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My husband did not like seeing Martina in Forester ads. Don't know whether it will affect his final decision-making when buying his next car, but it was definitely a turn off :-(
I'm curious about the perceived demographics of Subaru in different parts of the country.
Here in Austin, based on my unscientific survey of Subaru's driving by these is what I have concluded.
Foresters - Mostly women, not young ones. Most in their 30's or middle aged. I've seen a few butch types at the dealership but not more than any other type of woman. The second biggest group would be middle aged men.
Outbacks - A pretty even mix of men/women, mostly middle aged or older. Some with kids. A few young people who tend to be the outdoor enthusist type (bicycles).
Outback Sports - Oddly enough seems to have the largest demographic variety. A good mix of men/women and young/older. I'm just as likey to see a middle aged man roaming around in one as a young person. There seem to be slightly more men than women.
Impreza - Pretty rare, almost always young people, mostly guys.
Impreza WRX - Only seen 4. Guys in their 30's.
In Austin Subaru owners are almost exclusivally white. The city itself is about 9% black, 20% hispanic, 3% Asian/other and the rest white.
Actually an interesting demographic that Subaru should be going after with their Outback wagons are old people. A friend of mine's elderly mother just got one after considering many others. The reason she got it was A) It wasn't too big It has excellent visability (she has a hard time turning her kneck) C) Easy to get into and out of (back problems) D) Smooth Ride (back problems)
I think you may be a bit naive if you think SOA does not make an actual attempt to court the gay sector. It's for the reasons I list in my last post. SOA does not necessarily go on record supporting what I just posted because, unfortunately (see comments below) that might truly alienate potential buyers. SOA is treading waters lightly. Probably a wise move.
As a side note, I find it amusing that one might (specifically, males) factor in their disfavor of ads featuring less than feminine spokespeople when considering purchasing a Subaru. It's silly and folks really need to grow up. Yes, I may be outspoken but there you have it. It's about the cars really and not who hucks them!
Now, back to your regularly scheduled program... :-)
Someone needed to say that and I was just too lazy. On a different board there was a big deal about whether Subarus were "gay". Rufus does seen happy, but uninterested in sex. :-) 'Nuf said.
who the heck cares about the spokesperson for a particular car. They could hire Ellen Degenerous (spelling?) to be the spokesperson for the WRX and I'd still want one. (my aplogies to any Ellen fans if I offend thee.) It doesn't change the fact that its a great car.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Stephen: I have that postcard in front of me as I type - picked it up at a kiosk in a store in the Georgetown section of Washington, DC. The Outback pictured has two bikes on its roof rack - both are men's models.
evilizard: I guess I fall into the second Austin Forester demographic.
everyone else: I'm sorry to hear that potential Subaru owners may be turned away by the notion that buying and driving one makes some statement about your sexuality. Then again, if you're that insecure that you need a motor vehicle to help define that characteristic in you, you need more help than all-wheel drive and a limited slip rear differential.
SoA does have a connection with the issuers of the Rainbow Card, a credit card targeted toward the gay community. I recall reading about it in an interview with Navratilova shortly after she began the Forester campaign.
Most of you probably know by now that the Forester's celebrity spokesman in Japan is Antonio Banderas. I don't know if that's relevant to the conversation but a factoid just the same.
When I alluded to the connotations with the color pink in my earlier post, I was thinking of more than just the gay community. Bright pink like the shade STi uses is often seen in children's toys. Seeing a rugged, high-performance AWD vehicle decked out in the colors of Barbie's SUV - and maybe even sporting a bunny rabbit symbol to boot - strikes me as somewhat ironic, humorous even.
Ed
PS: Oh yeah, Jeep 101: I'm going solo tomorrow from 5 - 7 PM though I can invite a friend. The site is very close to my office so I though it would be convenient to go after work. One of my co-workers who owns a Cherokee got an invite and is going on Saturday.
For better or worse A spokesperson can and does affect the image of a car and whether or not people will/will not buy them. Otherwise companies would not go through the expense and trouble of hiring them! The not so subtle effect that successful ad is supposed it have is either
A) That is a person I like and who's judgement I trust, if they think its good then it must be good (IE Micheal Jordon Selling Nike/Ball park franks).
The "I want to be like them" when they see a person they have pre-concieved notions of what type of a person they are (ie Rugged, sporty, feminine, intellectual). Somewhere deep inside their personality they desire to possess those characteristics too as part of their self image (or feel they have them in the first place). Hence they associate that product with those characteristics.
