Text | Joey
In this era, what should be done in the marketing of automobiles is a problem that plagues almost all manufacturers. Some brands play big scenes, some want to penetrate the product points, some focus more on user-level operations, and some hope to heat themselves up by the hot spots that they can't beat.
But what exactly does it take to be successful in marketing? In my opinion, in the past 2021, Volvo has found the marketing path that suits it best.
Someone once talked to me about Volvo and said: After so many years, the spread point of the product is still close to safety, as if without safety, Volvo has no other highlights. After all, this year to build a car, the game must be a comprehensive strength.
The goal of this comprehensive strength is to create a car without shortcomings. For example, in front of luxury, we must play driving control, in addition to driving control, we must play comfortable, comfortable and also have technology, of course, there must be design and cost performance. Simply put, you have to know everything, and everything has to have highlights. This is the product that can be accepted by the market and can be written in the market.
However, I still remember that there was once a communication veteran who worked in a domestic car brand for more than ten years, lit a cigarette and patted me on the shoulder in a small chat, and said to me in a serious tone: "Old Joe, in fact, marketing cannot solve all problems." ”
I agree at this point. After all, there are too many factors to consider when every consumer buys a car, and a car that tries to satisfy everything cannot be built first, and even if it is built, it seems that everything will not be satisfied enough. Therefore, the short board will definitely exist, and the successful marketing method is to extend the long board of the product as much as possible to attract as many consumer choices as possible.
Volvo, which has been following the BBA in the luxury car market for many years, does not seem to be lagging behind in any area. This can be seen from the rapid transformation of Geely Automobile and its Lynk & Co Automobile after its acquisition by Geely, and gradually getting rid of the inherent image of domestic cars. But the marketing dimension has long been close to safety, which has given people an inherent perception that Volvo is a brand that is thick enough, but rarely surprises.
But is security wrong? A safe car is obviously the most loved and most accepted by people. But just like your parents often nagging in your ears. You know they're all right, it just needs a more vivid way to embrace it.
And in 2021, volvo did the right thing to do is to choose the right way.
The winner of the early mental occupation
Volvo's spread has always been thick and impressive enough.
When I was still sitting in the engineering mechanics class, my teacher had popularized a message that Volvo had left a deep impression on his heart. This impression stems from an advertisement that Volvo made many years ago. In this advertisement, Volvo places a container on the roof of its product to test its superior structural pressure resistance and body rigidity.
Obviously, this advertisement formed a huge visual impact and spiritual impact in the eyes of the older generation of auto industry pioneers at that time. And in the concept of this group of people, the inherent concept that Volvo is "hard". The group then transmitted it to generations of students. Undoubtedly, in that era when communication was not diversified and China had no concept of advertising and marketing at all, such communication was undoubtedly a huge victory for the user's mental occupation.
Since then, Volvo's communication has begun to be serialized and has gradually become its own brand logo. In 1990, Volvo once crashed a sedan in front of and behind, but the body was intact and set up as a print advertisement, accompanied by the slogan "We design every Volvo to look like this". At the same time, Volvo also has the world's most unwanted car friend organization - volvo miracle of life club (this organization members have been due to Volvo's super safety performance in a vicious traffic accident).
There is no doubt that this kind of communication intention is absolutely impeccable, but for some people, including me, the problem that is considered after receiving and understanding this information is no longer Volvo or other cars, but "to be or not to be". After all, the unbearable weight of life brings not the question of choosing who will drive the road, but whether to drive on the road.
However, today's times are different, and the requirements for dissemination are naturally different. Volvo naturally has a new way of communication, and these ways of communication have once again grasped the pulse of the times.
Heavy Volvo
The pace of propagation has become lighter
About two years ago, a Swedish friend of mine came to ask me about buying a used car. At the time, his focus was on how to choose the right car for products like Toyota, Volkswagen and even Skoda. And my focus is, as a Swede, buying a car in Sweden, don't you have to consider Volvo? And the answer he gave me was: He didn't know Volvo.
Obviously, it's not just this Swedish engineering man who doesn't know Volvo. In fact, people have a very limited impression of Volvo products. Originated in Northern Europe, it produces safe, luxurious cars. But what's so good about it? In fact, not many people can say why it is very systematic. Therefore, if Volvo wants to truly achieve a breakthrough in marketing communication, it must break through the previous communication mode and use a more direct, interesting and acceptable way to disseminate.
After that, we all know. In mid-2021, Volvo launched three very powerful and fun marketing videos. From the XC40 pure electric version soaked in the fish tank as a whole and finally driven safely; to the president playing stunts, Yuan Xiaolin, senior vice president of Volvo Car Group, president and CEO of Asia Pacific, personally stood on the 6 Volvo cars that were hoisted high in the air to show the "high-altitude stacking music" of the body strength; to the Children's Day video of "Little Devil Driving", the XC60 was driven by children remotely to break through many obstacles to show the active safety performance of the vehicle. This series of videos kicked off the prelude to the spread of Volvo's visual impact.
In fact, such impactful videos have been used in the early years, such as Volvo Trucks, which once let Shange Yunton play a word horse on a speeding truck, and thus showed his strength and beauty perfectly through handsomeness.
Through this interesting video, Volvo spread the sealing advantages of the XC40 pure electric version of the battery, the super stiffness of the Volvo cage body, and Volvo's leading active safety technology, which provides driving pleasure in addition to providing safety and security.
This series of communication is in line with Liu Peng, vice president of Volvo Cars Greater China Sales Company, several important concepts in communication, namely", "product hardcore, visual impact, and deep communication".
In Liu Peng's view, Volvo's own products have a lot of hard-core technology, but it is not enough to know it, but also through the in-depth interpretation of the media platform, so that users can see it; more importantly, through the shocking visual effects, so that users can remember.
