Jay Leno, car enthusiast and comic turned pitchman introduces new Jaguar

Finally changed enough? See Buick below!

As reported in The Detroit Bureau by Paul Eisenstein, Jaguar held a verrrrry fannnncy gala at London’s bastion of modern art, the Saatchi Museum to introduce the new Jaguar XJ. 

Jay Leno, former host of NBC’s Tonight Show, offered a few well chosen words to deliver his reminisces of his first sighting of a Jag that became a long lasting affection for the iconic British brand. To see the corporate video click here.

Buick’s bungling, bodacious, bad La Crosse commercial

Is the best ad (or Jag) Buick can do?

Pinning its future on new and improved products has to be good move for GM, but it will all go for naught if commercials like this are used to convince prospective buyers this is really new and improved product. 

This is a truly dreadful, disgusting and in my opinion damaging commercial to the Buick La Crosse, which is a good product based on recent reviews. (I’ve not driven it yet.)

Susan Docherty, Buick-Pontiac-GMC vice president, noted at the press preview, “The new La Crosse builds on the success of Enclave as the next step in Buick’s renaissance and great attention to detail, craftsmanship and advanced technology. It offers unique features such as all-wheel drive and a new, efficient four-cylinder engine that will attract new customers to Buick.”

Those are the quality buttons to push, not a Borat-lite-not-funny-character at a commercial shoot.  If this is the best Buick can do, it is time to pull the plug.  

Web Video Gaining Strength in Motivating Purchase

Kenneth Heim, reported in a recent Brand Week article on a report from The Nielsen Company that suggests one of the best ways to reach potential buyers now is via online advertising, particularly video advertising.

Given current sales, many consumers are still looking, but just not buying. Yet based on the Nielsen MegaPanel of 250,000 U.S. adults, 12% of the U.S. population said they will probably or definitely buy a new car or truck during the next six month, which is up slightly from 10% in the spring.

Ford was the top shopped automaker online for the month of April, followed by Toyota, Chevrolet and Honda. Kia gained the most ground jumping up 11 spots to No. 13. Volkswagen shot up seven spots to No. 8. Subaru was up five slots to No. 22. The top three shopped cars were the Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Camaro and Honda Accord.

Redesigns and new vehicle debuts helped drive consumer interest. However, online marketing proved essential in communicating new launches. “More money is migrating to digital. That makes sense because that’s where the shoppers are,” said Steve Wilhite, CEO, Jumpstart Automotive Media. Typically, consumers look at 3.3 to 3.4 third party auto sites before making a purchase. They view just under three manufacturers’ sites and two dealer sites.

Marketing adds value to BMWs $4.6 billion U.S. factory investment  

Location is not always about the money.

While many states located in the traditional South and Southeast advertise the ‘potential of fill in state name’ in business magazines and television news programs for a prime factory location, implicit  in the ads are offers of tax abatements, infrastructure underwriting, funded training programs, inexpensive land and a willing workforce. 

Most will think it’s all about the money. Well, not always. 

Even as pundits, politicians and predictors proclaim the loss of America’s manufacturing based economy (especially for automobiles) to one of service orientation economy, BMW Ag has been adding 1.4 million square feet of manufacturing space with an investment of $750 million of factory space to its facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina. 

When finished there will be 2.5 million square feet of space devoted to the manufacture of various BMW X-designated vehicles for sale in the United States, Canada and for export to the international marketplace.

And yes, the BMW factory is adding big bucks to South Carolina’s economy with it’s

$4.6 billion investment in factory and facilities since 1992, but there’s more. It’s a huge employer with a workforce of more than 5,000 with a total payroll of over $450 million annually. 

In 1992 as part of the traditional factory development incentive program, BMW pledged to invest $600 million to employ 2,000 associates by the year 2000, and attract at least nine suppliers to the state. That’s one thing that has worked out rather well for Governor Sanford’s state recently. From a base of 22 suppliers now it now has almost 190 supplier companies of which 40 have chosen to open new businesses in the state to support BMW’s operation with investments in excess of $2.9 billion.

Obviously BMW is not an eleemosynary company, but it is investing in environmental and ecological programs and processes including recycling 83% of all waste materials generated, use of methane gas from a landfill to fuel gas turbines which provides 60% of all energy used in the factory and other green initiatives, reducing CO2 emissions by 92 thousand tons per year.

So far that sounds like the traditional development program, doesn’t it? Yes and no.

Many of my marketing impressions were garnered during tours of the Zentrum (think corporate meeting and museum space) much of the new, work-in-process factory expansion and test drives at the BMW Performance Center, I took the time to casually chat with some of the company’s workers including a server at dinner, hotel personnel, driver-trainers and others. There were discussions with corporate execs and after reading a few media summaries my opinion was shaped.

Overwhelmingly there is an esprit de corps and pride in their own work, that of other workers and for the company generally. Now we all know who devoted, dedicated corporate executives can be, but these were not execs. I heard these phrases,

“Great employee programs” 

“BMW really cares about the environment”

“Hell, I’m a worker driving a new BMW, what’s wrong with that”

“Good neighbor and part of the community”

“Now I have a future”

When you have happy employees with positive attitudes that is the ultimate test of internal marketing at its very best.

In support of their employees the BMW makes significant contributions, over $25.1 million through last year.  “The biggest share of this, 47%” said a member of the plant’s PR staff, “Goes to education and educational opportunities to improve the quality of life in South Carolina while ensuring a future quality workforce pool.”

Additionally BMW funds annual scholarship programs to develop new teachers for public schools, has established chairs for engineering and cancer research at major universities, underwritten local libraries and other educational sponsorships.  Various community programs receive 35% of the budget and 18% goes to the arts.

Good marketing, but the bottom line is still economic impact. The total economic output associated with BMW’s annual economic activities is more than $8.8 billion in South Carolina. BMW has an unusually large statewide impact because it is a high volume, high wage, final goods producer tied to an extensive network of local suppliers. In terms of the standard metrics for development, the impact is evident in capital investment, regional employment creation, income generation, and local business development through suppliers and other local partnerships.