“So, we’re getting people who really enjoy driving and appreciate design.”
Mazda advertising is different from mainstream brands. You’ll see it on TV, in print and online. It doesn’t talk about features that are comparable, spec comparisons, or rational reasons for buying Mazdas. Mazda ads instead focus on the design story as well as the passion-to-drive sporty cars. Russell Wager, vice-president of marketing at Mazda North American Operations, said that it goes hand in hand with Mazda’s efforts to emphasize driving dynamics and premium-ness when promoting new Mazda cars.
He says, “It’s literally trying to make the Mazda view in your mind more emotional than rational.” “We know our competitors don’t make customers feel this way.”
This will result in some consumers being excluded from mainstream vehicle shopping, as they are unable to measure objectively. Wager agrees.
“Do you know what? He says Mazda is not for everyone. “Our target is not all 17 millions new-car purchasers who bought last year. This is not our goal. The target is about 15% of them. Our target is passionate about design and how the vehicle drives. It’s fun to drive.
Wager claims that Mazda can better target its marketing to this specific group of customers by focusing on a subset of buyers. This is the group the company refers to as UMC (or U.S. Mazda Customers). This strategy, while not bringing in large numbers of customers (Mazda is 17th in U.S. automaker rankings), is bringing in the owners Wager desires to drive a Mazda.
He says, “We are seeing a more educated and higher-income buyer come in.” “So, we are getting people who really enjoy driving and appreciate design. They’re also willing to pay more for our products as a side effect.”
Wager cites the success of the Signature trim on the new CX-9 cross-over. The price of the fully loaded and expensive model starts at less than $44,000. Similar to the previous statement, we were told by Mazda that approximately 48 percent of Crossover sales are for the Grand Touring trim.
Wager states, “The goal of our brand is to be separated from some other mass-market brands.”
Despite this, Mazda hasn’t seen a lot of sales growth over the last few years. Wager says this, along with many Mazda executives, because they don’t want to encourage growth by offering large discounts.
“Yes, we want to sell cars. Yes, we would like growth. It isn’t growth at any cost. He says it is growth done right. “Not just putting in incentives dollars or discount on.”
But perception is the problem. Mazda must get potential customers behind the wheel in order to show them why Mazda is a better brand than other mainstream brands. To attract new customers, Mazda will need to focus on advertising slogans like “Driving Matters” or and place emphasis on design stories.
Wager states, “It is a perception versus the reality.” Wager says that the perception is that we are the middle of the pack. That’s something I need to change.