In my opinion, more important and commendable, Volvo has found a lighter way to solve the problem of thick communication. In the most correct way, the words that are already correct are said. The advantage of this is that it does not make the already correct theory more correct, but makes it more acceptable and memorable.
In fact, such a pursuit of shocking communication models existed in the early years. For example, Jaguar, which is in the same brand camp as Volvo, has engaged in a series of shocking communications in previous years. For example, 360-degree volleying, 360-degree flying ferris wheel, and tightrope walking. Obviously, for more consumers, the shock of these communications is beyond doubt, but the practicality needs to be considered.
After all, no one can expect to take a leap in the air when there is a traffic jam, and when there is no way out, drive on the tightrope to dry clothes. After all, the purpose of marketing is never limited to marketing, but also to efficiently convey effective information. And the way to lift a heavy weight is undoubtedly the best way.
Choosing a companion is an active act
Marketing is actually not limited to communication through visually impactful videos, after all, such communication is staged and not sustainable. Choosing a companion is obviously a more enduring way. In fact, the logic of finding a spokesperson and collaborator is a common means in the marketing process of many enterprises.
The blessing of traffic and fan popularity will make the exposure of a product in a specific circle quickly increase, and trigger a certain degree of purchase boom. Far from it, saicid audi's A7L recently chose stars with huge traffic to endorse the brand. Its fans began to choose SAIC Audi products as their own cars.
But if anyone can find the best way on the way to find endorsements, I recognize Gao Yuanyuan, the national goddess of Volvo, Xu Zhiyuan, a cultural scholar known for his "Thirteen Invitations", and Luo Xiang, an "extralegal fanatic" who swept the B station.
If you think you choose them just because they have a huge amount of traffic, you're not wrong. But more importantly, Volvo's choice to walk hand in hand with each of them clearly conveys the brand and product characteristics that Volvo wants to communicate.
They can represent exquisite and elegant design, can represent intellectual and calm brand temperament, and can represent rigorous and standardized car-making technology and safety. And for every ordinary consumer, including me, I can find a spokesperson for my favorite from the direction I like.
In Liu Peng's view, Volvo's brand is upward, and choosing the traffic carried by the spokesperson is not a priority, but more importantly, it is more important to choose people who are similar to Volvo's values and have the same concept. These people need to conform to Volvo's tone, be able to represent the brand image, and ultimately align with the preferences of Volvo's audience.
If FAW Audi's Accue wants to reflect the personality and overall temperament of the brand elite on more levels, then Volvo has chosen a spokesperson more in line with its own temperament to help the brand's marketing. Obviously, as volvo does, choosing a spokesperson who can highlight its own brand temperament and convey its own brand needs is the right way to choose a spokesperson.
When you buy a car, you actually buy it for value
If we look closely at marketing, operations are inseparable from communications and end-end sales. Through communication and promotion, product power and brand power are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, but in the end, it is necessary to achieve the final blow through mid-range sales. In fact, I have said before that buying a car is not only about buying products, but also about buying value.
Previously, Volvo's brand value had been between luxury brands and high-discount brands. The advantage of this is that more people can choose Volvo's products, and the disadvantage is how to make the terminal sales price fluctuate more, without affecting the value of the brand, so as to continue to ensure the brand value of Volvo.
At this point, Volvo has embarked on a whole new attempt in 2021. With volvo pure electric vehicle T8 as a test of water, it will promote the attempt of Volvo's direct sales model. Through the unified pricing of a single regional market, the pressure of the dealer's pressure is eliminated, so as to prevent the possible price reduction and selling behavior that may occur from the crisis of the dealer's capital flow and destroy the price system.
At the same time, Volvo has also opened a separate electric vehicle sales area in seven city center stores in Shanghai. In addition to the channels of dealers, we will try to sell new sales channels for new energy vehicles. At the same time, as a brand whose traditional sales channels are already very mature, Volvo has not given up the upgrade of the existing dealer network.
Liu Peng once said in an interview not long ago: "Volvo's electrification trend will be 50% electric vehicles by 2025, so we are trying both models." We are also interested in communicating with any new sales ideas." But that doesn't mean Volvo is going to rely on a new direct selling model and abandon its dealer partners who have been working with them.
In 2021, Volvo began to try to continuously promote the formulation of service process standards in 289 distribution stores across the country; upgrade dealers' service standards and carry out positive incentives through training; in addition, Volvo also fully monitored all after-sales behaviors of dealers and all vehicles returning to the factory through the NEWBIE system launched based on big data to trace the origin of each car product sold.
Obviously, for every ordinary consumer, the publicity that can be seen can only stimulate their desire to buy car products, and a richer choice of store network, more value-preserving value, and continuous upgrading of services are the decisive factors that really make them make a purchase decision.
This series of changes at the marketing level has allowed Volvo to stabilize its position in the ever-changing 2021 car market and make slight progress. For the whole of last year, Volvo sold more than 170,000 units in the Chinese mainland market.
Among them, XC60 annual sales reached 65,036 units; in terms of new energy products, RECHARGE models increased by 63.9% globally year-on-year, accounting for 27% of global sales in the whole year, a record high, and the Chinese mainland market REEF models increased by 77% year-on-year in December and rose 96% year-on-year.
Of course, such marketing can still only be called a stage success. According to Liu Peng's plan, Volvo will continue to launch more new communication methods for control and electrification in 2022, and eventually in the next two to three years, all hard-core product points will be disseminated to consumers in a new way.
For the most part, Volvo has moved hardcore product points out of the realm of mere safety through more creative and fun communication methods. For more consumers, Volvo, which has stronger performance and more constant value, obviously can stimulate their desire to buy.
With the blessing of these new marketing models, the original "thick" Volvo has begun to become more and more brisk and has begun to run.