Of course people with a strong self image of one type (or perhaps people who are very insecure about their image but want it to be of a type) might find the image or characteristics portrayed undesirable and thus stay away from that product regardless of its merit. For example Lets say the perfume Chatue de Ville actually makes pretty damn good lighter fluid. Bubba is not going going to be using it for his saturday cookouts.
Like it or not Image sells (or doesn't sell) and not to just a few but to most. A strong image can really sell or really hurt, just look at actors who have been typecast. Many are capable of roles outside what you traditionally associate with them but if you ever see them in such a role you can't help but thinking of what you normally associate with them.
Folly of human nature, immaturity, not thinking, being a lemming or whatever you want to chalk it up to the fact is it's reality.
Yea, my favorite is when they show a clip of an athletes former glory, he introduces himself and then proceeds to talk about about something utterly unrelated (like long distance or car insurance). I've never been able to make the connection that would want me to buy that product, I just keep thinking "what does this guy know about home equity loans?".
My cousin has a Nissan Xterra. When I got in for a close examination is sure was a lot flimsier than it looked at first. Course the reason he bought it was for ....drum roll please.... I M A G E. His friends call it the "Sexterra" because apparently it does much in his quest to get some.
Yea, my favorite is when they show a clip of an athletes former glory, he introduces himself and then proceeds to talk about about something utterly unrelated (like long distance or car insurance). I've never been able to make the connection that would want me to buy that product, I just keep thinking "what does this guy know about home equity loans?".
My cousin has a Nissan Xterra. When I got in for a close examination is sure was a lot flimsier than it looked at first. Course the reason he bought it was for ....drum roll please.... I M A G E. His friends call it the "Sexterra" because apparently it does much in his quest to get some.
You guys never fail to get me going...laughing I mean! Mike your comment about Juice...I was going to say something clever like that...oh well. Just kiddin' w/ya Juice. BTW, I think K.Witt is quite sexy too.
Anyhow, I know everyone here bought Soobies because of the car. I like the fact that SOA takes some risks on all fronts. It kind of fits my personality which I'm not completely sure is a good thing, but that's a different story. :-)
"It's Not a Choice. It's the Way We're Built," read the ad posters on bus stops around Dupont Circle. What are they talking about? The car? All-wheel drive? Or, just possibly, could the slogan be commenting on the nature of homosexuality?
It depends on who's looking. "It's apparent to gay people that we're talking about being gay, but straight people don't know what's going on," said Paul Poux, founder of Poux Co., one of the campaign's developers. - Many gays have lots of disposable income (dual careers, no kids). Smart marketing, Subaru.
AH! Yes, the Rainbow card. Forgot about that. I knew there was something else.
Juice - are WE disagreeing? Or did someone else say they didn't find her attractive and I missed it? Does anybody actually not find her attractive? I said I think she is good looking - I'm not joking. I'm not joking about my wife, either, believe me. She was a field hockey star AND homecoming queen. She can kick my butt all over the place but look good doing it.
"Lesbarus" That's hilarious. How offended do you think people would be if I started using that all the time?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I got tired of friends calling my OB Ltd one. In fact, my friends accuse me of trading in the OB on the WRX just to get rid of the moniker. It's not true, but I let them think what they want. It's much easier that way. :-)
Aparently Subaru is marketing for gays only in the US... And only the Foresters so far. Outbacks are still using good ole crocidile dundee, and we have all seen the marketing strategy for the new Impreza (Zoom *scree* Zoom )
In japan they have J'lo and Antonio Bandaras as spokesmen... And the Pink has nothing to do with feminimity or sex, and its not even on US cars!!!
I love it all except the spoiler on the sedan. The plain B4's spoiler looks better, but I like the rest of it. Though I'd take it any way I could get it.
Man, is that wagon a sleeper or what? They would not know what him 'em.
16" brake rotors? I doubt it. How would the calipers fit around them, you only have 1/2" clearance.
I'm not crazy about the spoiler either, but I love how the front scoop is an extension of the hood without any visibly line around it...so smooooooth (like peanut butter). The front scoops remind me of the Ferrari 360 Modena
You know, I can't ever recall wishing I had a rear wiper on coupe or sedan. On something big that collects dust and grime on the rear glass, maybe... although I haven't owned one of those. ;-)
Perhaps I'm just waiting for the right vehicle to say "hey! this thing needs a rear wiper." or perhaps "hey, this rear wiper is a godsend."
In the meantime I'll sit here and think... "geez, I'd rather have better suspension, better seats, even a little more power, or anything else instead of the money spent on a rear wiper." :-D
Guess you never owned a hatchback or suv or wagon with one. I too was of your school "rear wipe? what do I need that for I never look out the back" but after having the rear wiper on my Rodeo and Trooper, I miss it in the XT6.
