[hawkins]

Some of you may think this is harsh, but I'm not going to coddle my opinion of Acura any longer. This is absolutely not good enough. The brilliant minds in marketing have brought us Alice in Wonderland in advertising technicolor, its called the "Official Vehicle of Everything Thrilling" most importantly it is a blatant lie.

Highlights of Acura's "Official Vehicle of Everything Thrilling" Campaign:

• Standard banners featuring copy/taglines/text such as: "The official vehicle of destroying your boss's bracket"
• Push-down banners with video vignettes comparing the thrill of driving the TLX to "staring into a wolf's eyes"
• Real-time banners linked to live-action game coverage
• Social media integrations and a sweepstakes opportunity to win the all-new 2015 TLX
• Acura Newsroom: The luxury automaker has enlisted a team of writers, designers and producers to create digital media, in response to live game action with banner ads. The ads compare the thrill of driving the Acura TLX to the thrilling events that college basketball fans are watching unfold (ex: "The official vehicle of sending the game into overtime by tipping-in your own miss.").

Although I suppose the medium truly is the message, and they are very much catering to people who consume in bitesize chunks and forget breakfast the minute the dishes are in the sink. Especially because most if not all will not even take notice of the campaign, but in their crave to cure their rote ennui perhaps subconsciously they will buy into the burnish and stampede the showrooms like a Norman beach?

Its unfortunate that it really has come to this, something is something because we've said its something, ISN'T THAT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU? The TLX is exciting because we said its exciting, aha, I believe the official term is circle jerk...

 

[typeess]

That marketing tactic will work with people who will take that line they're using to promote it and not look any further than other promo material, and then find themselves in the dealer signing away on paper work

 

[5Gs]

i dont get it

are we complaining about marketing now?

 

[tino]

i dont get it

are we complaining about marketing now?

their cars have no image. To be honest Acuras are pretty much the best cars available for people who dont care about image. Their cars are not bad as machines, they function, they are quite reliable. There is even the potential for them to be enjoyable to drive, but without an image you dont have anything to sell to someone. People don't buy products, they buy someone elses opinion of them owning that product.

See, if you dont want status you get an Acura, thats fine but you thats going to keep the top on the sales box. This campagin does nothing but hurt Acura, the Official Vehicle of Excitement, for real? Exciting as a checkers tournament in the geriatrics ward, or perhaps they meant the excitement of a root canal?

Acura is becoming the Japanese Volvo...

 

[typeess]

their cars have no image. To be honest Acuras are pretty much the best cars available for people who dont care about image. Their cars are not bad as machines, they function, they are quite reliable. There is even the potential for them to be enjoyable to drive, but without an image you dont have anything to sell to someone. People don't buy products, they buy someone elses opinion of them owning that product.

See, if you dont want status you get an Acura, thats fine but you thats going to keep the top on the sales box. This campagin does nothing but hurt Acura, the Official Vehicle of Excitement, for real? Exciting as a checkers tournament in the geriatrics ward, or perhaps they meant the excitement of a root canal?

Acura is becoming the Japanese Volvo...

yup, it's the best of everything all in one car but of course it can at times feel out dated and just a bit older than it is. Still great cars

 

[5Gs]

their cars have no image. To be honest Acuras are pretty much the best cars available for people who dont care about image. Their cars are not bad as machines, they function, they are quite reliable. There is even the potential for them to be enjoyable to drive, but without an image you dont have anything to sell to someone. People don't buy products, they buy someone elses opinion of them owning that product.

See, if you dont want status you get an Acura, thats fine but you thats going to keep the top on the sales box. This campagin does nothing but hurt Acura, the Official Vehicle of Excitement, for real? Exciting as a checkers tournament in the geriatrics ward, or perhaps they meant the excitement of a root canal?

Acura is becoming the Japanese Volvo...

well they are trying.. lol

but the TLX will still sell great because probably for the price it will be sold at (the real price) it will offer good space, a good reliable engine and transmission, AWD

those reasons alone will allow it to sell

plus its an acura

people buy it because its basically a Honda with some more luxury

 

[tino]

well they are trying.. lol

but the TLX will still sell great because probably for the price it will be sold at (the real price) it will offer good space, a good reliable engine and transmission, AWD

those reasons alone will allow it to sell

plus its an acura

people buy it because its basically a Honda with some more luxury

sure but unless they are undercutting the rivals by a significant chunk none of that matters... You can get yourself into a 3 series for below $35K, granted it will be barren as Siberia but that doesnt matter to the shopper, its a BMW, people will see them in their BMW. They were sold someone elses opinion of them owning a BMW...

thats what I'm trying to get at, there is a demand for certain products based on the perception they provide to outsiders. Acura has none of that pull, unfortunately that is the strongest kind of pull a brand can have...

