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      10-27-2020, 03:17 PM   #1
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WSJ: Why Porsche and BMW are Gunning For Hoodie-Wearing Teens

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Kind of a stodgy article, but it is the WSJ. Just thought I'd share since it's a hot topic right now. Enjoy!

https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-por...ns-11603727944

"However, for the 2020 partnerships, selling a car is not, the only (or even primary) objective; for the automobile brands, it's also about targeting a young demographic that could someday evolve into a reliable customer base. As Uwe Dreher, head of marketing for at BMW North America put it, it doesn't matter if the "people who buy the hoodie with the Kith BMW logo….also buy the car." As he said in an interview before the launch, many of Kith's shoppers aren't even old enough to drive. The partnership is also about building awareness."
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      10-27-2020, 05:02 PM   #2
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thank you for sharing this, great read.

I've been echoing this as making business good business sense for the brand longer term, but glad to see WSJ making note of it. Much needed for their brand image when youngster are asking how to buy fractional shares in $TSLA.
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      10-27-2020, 06:27 PM   #3
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Definitely important for them to stay relevant, it seems the youth of today are less interested in cars than before.
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      10-28-2020, 10:47 AM   #4
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Seems unbelievably foolish to abandon your current customer base and brand image to focus on a different one that hasn't proved beneficial. There's an axiom in sales... The most likely place to find sales is from those who've bought from you before.

BMW sure is making it attractive to give some other company my business. 👎🏻
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      10-28-2020, 10:54 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dog Face Pony Soldier View Post
Seems unbelievably foolish to abandon your current customer base and brand image to focus on a different one that hasn't proved beneficial. There's an axiom in sales... The most likely place to find sales is from those who've bought from you before.

BMW sure is making it attractive to give some other company my business. 👎🏻
Pretty sure they can do both, no? Vying to attract a different audience doesn't mean you HAVE to abandon your current base. And I feel like BMW is smart enough to know this.
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      10-28-2020, 10:57 AM   #6
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Didn't really know what kith was about lol.
So I just went to the website and this was thrown in my face:
Code:
https://player.vimeo.com/video/471070010
" width="800" height="450" frameborder="0">
(Can't seem to get the VIMEO tag working)

Poor M3, but see how it caught up in the corner

Last edited by Sharasuke; 10-28-2020 at 11:27 AM..
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      10-28-2020, 11:00 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by trife. View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dog Face Pony Soldier View Post
Seems unbelievably foolish to abandon your current customer base and brand image to focus on a different one that hasn't proved beneficial. There's an axiom in sales... The most likely place to find sales is from those who've bought from you before.

BMW sure is making it attractive to give some other company my business. 👎🏻
Pretty sure they can do both, no? Vying to attract a different audience doesn't mean you HAVE to abandon your current base. And I feel like BMW is smart enough to know this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by trife. View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dog Face Pony Soldier View Post
Seems unbelievably foolish to abandon your current customer base and brand image to focus on a different one that hasn't proved beneficial. There's an axiom in sales... The most likely place to find sales is from those who've bought from you before.

BMW sure is making it attractive to give some other company my business. 👎🏻
Pretty sure they can do both, no? Vying to attract a different audience doesn't mean you HAVE to abandon your current base. And I feel like BMW is smart enough to know this.
I agree. They are smart enough to know this. The fact of the matter is, they do a phenomenal job attracting their current segment of car owners which throughout time, ages with their marketing plan and outgoing models. This is a normal cycle for any business.

Pony Soldier, so if you owned BMW and knew your primary audience was aging and were locked into the brand, you would not shift some of your focus to attracting and supporting the future of your business‽‽‽. Furthermore, you are abandoning BMW because of one WSJ article‽‽‽. Bye Felicia
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      10-28-2020, 11:03 AM   #8
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My 2016 M2 is my current and seventh consecutive BMW. My next car will not be a BMW.
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      10-28-2020, 11:04 AM   #9
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I just don't see how those are making the interpretation that BMW is abandoning their customer base with the G8x (and others for that matter) platform.

Companies, and their associated brands, measure the "lifetime value" of their customer base in addition to looking at new customer acquisition. It defiantly is a balancing act in specialized niche segments, such as the M Segment.

We've seen expansion of the product lines (X3M, X4M as an example), consistent focus on innovation (Apple integration, AWD coming for G8x, intelligent functions), and a commitment for emerging trends such as electric / battery powered performance models.

