Acura: Sales, Marketing, and Financial News
07-06-2009, 01:14 PM
#1521
Senior Moderator
AAAAAAAAAAAAAA, MY EYES!
Other than that, the ads are MUCH better than usual. Keep it up, Acura!
Other than that, the ads are MUCH better than usual. Keep it up, Acura!
07-06-2009, 05:52 PM
#1522
Notice that it's the MDX's grille, which is the best one out of them all, and theyre getting rid of it.
07-06-2009, 07:36 PM
#1523
07-06-2009, 07:42 PM
#1524
I drive a Subata.
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^ eh
07-06-2009, 07:58 PM
#1525
6G TLX-S
Wonder why the commercial deliberately left out the frigging ugly TL front grille ?! 
07-06-2009, 10:32 PM
#1526
You'll Never Walk Alone
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Honda still doesn't get it.
It's their cars and designs that is fucking up the Acura brand. Not the marketing. I work for an advertising agency. It is VERY VERY hard to convince our clients to do something that's considered as a major, and changing the design of a car is a SUPER major thing. It is probably impossible to convince them.
Yes, obviously, without a great and extensive marketing campaign, Acura won't be able to establish a sufficient amount of luxury brand identity. They HAVE TO do a good job of marketing.
Marketing's main objective is to shape the desired perception of a brand in the consumers' minds, in my opinion. However, I believe Acura's "products" themselves don't have much competitive edge to back up the perception that the ad agency may be able to establish in the consumers' minds.
Who cares if the new ad campaign successfully attract consumers to the dealerships and increase the sales. It just won't last long without the great products to back it up.
Good products must co-exist with good marketing campaign to be successful in a long run.
It's their cars and designs that is fucking up the Acura brand. Not the marketing. I work for an advertising agency. It is VERY VERY hard to convince our clients to do something that's considered as a major, and changing the design of a car is a SUPER major thing. It is probably impossible to convince them.
Yes, obviously, without a great and extensive marketing campaign, Acura won't be able to establish a sufficient amount of luxury brand identity. They HAVE TO do a good job of marketing.
Marketing's main objective is to shape the desired perception of a brand in the consumers' minds, in my opinion. However, I believe Acura's "products" themselves don't have much competitive edge to back up the perception that the ad agency may be able to establish in the consumers' minds.
Who cares if the new ad campaign successfully attract consumers to the dealerships and increase the sales. It just won't last long without the great products to back it up.
Good products must co-exist with good marketing campaign to be successful in a long run.
07-07-2009, 01:51 AM
#1527
Race Director
07-07-2009, 04:23 AM
#1528
6G TLX-S
So which grille design is the very final Tier-1 version of the ever-changing Acura signature grille ????? Please make up your mind, Acura !
Are we gonna wait till the RWD chassis development is complete before we'll ever see a Tier-1 Acura product ?
Are we gonna wait till the RWD chassis development is complete before we'll ever see a Tier-1 Acura product ?
Last edited by Edward'TLS; 07-07-2009 at 04:25 AM.
02-09-2010, 06:49 PM
#1532
Safety Car
Update
DETROIT -- American Honda Motor Co. will increase the marketing budget for its Acura division by 50 percent in 2010 vs. year-ago spending, says Steven Center, the company's vice president of advertising and public relations.
Most of Acura's marketing budget will be spent on advertising that emphasizes new products.
"Our messaging for years has been too ill-focused and not about the product," Center said last month at the Detroit auto show. "The ads weren't making the point and the point is: What is it about Acura that makes it better?"
Acura spent $264.1 million on measured media in the first 11 months of 2009, up 16.5 percent from the year-ago period, according to Advertising Age via Kantar Media, formerly TNS Media Intelligence. Advertising Age is a sister publication of Automotive News.
Much of the budget increase will be directed at the ongoing launch of the ZDX five-door hatchback and new, front-wheel-drive versions of the RDX crossover and the TSX wagon. The TSX goes on sale this fall. Center said Acura still will use its "Advance" tag line but put more emphasis on exclusive features, such as the brand's patented body structure system, high residual values and a surround-sound audio system.
