The first motorcar using an internal combustion engine was constructed in 1885. Why would I mention it? Because it means that this year we celebrate the 130th anniversary of the motorization!
That is quite a long time, to be honest. Motorcars have already been with us for over a century. And there are some brands that have been on the market from almost the very beginning. These brands have very long and rich histories and heritage. And they do not hesitate to make use of their merits when it comes to building the brand and advertising their products.
Brands using heritage in advertisements are usually either luxury or sports brands. This makes perfect sense, as nothing is more exciting for the car-passionate than driving the car that was used to win races and rallies or to carry famous and important people.
Let me begin with the first example – Mercedes-Benz. This company’s roots reach as far as the constructor of the first automobile – Karl Benz. Mercedes-Benz came through much organizational turbulence throughout its antiquity (III Reich era for example), and now they use their heritage to promote their vehicles. What is your first association when you hear Mercedes? Luxury, quality, reliability, performance? I’m sure it is at least one of the aforementioned. To be honest, what other brand provides as vast variety of products as Mercedes does? The answer is none of them. Name it, and Mercedes already did it. Buses, trucks, compact cars, limousines, sports, racing. They won Le Mans, Formula 1 and Dakar Rally. This commercial shows some of their various cars and silhouettes of their owners:
Mercedes is also the producer of many technological breakthroughs, like introduction of the ABS and ESP systems or anti-roll bar. They boasted about this in this commercial:
We can clearly see that Mercedes is a premium brand. They try to build a special connection with their customers – very often people who start driving Mercedes will never choose any other brand again.
911. It is enough to say this number out loud to petrify every petrolhead in the range of your voice. Although Porsche was founded in 1931, their first famous car, Porsche 356, was created in 1948. Meanwhile, Ferdinand Porsche was, among other things, strongly involved in developing Nazi’s version of Ford T – Volkswagen Beetle. This is a nice infographic showing Porsche's development in early years:
But Porsche gained real international recognition only in 1963, upon developing their most famous car – world-famous Porsche 911. After that Porsche gradually developed their brand by achieving numerous victories in Motorsport and technological breakthroughs. For example, Porsche 956 still holds the record for the fastest lap on the Nurburgring, unbeaten since 1986! In a survey conducted by the Luxury Institute in New York, Porsche was awarded the title of "the most prestigious automobile brand". 500 households with a gross annual income of at least $200,000 and a net worth of at least $720,000 participated.
All this makes Porsche a very desired brand. Even though most of Porsche drivers are German retirees (because they are the only people who can afford them), owning a Porsche is a dream for many people interested in cars.
Personally I must admit that Porsche has quite an unusual approach to their customers. They do not try to be exclusive at all costs. You want to come to Porsche dealership and sit inside the newest 150 thousand euro 911 Turbo? They would be pleased to allow you to do it. If you go to Ferrari or Lamborghini it is exactly the opposite.
And another examples showing what Subaru is all about – adrenaline and emotions, even on a family trip to the mountains. A feeling of driving a car with a rally soul on every road.
One last thing I love about Subarus – to a person who is not interested in cars they seem exactly the same as any other car on the road. They do not draw attention, yet still can beat majority of sports cars when it comes to competition.
And two more examples of how Dodge uses either its own or the Nations’ history:
-- Dawid Gołuzin
Brands using heritage in advertisements are usually either luxury or sports brands. This makes perfect sense, as nothing is more exciting for the car-passionate than driving the car that was used to win races and rallies or to carry famous and important people.
MERCEDES-BENZ
Let me begin with the first example – Mercedes-Benz. This company’s roots reach as far as the constructor of the first automobile – Karl Benz. Mercedes-Benz came through much organizational turbulence throughout its antiquity (III Reich era for example), and now they use their heritage to promote their vehicles. What is your first association when you hear Mercedes? Luxury, quality, reliability, performance? I’m sure it is at least one of the aforementioned. To be honest, what other brand provides as vast variety of products as Mercedes does? The answer is none of them. Name it, and Mercedes already did it. Buses, trucks, compact cars, limousines, sports, racing. They won Le Mans, Formula 1 and Dakar Rally. This commercial shows some of their various cars and silhouettes of their owners:
Mercedes is also the producer of many technological breakthroughs, like introduction of the ABS and ESP systems or anti-roll bar. They boasted about this in this commercial:
We can clearly see that Mercedes is a premium brand. They try to build a special connection with their customers – very often people who start driving Mercedes will never choose any other brand again.
PORSCHE
911. It is enough to say this number out loud to petrify every petrolhead in the range of your voice. Although Porsche was founded in 1931, their first famous car, Porsche 356, was created in 1948. Meanwhile, Ferdinand Porsche was, among other things, strongly involved in developing Nazi’s version of Ford T – Volkswagen Beetle. This is a nice infographic showing Porsche's development in early years:
But Porsche gained real international recognition only in 1963, upon developing their most famous car – world-famous Porsche 911. After that Porsche gradually developed their brand by achieving numerous victories in Motorsport and technological breakthroughs. For example, Porsche 956 still holds the record for the fastest lap on the Nurburgring, unbeaten since 1986! In a survey conducted by the Luxury Institute in New York, Porsche was awarded the title of "the most prestigious automobile brand". 500 households with a gross annual income of at least $200,000 and a net worth of at least $720,000 participated.
All this makes Porsche a very desired brand. Even though most of Porsche drivers are German retirees (because they are the only people who can afford them), owning a Porsche is a dream for many people interested in cars.
Personally I must admit that Porsche has quite an unusual approach to their customers. They do not try to be exclusive at all costs. You want to come to Porsche dealership and sit inside the newest 150 thousand euro 911 Turbo? They would be pleased to allow you to do it. If you go to Ferrari or Lamborghini it is exactly the opposite.
SUBARU
Subaru is one of big Japanese automotive brands. They are well-known brand to the petrolheads in Europe and USA mostly thanks to their successes in WRC – World Rally Championship. Subaru with their Impreza won 3 constructors’ titles and 3 drivers’ titles during 15 years of rallying. A bunch of best drivers in history raced for Subaru, for example Tommi Makinen, Colin McRae, Juha Kankkunen, Richard Burns and Petter Solberg. They use all these in this commercial, showing both their best performance and civilian cars:And another examples showing what Subaru is all about – adrenaline and emotions, even on a family trip to the mountains. A feeling of driving a car with a rally soul on every road.
One last thing I love about Subarus – to a person who is not interested in cars they seem exactly the same as any other car on the road. They do not draw attention, yet still can beat majority of sports cars when it comes to competition.
Honorable mention: Dodge
It is hard to imagine more American-ish automotive brand than Dodge. But they do not always refer to their brand being American, sometimes using their own history as a feature. United States does not have as rich motorsport heritage as Europe. In the USA, it is all about NASCAR but Dodge wasn’t as successful there as its competitors. However, they used NASCAR vehicle in this commercial:And two more examples of how Dodge uses either its own or the Nations’ history:
Conclusion
To sum up, heritage is an important aspect of branding exclusive automotive brands. It allows the buyer to have a feeling of driving something very special, unique. To experience another level of emotions. You suddenly have something to talk (and boast) about – a car preceded by decades of racing experience or dozens of innovations. The brand that uses it sublimely is not mention in this text. Why? Because Ferrari does not advertise. It doesn’t need to advertise.-- Dawid Gołuzin
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