As everyone (especially Tom P.) is aware, Pontiac raised the stakes for everyone in the fiercely competitive world of automotive marketing by helping Oprah give away 276 first-ever G6 sedans on her "Wildest Dreams"episode.
How do you top that?
Volvo thinks it has the answer: to boldly go where no man (or at least no contest winner) has gone before... into space!
Adweek has the details, including a launch spot during the Superbowl. The spot talks about the XC90 SUV's new V8 engine--"powerful enough to get you into space", says Richard Branson, who then offers viewers the chance to register to win a trip on his Virgin Galactic service, launching in a couple of years. Provided, of course, you learn a little about the XC90 and give Volvo your e-mail address for terrestrial recontact.
I'm a big fan of Richard Branson, his penchant for boldness, and the power of the brand he's built (just not his reality show). I adore the disruption of big, bold marketing moves in today's cluttered mediaspace, especially when brands challenge the status quo. I'm even a space geek. I should be thrilled to the point where I quit blogging and start writing a case study.
But somehow, this strikes me as a bit... off. Specifically off-brand, for Volvo. Sure, they nailed the V8 message, and we like V-8 power. But "powerful enough to take you places you've never been before"? Works well for an "authentic" off-road brand like Hummer, Jeep, or even Land Rover, where the promise of adventure and exploration is what you're buying, even if you never leave the city. I know Volvo is working to move beyond its "safe/boxy" heritage and burnish its performance credentials, but does this go so far in the other direction playing Hummer on TV that the Volvo connection will simply get lost?
With Pontiac and Oprah, there was a brand connection beyond the buzz--giving credibility to the new power of Pontiac and an all-new model, the G6. I can see the linkage and the strategy behind Volvo's move, but I find the connection hard to believe.
Which begs the larger issue for us as we strive for the next big idea: is it enough to generate monumental buzz (as this will) and lots of e-mail captures if you don't activate the brand? Can you have one without the other, if it's big enough, or does the bigness of the move compound the failure to activate? Please opine in Comments: I know you have strong opinions on this.
PS: Notice I said "e-mail captures", not "lead captures". If you're a Tom Wolfe fan like I am, you'd know the real astronauts at NASA are partial to Corvettes, not Volvos.
Posted by: MemeWrangler | February 03, 2005 at 11:16 PM