Center said Acura's awareness levels have been consistently high, but consumers didn't perceive it being as prestigious as other luxury brands.
Center said the awareness/opinion gap is closing, albeit slowly.
In a study conducted from June to August 2009, GfK Custom Research North America found that 78 percent of respondents were aware of the Acura brand, but only 28 percent rated the brand as "excellent." That was up from six months earlier, when Acura's awareness was 74 percent and 26 percent of respondents rated it excellent.
In comparison, 86 percent of respondents in the same study were aware of BMW, and 54 percent rated the German carmaker excellent. And 80 percent were aware of Lexus, and 48 percent gave it an excellent rating.
"We want to have the emotion of BMW without the hardware," Center said.
Acura sold 105,723 new vehicles in the United States in 2009, down 27 percent from 2008. Last month, the brand sold 7,132 vehicles, down 9 percent from January 2009.
02-09-2010, 06:58 PM
#1533
The sizzle in the Steak
"We want to have the emotion of BMW without the hardware," Center said.
I wanna have my cake and eat it to.
I wanna fly without wings.
I wanna swim without going in the water.
I wanna eat whatever I want and not get fat.
I wanna booze like crazy but not get drunk.
02-09-2010, 08:08 PM
#1535
Three Wheelin'
Advertising isn't gonna do anything when their cars are still missing basic luxury features other cars have. For example, just a couple things off the top of my head, they don't have auto dimming side mirrors, raining sensing windshield wipers, and power adjusting steer column with memory.
02-09-2010, 08:20 PM
#1536
I'm the Firestarter
02-11-2010, 03:34 PM
#1537
Midnight Marauder
Advertising isn't gonna do anything when their cars are still missing basic luxury features other cars have. For example, just a couple things off the top of my head, they don't have auto dimming side mirrors, raining sensing windshield wipers, and power adjusting steer column with memory.
02-11-2010, 07:54 PM
#1541
I'm the Firestarter
If I were Acura I would totally make scale models of a TL with a fully functional can opener on the front. Just imagine the marketing potential when urban hipsters start using these at their cocktail parties:
+
+
Last edited by Belzebutt; 02-11-2010 at 07:58 PM.
02-14-2010, 09:29 AM
#1542
Go Big Blue!
Advertising isn't gonna do anything when their cars are still missing basic luxury features other cars have. For example, just a couple things off the top of my head, they don't have auto dimming side mirrors, raining sensing windshield wipers, and power adjusting steer column with memory.
Not all, but most, Acura's have power adjusting steering columns. I think the TL and TSX are the only ones that don't. By the way, several Lexus, BMW's, and MB's don't have power steering column's either but these brands are not in question as a luxury brand. Why? Perception. if you market it right, you can sell shit in a bag and get people to pay top dollar for it.
02-14-2010, 10:01 AM
#1543
Whats up with RDX owners?
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02-21-2010, 07:58 PM
#1545
Senior Moderator
OK, I understand marketing new product, but they need go use some of that money t advertise bread and butter products like the TL and MDX. They so need to get to work on freshening that ugly front end.....I hope the rumor of their doing so are really true.
02-21-2010, 08:10 PM
#1546
Whats up with RDX owners?
iTrader: (9)
I want to like the new TL, I really do, but that grill kills it. I can live with the rear end.
03-03-2010, 06:55 PM
#1547
Safety Car
Tech
Acura Ads Focus on Technology "Beneath the Surface"
An image from a new commercial touting what Acura calls active sound control, which is available on the TSX.
An image from a new commercial touting what Acura calls active sound control, which is available on the TSX.
LOS ANGELES -- The marketing message for Honda's technology-driven Acura division has wandered somewhat since the brand's 1986 launch. But for its 2010 advertising campaign, Acura is reconnecting with its technical roots.
Of course, creating ads that focus on technology can be a challenge.