At least in my experience, unless you keep your car perfectly clean, and re-apply the rain-x on a bi-weekly basis, it's more of a hinderence than help.
Yeah, I've found Rain-X has it's advantages and disadvantages. To get it to work very well, you need to give it some elbow grease during the application process to make sure there isn't any excess Rain-X left on the windshield. After that, it works great for a while, but then you get the wiper chatter/build up.
I've found silicone wipers to be far better than rainX based on my windshield cleaning habits. My car is not often clean, and it needs to be for rainX to work, plus you have to re-apply rainX fairly often.
And I don't have a problem with snowfall on the back window-- defroster melts it quite nicely.
TriCo I believe. Found 'em in Advance Auto Parts decided to see how they work... Not bad! They weren't more than a buck or two more than standard blade refills either.
There was an interesting article on page F1 of the August 17th New York Times "Automobiles" section that addresses the points brought up in recent posts in this forum. It discusses Subaru's marketing to the homosexual community. Here's the link:
You may have to copy and paste it into your browser's address field. You may also have to sign up for a free online subscription to the Times website to view it, but it's simple and painless.
Comments
well, then here is alway WRX in the cards...
Here in Austin, based on my unscientific survey of Subaru's driving by these is what I have concluded.
Foresters - Mostly women, not young ones. Most in their 30's or middle aged. I've seen a few butch types at the dealership but not more than any other type of woman. The second biggest group would be middle aged men.
Outbacks - A pretty even mix of men/women, mostly middle aged or older. Some with kids. A few young people who tend to be the outdoor enthusist type (bicycles).
Outback Sports - Oddly enough seems to have the largest demographic variety. A good mix of men/women and young/older. I'm just as likey to see a middle aged man roaming around in one as a young person. There seem to be slightly more men than women.
Impreza - Pretty rare, almost always young people, mostly guys.
Impreza WRX - Only seen 4. Guys in their 30's.
In Austin Subaru owners are almost exclusivally white. The city itself is about 9% black, 20% hispanic, 3% Asian/other and the rest white.
Actually an interesting demographic that Subaru should be going after with their Outback wagons are old people. A friend of mine's elderly mother just got one after considering many others.
The reason she got it was
A) It wasn't too big
C) Easy to get into and out of (back problems)
D) Smooth Ride (back problems)
As a side note, I find it amusing that one might (specifically, males) factor in their disfavor of ads featuring less than feminine spokespeople when considering purchasing a Subaru. It's silly and folks really need to grow up. Yes, I may be outspoken but there you have it. It's about the cars really and not who hucks them!
Now, back to your regularly scheduled program... :-)
Stephen
Ross
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
evilizard: I guess I fall into the second Austin Forester demographic.
everyone else: I'm sorry to hear that potential Subaru owners may be turned away by the notion that buying and driving one makes some statement about your sexuality. Then again, if you're that insecure that you need a motor vehicle to help define that characteristic in you, you need more help than all-wheel drive and a limited slip rear differential.
SoA does have a connection with the issuers of the Rainbow Card, a credit card targeted toward the gay community. I recall reading about it in an interview with Navratilova shortly after she began the Forester campaign.
Most of you probably know by now that the Forester's celebrity spokesman in Japan is Antonio Banderas. I don't know if that's relevant to the conversation but a factoid just the same.
When I alluded to the connotations with the color pink in my earlier post, I was thinking of more than just the gay community. Bright pink like the shade STi uses is often seen in children's toys. Seeing a rugged, high-performance AWD vehicle decked out in the colors of Barbie's SUV - and maybe even sporting a bunny rabbit symbol to boot - strikes me as somewhat ironic, humorous even.
Ed
PS: Oh yeah, Jeep 101: I'm going solo tomorrow from 5 - 7 PM though I can invite a friend. The site is very close to my office so I though it would be convenient to go after work. One of my co-workers who owns a Cherokee got an invite and is going on Saturday.
As far as the whole lesbians drive Foresters thing, I can assure you, I am not a lesbian! ;-)
-juice
A) That is a person I like and who's judgement I trust, if they think its good then it must be good (IE Micheal Jordon Selling Nike/Ball park franks).
Of course people with a strong self image of one type (or perhaps people who are very insecure about their image but want it to be of a type) might find the image or characteristics portrayed undesirable and thus stay away from that product regardless of its merit. For example Lets say the perfume Chatue de Ville actually makes pretty damn good lighter fluid. Bubba is not going going to be using it for his saturday cookouts.
