Who is the customer?

Having a variety of different products on the market in the same product category, it is essential for advertisers to create the right message maybe through stating the benefits consumers gains from the specific product and that this message is aimed at the right targeted audience. The message is the key to the success of the advert. To avoid competitive interference the advertising will be more effective if the consumer is exposed to the advert close to when they are going to make the purchase (Dahlén and Nordfält, 2004).  However, it could be argued that how can advertisers know when the consumer is going to make a purchase? Does this mean releasing the advert for a shorter period of time?

Targeting smaller number of consumers who have a strong preference for the product makes the advertising more successful than targeting a larger number of consumers who may not be in need of the product (Iyer et al, 2005).  Not only is this more effective but is cheaper and creates less waste. By directly targeting consumers who are interested increases brand awareness as they realise that your product offers exactly what they need and are looking for (Iyer et al, 2005).  Advertisers could always lean on emotional advertising however this type of advertising is only effective for certain product types, mainly low involvement or hedonic products rather than high involvement or functional products (Kim and Morris, 2007).

Cars are one product category. BMW and Volkswagen are two brands offering the same product of which appeal to two different types of consumer. 

BMW is a product people associate with German innovation, business, performance, males and is very much seen as a status symbol. They have built their brand around customer experience and status. BMW is one of the core brands alongside its competitors: Mercedes-Benz and Audi. BMW however is associated with being the most masculine out of the three and according to an article by the Guardian (2012) BMW is one of the premium brands that have seen a growth in European car sales since the economic downfall with a rise of 10.5% in the last year and Audi with an increase of 1.4%. Mercedes however saw a downfall of 6.4%.

But what makes men act in a certain way? How do men choose which brand to follow from the many product alternatives? What influences their purchase decisions? Is it money, status or popularity? By understanding the consumer and their personality, the company really can aim and target their consumers more effectively by having a better understanding of their underlying purchasing patterns and buying behaviour (Mintel, 2011).

The following shows the two separate adverts for the BMW M5 M Performance edition car:

These adverts are based around the cars sleek, distinctive design and performance. BMW were one of the main sponsors for the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics so their advertising is being based around this idea, used as a platform, striking to their consumers that their brand is all about performance. From these adverts you can clearly see that BMW is really playing on this idea.

This product in particular is being specifically targeted at males who want to add some excitement to their driving experience, such as a toy which they can play around and show off in. It is all about the cars performance and BMW are trying to sell an ultimate driving experience which is why their slogan is “The ultimate driving machine”.

The men who are of BMW’s targeted audience are seen as being passive, accomplished, are exuberant and cultured (Mintel, 2011).  As BMW is a premium brand, it is placed into the category of being highly priced, with the M5 being worth around £95,000. A Ferrari FF is priced at around £228,000 plus £45,000 VAT (Daily Mail, 2012) so this BMW M5 is the next best thing regarding performance to the luxury car brands on the market (such as Ferrari and Lamborghini etc ). 

According to Mintel (2011) BMW is targeted at A and B socio-economic groups.

Volkswagen is another German brand which is in the same product category as BMW but aims it’s advertising at an entirely different target audience. 

The advert selected is for the 2012 Volkswagen Polo:

The advert is based around the evolving relationship between a protective father and his daughter, from birth to moving away from home. The father bought the car for his daughter through VW’s promise “stay in safe hands”. The advert allows other fathers to emotionally connect with the people in the advert by recalling their own memories. It’s not a big car but is of a decent size for someone young and well made “Polo.  Small but tough”. VW Polo 2012 is set at a retail price of around £13,000 which is of a much more affordable price range compared to the £95,000 BMW M5. By estimation this would put the VW Polo consumer in either Socio-economic group B or C1.

The demographics for VW Polo consumers are completely different to the BMW-M5. The BMW-M5 is aimed at middle aged men who are in socio- economic groups A and B so accomplished, cultured professionals with high incomes. VW Polo is aimed at men however these men have different motives. The car itself is aimed towards females who are going to be purchasing their first car. The advert however is aimed at their dads who will help them look for or buy the best car for them. 

VW Polo plays on the safe, protective aspects that the car has to offer which also offers parent’s peace of mind knowing their child will be protected on the road. Considering that this is a high involvement product (As mentioned previously) the advertising is very much emotional as they are playing on the fear of losing a child and the love that is shared with the child as the parents see them grow up and become more independent. This is one aspect of the advert that makes it so effective thus emotional advertising can be used for high involvement products. According to Berner (2006) cited by BÜLBÜL and Menon (2010: p.169) companies which use emotional advertising induce stronger long term loyalty which will affect consumer's behaviour as not only would the father continue to buy from VW but the daughter would also become loyal.

To summarise, the advert for VW displays more about the emotional side of the product where as BMW is more about the functionality and performance. Both similar products in the same product category but advertised to two completely different audiences.

References

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