Superb Sporting

Ch. 18 – Sales Promotion and Personal Selling

As we learned last chapter, advertising offers the consumer a reason to buy; but sales promotion offers an incentive to buy. The marketing managers use sales promotion to increase the effectiveness of their promotional efforts. Sadly, Porsche isn’t frequent in regards to offering a bunch of promotions but they have been doing well without them. (Previous Post On Sales)

Sales promotion is usually targeted towards two distinctly different markets. Consumer sales promotion or trade sales promotion. Consumer sales promotion is targeted to the ultimate consumer market and trade sales promotion, is directed to members of the marketing channel such as wholesalers and retailers. Porsche targets the wholesalers and retailers market, for the fact that majority of their products are sold through authorized dealers. With that said, it’s actually up to the authorized dealers to understand their type of consumers and how to implement certain sales promotions.

Porsche enthusiasts, who are part of the larger group of car enthusiast, are in two types of buyer groups, loyal customers and competitor’s customers. These loyal customers experience sales promotion offers like maintenance plan and reduced Porsche parts promotions from their dealers. Offers like the “maintenance plan” and "reduced Porsche parts" from London and Saskatchewan Porsche dealers are examples of how the company is reinforcing the loyalty behavior with promotions. What's more, is that all these promotions that differ between each dealer, can all be found on the official Porsche website.These promotions, despite being few, are great ways to entice Porsche owners and future Porsche owners in beginning or strengthening their loyalty with the company.

The Porsche personal can’t go unmentioned. The Porsche salesmen aren't the typical pompous sales personnel who think the car can sell itself in their 80's demeanor.  The sales team is very knowledgeable and helpful. They never try to push you on a car that is more than what you want, and will do all they can to make the deal work. The service at most Porsche dealers are like no other, they will always spend time with you even if you just to be educated.  

Classic Porsche x Pepsi Promotion

Pepsi Porsche 911 Carrera azul (blue)

Pepsi Porsche Boxster vermelho (red)

Pepsi Porsche 911B amarelo (yellow)

Pepsi Porsche 911 Turbo vermelho (red)

Pepsi Porsche 356 B (black)

Pepsi Porsche 911 Carrera Cabrio azul (blue)

Made In Brazil For Brazil In 1997

Iconic Porsche Commercials

Carerra 911

60 Years

                                                                 Everyday. Magic

Ch. 17- Advertising and Public Relations

Porsche’s presence has seemed almost ancestral to the car culture, which make some assume they don’t need advertising outside of telling us when the new model will be released. Porsche’s longevity isn’t caused by a whim of rapid recognition that causes their cars to sell themselves. Despite the fact that Porsche produces some of the best performing and luxurious cars, they still need great advertising campaigns and public relations to remain on top. (Especially, with their price tag) Porsche has always advertised modestly as well as with limits, always refraining from flooding the media with ads. This approach doesn’t go to say that Porsche doesn't  strategize and invest time and money into the ads they produce.

Porsche is known as the world’s best luxury sports car and is instantaneously associated with top tier design. This comparison is equally associated with the company’s limited but iconic ads. A great example is the 06 Porsche Carrera 911 commercial or even the “60 Years” Porsche Panamera ad, which can’t be mentioned without the ad made to abolish the “it’s not an everyday car” stigma which I’ve also posted earlier this semester. 

Porsche has always remained detailed and creative so the company can to do more visually with less. Just like any company from Apple to Nike, Porsche understands how influential displaying how and where the products are used and by whom. This is the greatest possible way for product placement which Porsche has managed to do it without much actual work. Porsche has been in hundreds of movies and TV shows-and I literally mean hundreds! Their cars have been spotted in movies from Fast Five, 2012, Mean Girls 2, Dumb and Dumber, Redline, Alvin and the Chipmunks and TV shows from Entourage, CSI Miami, Law and Order, The Mentalist……. Its cliché but, the list seriously goes on. 

                 Here's the link to look for yourself  Porsche On The Big & Little Screen

Porsche in Bad Boys

The Blood Lines Are Unmistakable

60 Years of Relentlessness

Ch. 15- Retailing

Porsche dealerships are owned by individuals with the permission of Porsche (franchises). There are more than 900 Porsche dealerships worldwide and currently 200 dealerships in the United States with 10 being in New York. All dealerships provide the patron with sublime customer service in any area from detailed customization to repairs and maintenance. If the issue ever arises were you are far from a Porsche dealer, which is unlikely, the official Porsche website(build your own)can supply you with the same experience. This allows product customization and service normally solely through the dealer to be at the online shopper’s finger tips (online retailing). Porsche dealerships are best categorized as specialty stores. The dealer gives “attention to the customer and limited product line” as well as being distinctive regarding the mood, staff and décor of the store.