Like it or not Image sells (or doesn't sell) and not to just a few but to most. A strong image can really sell or really hurt, just look at actors who have been typecast. Many are capable of roles outside what you traditionally associate with them but if you ever see them in such a role you can't help but thinking of what you normally associate with them.
Folly of human nature, immaturity, not thinking, being a lemming or whatever you want to chalk it up to the fact is it's reality.
I loved the tough-guy XTerra commercials, even the music. But I didn't go buy one, those things are little more than pickups with a cap.
I agree with most of your points, just offering a counterpoint.
-juice
-mike
My cousin has a Nissan Xterra. When I got in for a close examination is sure was a lot flimsier than it looked at first. Course the reason he bought it was for ....drum roll please....
I M A G E.
His friends call it the "Sexterra" because apparently it does much in his quest to get some.
-mike
I liked it better when sports car were trendy.
-juice
My cousin has a Nissan Xterra. When I got in for a close examination is sure was a lot flimsier than it looked at first. Course the reason he bought it was for ....drum roll please....
I M A G E.
His friends call it the "Sexterra" because apparently it does much in his quest to get some.
Anyhow, I know everyone here bought Soobies because of the car. I like the fact that SOA takes some risks on all fronts. It kind of fits my personality which I'm not completely sure is a good thing, but that's a different story. :-)
Stephen
-juice
See Gay Consumers in the Driver's Seat, Washington Post, 4 July 2000, page C01,07, Style section. Excerpt:
"It's Not a Choice. It's the Way We're Built," read the ad posters on bus stops around Dupont Circle. What are they talking about? The car? All-wheel drive? Or, just possibly, could the slogan be commenting on the nature of homosexuality?
It depends on who's looking. "It's apparent to gay people that we're talking about being gay, but straight people don't know what's going on," said Paul Poux, founder of Poux Co., one of the campaign's developers.
-
Many gays have lots of disposable income (dual careers, no kids). Smart marketing, Subaru.
..Mike
..Mike
Stephen
Juice - are WE disagreeing? Or did someone else say they didn't find her attractive and I missed it? Does anybody actually not find her attractive? I said I think she is good looking - I'm not joking. I'm not joking about my wife, either, believe me. She was a field hockey star AND homecoming queen. She can kick my butt all over the place but look good doing it.
"Lesbarus" That's hilarious. How offended do you think people would be if I started using that all the time?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I got tired of friends calling my OB Ltd one. In fact, my friends accuse me of trading in the OB on the WRX just to get rid of the moniker. It's not true, but I let them think what they want. It's much easier that way. :-)
Stephen
-mike
In japan they have J'lo and Antonio Bandaras as spokesmen... And the Pink has nothing to do with feminimity or sex, and its not even on US cars!!!
I was disagreeing about Anna being butch. I find her very feminine, in a beautiful way! You ever seen those underwear ads she did?
-juice
http://www.webwombat.com.au/motoring/news_reports/4_06_sub.htm
http://www.subaru-sti.co.jp/blitzen/top/top_f.htm
Man, is that wagon a sleeper or what? They would not know what him 'em.
16" brake rotors? I doubt it. How would the calipers fit around them, you only have 1/2" clearance.
Quicker than a WRX, yum.
-juice
I actually like the looks of the standard B4 better. Am I alone in this?
edit - oops. juice beat me to it. Actually, I like the looks all around better. The spoiler is a big part of the problem, though.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Wifey wants a sedan.
Man, I am just salivating!
-juice
Not a bad car to be compared to, eh?
-juice
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
-mike
Bob
Perhaps I'm just waiting for the right vehicle to say "hey! this thing needs a rear wiper." or perhaps "hey, this rear wiper is a godsend."
In the meantime I'll sit here and think... "geez, I'd rather have better suspension, better seats, even a little more power, or anything else instead of the money spent on a rear wiper." :-D
-Colin
Bob
...at 6-7pm Pacific/9-10 pm Eastern. Hope to see you there!
http://www.edmunds.com/chat/subaruchat.html
-mike
I bet US buyers would find them odd. Weak argument, though. Subies are odd by definition.
I just use Rain X all around. That'll keep even light snow clear. I don't really use my rear wiper often at all.
Then again, the way Colin drives I bet he almost never needs to look back! ;-)
-juice
-mike
The catch with using the wipers is that the windows get real dirty at the end of their swipe.
-juice
Ken
And I don't have a problem with snowfall on the back window-- defroster melts it quite nicely.
-Colin
..Mike
gmongold "Rain X" Aug 7, 2001 9:11am
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
-Colin
..Mike
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/17/automobiles/17CARS.html
You may have to copy and paste it into your browser's address field. You may also have to sign up for a free online subscription to the Times website to view it, but it's simple and painless.