochures, tie-ups with other premium brands, stinkin launch parties are done by all. But the fact is...neither Ferrari nor Lamborghini even media-advertise their brands.

GTO

[Revvmaster]

Yup pal, i agree. Thats why i said, promotion and not just advertising, which is why the stress on the launch parties, tie-ups etc. The only reason why i can see all of this being done is to enhance brand loyalty, customer satisfaction and make all probables as well as existing customers feel a part of the brand experience, a part of the brand-family. And no-one does this best than Harley Davidson. I could go on and on about it, but pound per pound they are the best at retaining customers.

The fact that re-purchases of Hogs are so high just says the entire story.

Revv

[turbolader]

I think Ported head & revvmaster have made a point out here,it goes like this,cars like the Wagon R,Santro,Zen,Sail........................all do need to advertise to get the that extra edge,its the same when it comes to cars like Ikon,Lancer,City..........................But do you think a Merc would need to advertise in our country,even if they did it wouldnt make a diff,cause i donot think it would do them any good,ye ppl will get to know how a Merc looks xactly & thats it.
BUT Porsche’s growth is a global trend. Worldwide, the company’s car sales were up 12% last year. The operation is becoming more profitable, too, thanks to a focus on design and branding. The new direction has also seen Porsche expand beyond sports cars to sell everything from Porsche-branded sunglasses ($1161–$2521) to watches ($2500–$5100) to bikes (cycle away on an FS Evolution 6 for a mere $13,000). Porsche has also started shaping stuff for other companies, such as the FinePix digital camera series its design shop styled for Fuji.Is Porsche going too far for the purists?(i really donot know about that).Through all this im sure theres gonna be a time when Porsche will earn the same respect & aura as that of a Ferrari or Lamborghini.But will they still advertise after that???..................that we'll have to see.

[killjoy]

ferrari have never advertised their cars. they do place ads but only for accessories like key chains, lighters, computers and etc...