One thing to remember, brands will cycle in and out of "polarizing" offerings at time - such as the G8x with the aesthetic changes to the front, etc. - but the value to include negative feedback from "longtime loyalists" is extremely beneficial.

And say what you will about an up and coming generation that hasn't proven itself just yet, I was there 20+ years ago. I didn't get introduced to the brand until later in life, but in less than 8 years I've bought 4 vehicles from BMW, two of the M. With a 5th coming when the AWD G80 is released...

I'm pretty sure the BMW M brand knows EXACTLY what they are doing and the segment they are going after.

My .02...
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      10-28-2020, 11:05 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dog Face Pony Soldier View Post
Seems unbelievably foolish to abandon your current customer base and brand image to focus on a different one that hasn't proved beneficial. There's an axiom in sales... The most likely place to find sales is from those who've bought from you before.

BMW sure is making it attractive to give some other company my business. 👎🏻
That seems like a pretty short sighted perspective. Inevitably you will need to increase market share. Kind of hard to do that if all you focus on is your core customers. Not to mention, your core customers of the future are not always your core customers of the present and attracting those future customers is an ongoing exercise. I'm sure BMW could just focus on their "core" customers and let Mercedes/Audi etc. grab the younger demographic and build the future base of support instead?
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      10-28-2020, 11:05 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dog Face Pony Soldier View Post
Seems unbelievably foolish to abandon your current customer base and brand image to focus on a different one that hasn't proved beneficial. There's an axiom in sales... The most likely place to find sales is from those who've bought from you before.

BMW sure is making it attractive to give some other company my business. 👎🏻
BMW believes they have a product so good, that even if they make the design less appealing to its base, the base will still buy it due to the brand, tech, reliability, and driving dynamics. And they will pickup younger buyers (maybe more so down the road). Time will tell if BMW made a good bet
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      10-28-2020, 11:05 AM   #12
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This is the exact problem Harley Davidson is having. They can't shake the old man image. Glad to see they are trying to tackle it.

Now if only they would restore steering feel and put more focus on handling and weight like the old days....
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      10-28-2020, 11:10 AM   #13
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I agree with what BMW is doing. As a marketing person, I understand that it's branding itself to a younger audience in this campaign. I got into BMW's well before I could drive. Much like the KITH story, the advertising made the car aspirational to me. Today I drive and own BMWs. Had that seed not been planted, I would probably not have the same affinity to the brand.

BMW's marketing is not just aimed at one consumer. Not every BMW owner is an enthusiast. The collaboration with KITH is aimed at a younger lifestyle consumer that sees KITH and other similar brands as cool, and BMW is tying part of their advertising to that. As someone else here said, you can do both. We seem to live in a world where you are either one or the other. Few things in the world are that simple or black and white.

We are all talking about the "grills," and this campaign makes them more relevant than they seem. The worst thing they could be is the brand that no one speaks about.
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      10-28-2020, 11:12 AM   #14
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I consider myself in the middle of both demographics. I'm blessed enough to be on my 4th BMW but I still wear hoodies and consider myself "younger", yet I think I count as an established BMW customer.

Lately though, they're losing me with this new polarizing design language and marketing campaign. I love and respect BMW as a brand as I have since I was a little boy with an E31 poster on my bedroom wall, but I sadly won't remain a BMW car owner for too much longer at this rate.

Purely my personal $0.02.
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      10-28-2020, 11:16 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jmack123 View Post
That seems like a pretty short sighted perspective. Inevitably you will need to increase market share. Kind of hard to do that if all you focus on is your core customers. Not to mention, your core customers of the future are not always your core customers of the present and attracting those future customers is an ongoing exercise. I'm sure BMW could just focus on their "core" customers and let Mercedes/Audi etc. grab the younger demographic and build the future base of support instead?
I guess we would need to define who is the core BMW customer. If we think that the core is made up of enthusiasts, we are the ones who are short-sighted. The core BMW owner is not an enthusiast. Most M car and BMW owners don't go to a race track with their car or have an interest in racing. Most of the people buying BMW's Mercedes Ferrari's or Apple phones are buying into a lifestyle.
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      10-28-2020, 11:20 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dog Face Pony Soldier View Post
Seems unbelievably foolish to abandon your current customer base and brand image to focus on a different one that hasn't proved beneficial. There's an axiom in sales... The most likely place to find sales is from those who've bought from you before.

BMW sure is making it attractive to give some other company my business. 👎🏻
Harley Davidson stayed loyal to their primary base for too long, and now look where they're at. They've been struggling for over a decade now.

