March 16 , 2010

Porche Canada launches new campaign

Uses unexpected channels

With unexpected messages appearing in unexpected new communication channels, Porsche Cars Canada's new spring sports car marketing campaign sets out to educate and surprise potential customers with aspects about the brand they may not know - such as affordability, practicality and fuel consumption.

The new campaign, called "Porsche, unexpected," is the work of Toronto-based agency Yield Branding. In a break with tradition, it showcases Porsche sports cars on a stark white background, with front and rear shots of each car paired with intriguing copy lines that truly show that there are two sides to every Porsche.

"This campaign marks an important time for Porsche Canada, in that we have created original concepts for this market," said Chris Torbay, Yield's Creative Director. "We wanted customers to see the brand in a different way and to do this, we needed to break away from the traditional presentation of the brand, both visually and in the advertising channels we selected."

Each creative execution, featuring the new Boxster Spyder, Cayman, 911 Cabriolet and 911 Turbo, presents intriguing contradictions. Copy for the 911 highlights power versus fuel economy ("A model of performance; a portrait of efficiency") and the contrast between its classic style and high technology ("Timeless design; technical revolution"). Ads for the Boxster and Cayman specifically address price and practicality ("Less than you expected; more than you dreamed").

The Boxster and Cayman advertising delivers a particularly strong value message, thanks to Porsche Canada's introduction of Cash Currency Credits. These special credits, designed to float with fluctuating exchange rates, directly address the cross-border pricing differential created by a strong Canadian dollar. Depending on model, up to $7,500 is available to customers who decide to purchase or finance a new Porsche (with its $2,500 Cash Currency Credit, a 2010 Boxster now starts at $57,100).

In order to deliver the unexpected Porsche message to a more mainstream audience, the campaign presents its arguments in a combination of newspaper ads, online banners and, for the first time ever in Canada, out-of-home billboards in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

"We hope this campaign will bring Porsche closer to our audience and help potential customers understand Porsche better," said Jasmin Rawlinson, Porsche Canada's Director of Marketing. "We feel that that the brand has a very good story to tell to a wide audience, particularly on the topics of practicality, versatility and price."

The spring campaign will be rounded out in the coming days with an online video at porsche.ca/unexpected, which will explain Porsche's singular ability among car manufacturers to engineer and build cars which manage to find their harmony from contradiction.