I visited Manhattan Motorcars on eleventh Ave, which was closest to me. Immediately when you enter you’re bombarded with a boutique vibe, which isn’t overwhelming at all. This particular store does offer more than just Porsche but other high line luxury vehicles. Other than Porsche they had show rooms for Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Lotus and Bentley. Of course my attention was focused on Porsche, but method of having multiply brands allows you to really compare performance with luxury across the board. The Porsche showroom displayed every model to personally test. Along with having each model they had a Porsche specific design module where you can be assisted in building your Porsche. On top of that, every Porsche related accessory or material you want to incorporate in your build is actually there for you to see and touch. The DIY atmosphere of tailoring your car to be as unique as you is emphasized in all Porsche dealers. The store felt historical yet very contemporary with its lustrous and minimalist vibe. I was told by one of the experts on Porsche that the company expects all dealers to “provide exactly what’s needed and nothing less”. The dealer also provided in other aspects that are crucial when purchasing a car like leasing, financing, and an in depth professional service center that can take care of all your needs.

Overall, Porsche is persistent in provided a personal experience. This especially means a lot when this theme is equally throughout the dealers like Manhattan Motorcars who specialize in more than one brand. The Porsche staffs are extremely knowledgeable and conscious of what you’re looking for in a sports car. With the heavy price tag, which pays for itself in the product, you still leaving knowing you’ve been taken care of with respect.

The Porsche Macan is Coming......

Ch. 6- Consumer Decision Making

Understanding the consumers and their behavior is part of the formula for a company surviving in a market. The consumer has the choice to buy, not buy or go with the alternative. This in general is considered in the five step consumer decision-making process and it’s important for any company, just as Porsche, to be conscious of.

Need recognition is the first stage in the five step process. In general, the need of a car lies in the hands of the person. Whether they need a car or not, if the question came about, what would your dream car be? You would get and immediate answer. This instant knowledge of their dream car would be established through what is called the external stimuli. External stimuli would be a recommendation from a Porsche owner, a Porsche advertisement or the brand being associated with someone famous (Jerry Seinfeld, Ralph Lauren). These all serve as influences from an outside source that could affect your decision making.

The second stage is information search. Once the consumer recognizes the want or need they search for more information about the product. The consumer at this point has a few ways to go about finding more information whether it be external, internal or both. In regards to Porsche there is a mix of both types of information searching but the most prevalent method is the internal one. Most Porsche owners part of the “car enthusiast club” and have had interaction with the brand personally. Porsche owners are quite the loyal bunch and remain true to the company. In contrast, when a consumer is using the external method it is through a friend, family or public source.

Once all the information is gathered, the consumer prepares to make a decision. To help with a proper decision the consumer may also evaluate alternatives. Porsche has positioned itself in the car industry has a historical and Luxury/performance based brand. The “car enthusiasts” buy what they know can perform the best and that has longevity. For Porsche, this helps dwindle the evaluation of alternatives for their potential consumers.

Next within the process is purchase. Porsche has had a rather GREAT first quarter in sales and seem to be improving.

Lastly, when a consumer makes a purchase they assume certain outcomes, preferably a positive one, with that product. The only way the expectations are met comes from whether the consumer has been satisfied or not. This aspect of the process would be considered the post purchase behavior. According to the numbers and statistics of the sales mentioned in previous posts, I can firmly say that the consumers are satisfied with the Porsche products.

Making of an Icon: Porsche 911

Panamera Are Selling Like German Hotcakes!!

The Porsche Panamera may not be the best looking Porsche ever designed, but it just could grow to be one of the best selling cars in the company's history.

22,518---that's how many Porsche Panamera have been sold in the first year of production.

6,188---that's how many Porsche Panamera have been sold in the United States so far.

13 percent---that's the percentage Porsche says the Panamera now owns of the high-end luxury class market.

 
$74,400---that's the starting price of the base Porsche Panamera in the United States.

890---that's how many Porsche Panamera's were sold in LA last year.

760---that's how many 760 were sold in New York last year.

300-500 HP---that's  the difference in horsepower between the base and turbo versions of the Porsche Panamera.

9,394---that's how many Panamera 4S models were sold last year, and that's also happens to be the most popular model in the Panamera lineup of cars

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