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Porsche is trying to sell more of its two-seat sports cars by touting them as daily drivers.
According to KHABAR KHODRO, Its new campaign markets the 911, Boxster and Cayman as "Porsche. Engineered for Magic. Every day."
TV spots through year end show owners taking their cars to the home-improvement store, picking up kids from school and driving through the snow.
"There are a lot of people who think of Porsche as something you park in your garage and only use on Sunday," says Michael Bartsch, COO of Porsche Cars North America. "This is a way to tell potential buyers that these are not precious mantelpiece ornaments like some supercars but everyday usable cars."
Bartsch would not say how much Porsche is spending on the print, Internet and TV effort but said it's the brand's biggest campaign since it launched the Cayenne in 2003.
Internet and social media are major elements of the campaign. About 600 owners have posted videos talking about what they do with their cars at porscheeveryday.com.
Porsche launched the campaign because research showed potential buyers considered the sports cars too high-performance and exotic to be driven every day, said Scott Baker, manager of marketing communications.
"It made us rethink the images we use," Bartsch said. "Instead of the car being on this long winding road, we are focusing on everyday reality driving. What the ads are saying is that Porsche can make the basic and the mundane special."
The six TV spots are running on national cable stations such as ESPN and the History and Speed channels.
Through June, Porsche sales were up 42 percent from a year earlier. But that increase was driven by the Cayenne. Sales of the 911 were up 13 percent to 3,303 units, but the Boxster was down 8 percent to 1,112, and Cayman sales were flat at 728 units
