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Saab's advertising off the mark
First off, I wanted to post this in Saab general, but couldn't figure out how. So what the heck, I picked what looks like the most active Saab forum. On to my comments....
Am I the only one who finds Saab's current ad campaign totally off the mark? I like Saabs, always have. But I think that their focus on their aircraft heritage is pathetic. The cynical interpretation is that they can't think of great things to say about the cars they are trying to sell you. Instead, they fall back on "hey, we do/did planes too!" I realize that advertising is not intended to be too literal, but I think it is a big leap for consumers, even subconsciously, to equate the excitement of aircraft with the excitement of a Saab.
Am I the only one who finds Saab's current ad campaign totally off the mark? I like Saabs, always have. But I think that their focus on their aircraft heritage is pathetic. The cynical interpretation is that they can't think of great things to say about the cars they are trying to sell you. Instead, they fall back on "hey, we do/did planes too!" I realize that advertising is not intended to be too literal, but I think it is a big leap for consumers, even subconsciously, to equate the excitement of aircraft with the excitement of a Saab.
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I think Saab would do really well in ads to recall their heritage in European rally racing. Heckuva tie-in with modern times, given who makes those Saab station wagons...
I agree--this is Saab grasping at straws, but I can understand it. The company has a real identity crisis now. The cars are no longer "quirky" or unusual as they once were.
It's ironic in a way, since they are so much better a car now than they ever were, when they were "adorable".
Whoops!
It is too bad with the ads as well as with the sales. I had a Saab 99 years ago. (That is years ago I had a Saab 99 as opposed to 99 years ago I had a Saab, though sometimes it feels like it.) Back then you did have something of a connection to the jets because the same company that built your car was still building the planes. GM didn't buy that part. Kind of makes it ring hollow.
Back then if you saw another Saab coming the other way you tended to flip your lights at them. I wouldn't think of doing that in a modern day Saab.
Born From...
Or this...
or this...
We have a SAAB dealer in our group and the new SAABs are so much better in every way but one. They just don't have that quirky saab soul anymore.
Admitting that the new Saabs are better cars but they have lost anything the separate themselves from the pack.
Toyota still makes textiles, but you never see them bragging about their looms here.
Some people like the Subaru Tribeca "aero" cockpit, but from the photos, it looks a bit cramped to me. Maybe Saab would be better off going back to the moose test ads.
I love that! :P
We could have had:
"Studebaker: Born from Wagons!"
Buick: Born from Porcelain Sinks!
DeLorean: Born From....er...oh never mind...
In all honesty I'd like to hear some of y'alls suggestion's for advertising the brand ?????? For example is their something catchy you might be able to use for the new
08' 9-3 or for the brand as a whole ?
-Rocky
Quirkiness is what made Saab desirable. Unless they can replace the quirkiness with something else more desirable I don't know how they continue long term.
Mercedes can do "born from other Mercedes"...
Then everyone will want to buy an old Saab.
Why I Want an Old Saab
I also didn't know that Saab, didn't makeaturbo engine until 78'
-Rocky
They were remarkable cars for their time but I think pushing one around today would be just a series of catastrophic failures. The 99 was a pretty lousy car unless you were a very handy backyard mechanic and had tons of NOS parts to draw from the bin. Headgasket failures and transmission failures were common.
If you like older Saabs, a late 80s model 900 16V turbo would be the way to go, but never with the dreaded automatic transmission.
SAAB ADVERTISING: I agree, some heritage ads might work. They could emphasize their great rally history for instance.
Yeah, I'd leave out the 3 cylinder cars entirely....
Rally racing is becoming more and more and more popular in the US now.
My original heritage comment was said in jest, but a rally themed ad could work, I'd like to see it for the old footage.
"Sedan" being the operative part of that sentence, since the earlier turbo cars (Jetfire, Corvair, 2002 Turbo, etc.) happened to not have back doors.
Saab linked turbos to fuel injection and a full-size, practical 4-door, so really it's fair to say it was the first modern turbo sedan produced in significant numbers.
Is it simply to get me to watch the ad? If so, then for me it is a successful ad. It's actually exciting, watching the jets fly in formation, and I don't mind watching the ad whenever it comes up.
I would say the "just get them to watch the thing" intent is what Geico does with its caveman ads. Those are hilarious to me and I watch them even if I can fast-forward. But they say nothing about the product.
I assumed something else for the Saab ads though. I assumed they were really saying "hey, we made planes, and planes are difficult to do right, and planes are also exciting, so Saabs must be built by people who can do challenging things like planes, and Saabs must be exciting, so what the heck, go buy a Saab (please!)." And that is the intent I judged the ad on, and that is what I consider off the mark or even pathetic.
While several people have pointed out the Saabness has been removed by GM, they are still cool cars in their own right.