"What's in the car, beneath the surface, is difficult to get across in a TV spot," said Steve Center, American Honda Motor Co. vice president of advertising and public relations.
"We didn't want to do the typical feature-benefit ads. Acura's positioning is 'smart luxury.' We wanted to demonstrate that through technology."
The commercials, entitled "Beautiful Science," could be seen as a tip of the hat to Honda Europe's innovative "Cog" commercial, which has gotten millions of online views.
One of the U.S. spots shows a schematically exploded view of an Acura engine, noting that noise-canceling technology is used for all those moving parts.
Another shows an Acura MDX body-in-white crashing into a wall, displaying the collapsible front structure of the car and the safety cage for occupants.
"This is not technology in a commoditized sense, like entry-link and navigation systems, but from a viewpoint of how we go about solving transportation problems," Center said.
The commercials will roll out over the course of the year, highlighting the vehicles' construction materials, adaptive suspension and all-wheel drive.
The spots also mention Acura's resale value, and dealers and regional ad groups can affix deal kickers to the end.
Acura needs the retail kick. U.S. sales fell from 201,223 units in 2006 to just 105,723 last year. And some dealers are still miffed that Honda Motor Co. canceled Acura's rear-drive and V-8 engine programs, keeping the brand out of the top-tier luxury fight.
"With a lot of that lofty brand messaging, the esoteric won't work in this economic environment," Center said. "We have to be more direct and to the point about why people should consider the products and the brand."
03-03-2010, 09:16 PM
#1548
^^ Saw it a few days ago. Sadly the geek in me thought "that would never work.... the woofers need to be in a box or the rear wave will cancel out the front wave....)
03-03-2010, 11:18 PM
#1549
Whats up with RDX owners?
iTrader: (9)
^
One thing I noticed was - Well the valve noise is about right for the J series
One thing I noticed was - Well the valve noise is about right for the J series
03-04-2010, 08:06 AM
#1550
Race Director
I know Honda/Acura stayed in the black during this downturn but the product is just not there to take advantage of the uptick, when it comes. I don't know when they'll ever get back to the 200K/yr sales level. Maybe they're working on something that'll turn around their sales woes but there just doesn't seem to be any clear indication of that. Fluff, like in these commercials, is not what will bring them back the sales.
03-04-2010, 11:48 AM
#1551
The sizzle in the Steak
Acura's commercials are HORRIBLE!!!
Engine sound cancellation?!?!? MDX crashing into walls?!?!? Neat....but who cares?
How about creating a commercial that makes the consumer want to drive the car?
One that stirs the soul and makes you say: "I gotta have that car!"
Trouble is that Acura hasn't figured out how to make that kind of an ad campaign....and perhaps the trouble it two-fold: They don't have the vehicles that can pull off that type of ad campaign.
Engine sound cancellation?!?!? MDX crashing into walls?!?!? Neat....but who cares?
How about creating a commercial that makes the consumer want to drive the car?
One that stirs the soul and makes you say: "I gotta have that car!"
Trouble is that Acura hasn't figured out how to make that kind of an ad campaign....and perhaps the trouble it two-fold: They don't have the vehicles that can pull off that type of ad campaign.
03-04-2010, 07:06 PM
#1554
The new Acura commercials would work GREAT................ if they didn't show the cars in the commercials 
bandwagon after driving (and buying) a 6MT TL. Don't knock it until you try it bishes.
03-04-2010, 07:46 PM
#1556
Team Owner
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Maybe Acura see's an opening that they can take advantage of-because of the recent problems at Toyota. It sounds like they might be regearing-up for a repositioning in the market.
03-04-2010, 10:03 PM
#1557
Drifting
I thought that the recent video showing how Acura's SH-AWD was superior to its competitors when they were tested in the snowy condition in Minnesota was the most convincing and effective piece of PR. I was even tempted to now consider a TL with SH-AWD!!!
03-05-2010, 07:05 AM
#1558
Race Director
03-05-2010, 07:07 AM
#1559
Race Director