“Never Follow.” That’s the tag line used in Audi advertising since 2002, so I wasn’t surprised to see the line in a magazine ad for Audi’s new Q7. What did seem surprising to me was the placement of the slogan. It was set in small print in the top right-hand corner of the page, well away from the picture of the new vehicle. Could it be that the marketing team, realizing that the concept of the new vehicle was diametrically opposed to the spirit of the slogan, made a conscious decision to separate the two elements?
Before I say more, I should mention that I am Audi loyalist. Once I kicked the sports car habit, I found that an Audi provided the right combination of performance and utility, with the four-wheel drive coming in handy on winter ski trips in New England. The Q7, Audi’s response to the VW Touareg and the Porsche Cayenne SUV, has none of the distinctive styling I’ve come to associate with the brand. As a long-time Audi driver, I feel especially disappointed that the company has followed the herd in producing another “me-too” vehicle.
“Huh, that’s just your opinion,” I hear you say. Well, it is my opinion, yes, but it is also backed by a totally unscientific survey of people in my office. After covering the Audi logo on the front of the car, and hiding the ad’s text, I showed the picture of the Q7 to a random selection of people and asked “Which company makes this vehicle?”
(Click here to see the full-page ad.)
Most people had to guess. Only one person out of 20 recognized the Q7 as an Audi. The most popular guess, offered by five people, was Chrysler. Second place was a tie between VW and Lexus, while nine other makes were also suggested. Key reference points taken from the Q7 in order to identify it were the sleek look and swept-back styling, big wheels and big front grill. Unfortunately, these aspects are already associated in most peoples’ minds with other vehicles, such as the Chrysler Pacifica.
So how can a company that urges us never to follow offer up a vehicle that resembles a dozen other models? It is even more disillusioning given the context of the stand-out styling of the Audi TT and some of the concept cars exhibited by Audi in recent years. First, I suspect that the sales success of the Porsche Cayenne inspired Audi to follow Porsche into SUV territory, though it seems to me like a reckless move for both brands. Producing an SUV distances both companies from their racing heritage and undermines a vitally important asset in today’s marketing world, that of authenticity. Second, the long lead time on plant and production in the automotive business means that you have to make your bet on where consumer tastes will be several years ahead of time. Maybe Audi’s management would not have invested in a V8 gas guzzler if they knew ahead of time how the price of gasoline would escalate. Third, and most worrying to me, is the possibility that the styling decisions might have been an outcome of market research.
If so, then that research may have fallen short in two ways:
Great design is the result of the tension between what is considered different and what is acceptable. Get the balance wrong and you can end up with a design nightmare like the Pontiac Aztek, or something that looks just like everything else. The trap for researchers is people’s tendency to vote for what is familiar. People judge new concepts on the basis of what they already know. If the design research was done three years ago, maybe new vehicles like the Chrysler Pacifica or Infiniti G35 provided a ready benchmark for comparison, or maybe consumer trends simply pushed in the direction of more aggressive styling.
Whatever the initial inspiration, it appears that many automotive manufacturers have come to the same conclusion. The Mercedes R350 and the Dodge Magnum share many of the same external styling features. Unfortunately, if there is one thing that our research into brand equity teaches us, it is that differentiation is key to a strong brand and the ability to charge a price premium. “Me-too” design is not likely to help Audi maintain the premium they charge over other makes.
Research might also have been behind a design brief to appeal to new buyers outside of Audi’s traditional customer base. If so, in seeking to appeal to people outside the typical Audi sedan market, such as young SUV drivers, Audi may have gone too far and left some of their existing buyers behind. This is a classic marketing dilemma. Do you appeal to those who already love you, even if they constitute an aging market, or do you seek to appeal to a new audience? If you choose the latter, then chances are the new positioning will not appeal to the current buyers. But if you try and hold true to existing buyers’ expectations, you run the risk of becoming an Oldsmobile.
Whether research was involved in guiding the styling of the Q7, and whatever the reasons, I can only guess, but one thing is sure. As an Audi owner I feel no attraction whatsoever toward the Q7. It’s definitely not a Hummer, but it is moving too far in that direction for me.
What do you think?
(16 votes, average: 3.06 out of 5)
Loading ...
July 19th, 2006 at 12:10 pm
An SUV is totally aligned to Audi’s brand DNA - this is the company that brought the word “Quattro” to the market after all and Q7 is clearly more of a purposeful product than the tarted up All-Road wagon.
90% of people would fail to recognize any car without its badging. We used to ask people to guess the brand when I was doing clinics for Ford. If they liked the car they would usually say it was an import if they didn’t they’d say it was a domestic or a Hyundai. Very, very few cars or vehicle lines have a distinctive sillhouette and the Audi range - A4, A6 and A8 are among the most anonymous of all.
The Q7 is needed to fill the plant that builds Touareg/Cayenne because Touareg has been a “toe-rag” for VW. The SUV doesn’t fit the VW brand DNA and it’s too expensive for VW brand loyalists. Q7 is a much better fit for the more affluent Audi buyer.
One thing is clear, however, by implication is the role that research can play in avoiding costly disaters - Aztec - and also in determining a portfolio strategy that aligns the product with the people most likely to buy it.
The Cayenne/Touareg/Q7 is a good fit for two of the three brands. I suspect it will be a better success for Audi than VW which begs the question “Did VAG research an Audi derivative at the same time as Touareg?” If they did and went ahead with the VW it was probably a triumph of management and dealer muscle that they led with the VW rather than the Audi brand.
July 19th, 2006 at 4:32 pm
Well, I guess this is what comes of shooting my mouth off when there are so many car guys in Millward Brown. I can’t argue with the facts Nick, and I am sure that money was a big reason behind the decisions made, but, as an Audi owner, I don’t share your opinion of the anonymity of the rest of the Audi range. A case of beauty is in the eye of the beholder?
I also don’t believe a rally car heritage lends itself to a souped up SUV, even if it does have the same quattro system. After all, most of them are really people carriers in disguise, right?