Porsche Canada has launched a contest that will enable the winners to spend a day at the track testing out different Porsche vehicles.
From April 13 to April 23, 2009 – for the first time ever in Canada – the legendary Mosport International Raceway will play host to the Porsche World Roadshow.
Participants will experience a full range of 20 Porsche vehicles, including the very exclusive 911 GT2 – on the track – in a number of high-performance exercises. Special driving instructors from Europe and Canada will be on hand to teach handling, braking and on-track driving. An off-road course will give guests an opportunity to test the driving capabilities of the Cayenne.
Out-of-town guests will enjoy a one-night stay in Toronto’s five-star SoHo Metropolitan Hotel, including a reception and dinner at Senses, a landmark Toronto restaurant located right in the hotel. Guests will be transported to the racetrack the following day by luxury coach.
It’s the blind date every guy dreams about.
This contest is an attempt by Porsche Canada to trim and focus its advertising spend and comes on the heels of the announcement in December that Porsche would not participate in the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.
“Still, as we seek to find better, more targeted ways to reach out to our potential customer base – particularly in an economy as difficult as the one we face today – we must look beyond traditional consumer auto shows, even ones as prominent as Toronto.”
Rawlinson said that “Toronto is Porsche’s largest market in Canada – and the Toronto auto show is a world-class event.
But to participate with a Porsche-quality display would have required a major financial investment.
Trying to connect more directly with Canadian customers allows us to allocate our limited marketing resources more effectively in a challenging economic environment.”
Though I can appreciate - and even advocate the need to refocus marketing spend, I do not see this campaign generating more targeted prospects. Essentially, I believe the people entering the contest are unlikely to be any different than those who attend the auto show and visit the Porsche booth; people who dream and believe one day they will be able to buy a Porsche - but often never will.
My suggestion would for Porsche to focus on its existing consumers and determine how to best support them. Thus, potentially increasing the frequency they buy/lease a new Porsche or bring in qualified prospects to the fold.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:08 am
[...] is similar to : Porsche Canada Attemps to Bring In New Customers where the goal was to attract new customers, but the strategy and tactics were mainly targeting [...]