Bmw is going to have to progress whether we like it or not. If you're not a fan, I'm sure there's plenty of other brands you could buy from.
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      10-28-2020, 11:21 AM   #17
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As someone who is part of their "young" customer base, if they keep designing them like this I don't want to be a part of it.
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      10-28-2020, 11:23 AM   #18
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I don't get this this. Why target them, this was never done or needed for other generations. We saw adults driving bimmers as kids or having ridden in them as kids. Or having auto magazines or saw races with them and knew when we grew up we will one day get one.

These youngsters don't care about cars like the generations before them did. So I doubt this strategy will help them in the future. Well maybe it will when they start building the electric appliances at which point they'll lose me. Perhaps that's the idea that those of us who buy these cars today won't patronize them when they go full electric appliances. At which point, will most likely appeal to this demographic then.
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      10-28-2020, 11:24 AM   #19
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This. It's exactly what happened to Harley Davidson and to some degree, Cadillac, but they have rounded the corner with the Escalade. Blackberry is another prime example when you don't "evolve"...

I can see what BMW is doing and it makes sense. You don't have to like it but know it's a smart move on their part. We, are all growing older, are older, or just don't care about the same things. We tend to look at things from OUR perspective - as car enthusiasts. We are but a small sliver in their car sales. Move the needle we no longer do anymore.

KITH is a very well known sought after designer brand. Might not be your cup of tea but again, if you thought BMW is marketing to you, then you are sorely mistaken. Even their collabs make money. Kith x Jordan sneakers go for thousands of dollars. Hell, the BMW / Kith license plate frame (looks just like the usual BMW license plate frame but says "KITH" instead of "BMW" goes for $185 and no it's not carbon fiber.

Porsche is doing the same thing, as are other brands and I'm not just talking about automotive industry. This happens ever so often, slowly and methodically. Y'all just don't remember things changing way back when, probably because it's been awhile and it happens gradually. You are becoming your parents / grandparents. Remembering growing up hearing some family member saying - "the music/tv/athletes/et all in your generation is crap..." If you have found yourself saying something similar, congratulations, you are no longer the sought after demographic, lol... Gotta lock in the generation that is just learning to drive, because they're going to be around a lot longer than we are...
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      10-28-2020, 11:24 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by trife. View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dog Face Pony Soldier View Post
Seems unbelievably foolish to abandon your current customer base and brand image to focus on a different one that hasn't proved beneficial. There's an axiom in sales... The most likely place to find sales is from those who've bought from you before.

BMW sure is making it attractive to give some other company my business. 👎🏻
Pretty sure they can do both, no? Vying to attract a different audience doesn't mean you HAVE to abandon your current base. And I feel like BMW is smart enough to know this.
I just question using your marquee vehicle to do that. It's a pretty bold choice. This car represents a program that has catered mostly to enthusiasts. To do an about-face and turn it more into a marketing opportunity just feels wrong, even if I agree with attracting a younger, more savvy buyer.
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      10-28-2020, 11:26 AM   #21
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The harsh truth is that kids don't want to drive a boomer brand. When I talk to my nieces, nephews and my friends' kids, none of them show any interest in driving. The only cars they want to talk about are Teslas.
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      10-28-2020, 11:27 AM   #22
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As a 19 year old bmw enthusiast:
I do not like this "collaboration" one bit. The whole thing is a cash grab by kith and easy "hype" about new cars for bmw. Not everybody loves the new cars instantly so this is what they turn to. All of the products that Ronnie fieg released is stuff that bmw has already made. M sweatshirts, sweatpants, umbrellas, license plate frames? all shit I've seen at the dealer or online. Except it's marked up 200 percent because it says kith on it. It's sad. There was no creativity. They capitalized on the fact that the e30/ older cars are trendy now. What do they do? Make it more trendy. I bought my own 08' 328 for my first car and just recently a 96' 328. I work full time. Can I afford anything that they released? No. Even though I own 2 bmws. Their target audience for this was to get into the Instagram feeds of rich teens with their parents credit cards. This is not marketed to the enthusiast. This is marketed towards college kids with daddy's money. And yes it will work for bmw. They know where the money is, clearly. I know not everyone with a bmw is an enthusiast, but this is a turning point for the brand. It will now explode into a "hype beast brand". They took the once special and iconic M badge and turned it into a marketing scheme. It's supposed to be rare to see an M badge. Not see it on a t shirt in the mall. Also, what older bmw enthusiast is going to pay an extra 50 grand for their M car to have kith written all over it??? None. It's gonna be these rich kids they are targeting.
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