Saab can do better than discuss what they once did. They can tell us about these cool cars they are doing right now.
-Rocky
-Rocky
Why is this important? The US is the single largest market for Saab (single country - I know Europe as a whole rivals it) so this campaign is pretty important and it seems to polarise people that visit here.
Turbin argues in comments that a lot have blasted the campaign and perhaps gone a little over the top in doing so. Me included. He goes on to reason why the link is legitimate and I agree with him 100% for reasons I’ll outline below.
I have been negative about the campaign from time to time, which is mainly a reflection of the feedback that’s received here about it. So allow me to air some fuller thoughts about it and about the Move Your Mind slogan that’s used elsewhere.
The idea of Born From Jets resonates with me as an enthusiast. As an enthusiast I’m familiar with, and proud of, Saab’s history in aviation and the pioneering steps they took in developing their first automobiles. I’ve written previously on this site and others about why the claim of Born From Jets is relevant and worthwhile (here and here for example), and yes, I’ve also criticised it sometimes, too.
I was drawn into Saab because I drove one. Not because of an ad that I saw. I don’t ever recall seeing Saab ads here in Australia and at the time I probably wouldn’t have taken notice anyway. A Saab seemed way out of my league when I was in my early 20s. As an enthusiast I now know a lot more and I can relate to the heritage. I felt a real sense of pride pulling up next to a mounted Viggen aircraft on the way back from Kinnekulle and taking photos there, knowing that my own car was named after that jet. It was great.
But I wonder about the appeal it has to people that don’t know the brand. I wonder what it tells them about the performance of the car in real life?
When I first got into Saabs the cars I saw and drove were noticeably different than the cars I was used to. And this is why the Move Your Mind slogan really resonates with me as an appropriate one for Saab to use.
Another reason I like it is that Move Your Mind allows you to advertise anything about the brand. It’s a very broad concept that can be applied to a whole array of different features or philosophies. Whether it be a commercial about driving your convertible to the ski fields in winter or the benefits of a turbo-four vs a six-pot - the options a endless.
Born From Jets seems to tie Saab into advertising one aspect of the cars and little else. Yeah, there’s several ways in which the jet heritage influences car design and I suppose individual ads could be made about each of these - design, performance, safety etc - all key components to Saab’s ethos. But that hasn’t happened so far and who knows if it will?
Move Your Mind just seems to be an appropriate slogan that really offers itself to a myriad of options and a long term brand building effort, which is one of the things an advertising campaign should do.
The other comment I’d like to feature here is one dealer’s feelings about what’s going on. He calls it a brain fart but I think that’s an attempt at self-effacing humour:
con't.........
The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. In my opinion, sitting here on the last day of the month watching tumble weed roll through my lot instead of customers, I am of the opinion that this ad strategy is a complete failure.
Seeing as the vast majority of the public knows nothing about Saab, other than of course we built jets, would it not make sense to try and educate and inform? Something along the lines of fact-benefit selling..you know, The Saab 9-3 has been rated the Top Safety Pick from the IIHS three years running, which means to you Mr / Mrs. Consumer you and your family have a better chance of living when that drunk driver runs a red light and broadsides you. Gee Mr. / Mrs. Consumer, did you know Saab are experts in turbo charging which means to you power, performance and excellent fuel economy? Not the best I can think of as the numbness has really set in but I think you get the idea.
The sales number look abysmal and hanging the success of the company on the new 9-3 facelift is nowhere near enough. Tell people about our cars. If you don’t want to let go of the BFJ theme at least tell people WHAT IT MEANS TO THEM.
“Saab is Born From Jets, which means to you, the average person_____________. Fill in the blank somebody please!!!!!
Thanks for sharing my brain fart with me.
As I said, I can appreciate BFJ as an enthusiast because it means something to me. I’m not sure what it’d mean if I weren’t.
http://www.trollhattansaab.net/archives/2007/11/more-on-born-from-jets.html
I think these guys have some valid points.
I (Rocky) personally like Europes Saab Trademark slogan:
"Move Your Mind" :shades:
-Rocky
-Rocky
-Rocky
Saab was involved in Auto safety as far back as the 50s. The floor-mounted ignition key was a safety feature as it was less likely to injure you in a crash (keys usually protruded from the dash then). My friend's Dad bought a Saab 96 around 1958 or '59 and it had something we'd never seen in a car not built for racing-- seat belts. They weren't just lap belts either, they had a separate shoulder strap.
Saab was not the first w seat belts and other safety innovations but they were never more than a half step behind Mercedes and Volvo.
I guess "almost as safe as a Volvo" wouldn't make a great slogan. :P
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
BMW does not push it in ads, but the blue and white badge is a stylized propeller symbolizing WW I engines they manufactured.
the 3 diamonds are a stylized 3 blade prop.
Mercedes also built aircraft engines