First unveiled at the New York Motor Show in April, the car makes its China debut having been named one of the top 10 upscale sedans in US magazine Consumer Report.
The campaign, by TBWA\ Hakuhodo and Tequila\Beijing, includes a dedicated Chinese-language microsite showcasing the car’s design features and unique selling points. According to Hideaki Sato, general manager of TBWA\Hakuhodo, the car’s primary distinguishing feature is its performance, details of which appear in a section marked ‘The Exhilaration’. The website also offers desktop images, a screensaver, the global TV campaign and details of experiential events such as the National Test Drive and Car Display Tour.
The campaign, by TBWA\ Hakuhodo and Tequila\Beijing, includes a dedicated Chinese-language microsite showcasing the car’s design features and unique selling points. According to Hideaki Sato, general manager of TBWA\Hakuhodo, the car’s primary distinguishing feature is its performance, details of which appear in a section marked ‘The Exhilaration’. The website also offers desktop images, a screensaver, the global TV campaign and details of experiential events such as the National Test Drive and Car Display Tour.
The G35’s three TV commercials, featuring the strapline ‘Beyond machine’, suggest that the human skill behind an expertly-crafted vehicle can transform a piece of machinery into an object of desire capable of evoking an emotional response.
Locally-targeted print advertising was also displayed during the Guangzhou motor show, providing details of the event and again underscoring the car’s combination of prestige and power.
Sato explained that while the brand’s main competitors were also entry-level luxury models such as the Lexus IS and the Mercedes C-Class, the marketing aim was to promote it as a vehicle for driving pleasure rather than merely for comfortable business travel. The key to launching the car in China was allowing people to experience the car at first-hand, he said. With this in mind, the G35 National Test Drive is currently making its tour around the country, having so far been staged at a golf club, an airfield, and even a French chateau.
The G35 has also been displayed statically at venues such as Beijing’s upscale shopping mall The Place, where shoppers could learn more about the car via an interactive touch screen. The event prompted many to visit a dealership directly afterwards, Sato noted.
He described the target consumer as being young and newly rich, with a family, wanting to be recognised as successful, sophisticated and intelligent. He added that they would be keen to spend money on exclusive new experiences. “They want a car that matches their social status,” he said.