 

[5Gs]

those kind of folks who are willing to buy a regular 3 series with like no options arent going to buy an Acura no matter what Acura does

They want the BMW for the badge.

 

[SameButDifferent]

I just think that this ad campaign is too generous. Why not focus on an aspect of the car that you really believe in. Consumers who care for that particular aspect a lot will be drawn in.

By promising the world, and that the car is the best in every way, you only set yourself up to be ridiculed, and your customers will be disappointed when the car doesn't live up to the huge marketing promise that you've made about it.

I agree with the title of the thread, Acura is a liar now.

 

[tino]

those kind of folks who are willing to buy a regular 3 series with like no options arent going to buy an Acura no matter what Acura does

They want the BMW for the badge.

but thats exactly my point, is the badge has cachet and drawing power. Its all the appearance of the object over the tangible value of the object. The problem is 95% of the car buying public vales the image over the tangible and that means BAD things for Acura. UNLESS they can build a credible image for people to latch onto...

 

[aravind]

but thats exactly my point, is the badge has cachet and drawing power. Its all the appearance of the object over the tangible value of the object. The problem is 95% of the car buying public vales the image over the tangible and that means BAD things for Acura. UNLESS they can build a credible image for people to latch onto...

I agree that most people buy cars for projecting a certain image. I have owned a '96 Integra for 18 years and love driving it, beats a 3-series for drivability in pretty much every sense for me. And I find it difficult to bring myself to buy a BMW (unless it is an M, of course) just because of my perception of the personality of BMW owners!

Yet, I wish Acura would create a 'brand identity' for itself. After they killed the 2000 TL look, the only look that appealed to me was the 2008-9 (?) MDX front end look with the aluminum-framed triple triangular grill and inlets whose 'edges' appeared to 'parallel' each others. I was hoping that Acura would keep that as a base for creating a brand identity for all their cars but what do you know, they killed it with the TLX.

 

[tino]

I agree that most people buy cars for projecting a certain image. I have owned a '96 Integra for 18 years and love driving it, beats a 3-series for drivability in pretty much every sense for me. And I find it difficult to bring myself to buy a BMW (unless it is an M, of course) just because of my perception of the personality of BMW owners!

Yet, I wish Acura would create a 'brand identity' for itself. After they killed the 2000 TL look, the only look that appealed to me was the 2008-9 (?) MDX front end look with the aluminum-framed triple triangular grill and inlets whose 'edges' appeared to 'parallel' each others. I was hoping that Acura would keep that as a base for creating a brand identity for all their cars but what do you know, they killed it with the TLX.

Indeed! Functionally as machines there isn't a piece out of place, they're Honda's after all, but you know what thats exactly what hurts them. There is next to no differentiation from Honda. Oh sure they have different little badges and their own unique-ish design language, but mechanically and technology wise Acura does not offer a tangible differentiation from Honda.

Acura was supposed to be the leading edge of technology for Honda, but at the point now when you can get an Accord with the same gizmos the TLX will have, whats the pull of the Acura? Feck the Honda's are nearly competing with the Acuras on price as well...

 

[5Gs]

Acura rehired the guy who created the 3G TL. So hopefully Acura will have some nice designs again.

I'm still debating if I like the TLX design.

 

[tino]

Acura rehired the guy who created the 3G TL. So hopefully Acura will have some nice designs again.

I'm still debating if I like the TLX design.

I have to say my last hope is the fully productionize version we're supposed to see shortly. I know there were spyshots but I'm going to stay delusional until i know its all officially official.

Now its also worth saying that if the price is bang on it could help soothe many of the perceived lacks...

 

[5Gs]

thats what i keep telling myself too

stay delusional

and hope somewhere along the lines they add a 6MT and some magical performance numbers show up

 

[typeess]

thats what i keep telling myself too

stay delusional

and hope somewhere along the lines they add a 6MT and some magical performance numbers show up

that acura pipe dream

 

[tino]

thats what i keep telling myself too

stay delusional

and hope somewhere along the lines they add a 6MT and some magical performance numbers show up

If they sold a 6MT AWD TLX Wagon Acura would be the newest fan boy favorite, no joke. If they sold that I'd buy two

 

[typeess]

If they sold a 6MT AWD TLX Wagon Acura would be the newest fan boy favorite, no joke. If they sold that I'd buy two

That is so true, it's what a lot of people want which is whats lacking in the industry, but there is the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon.

 

[5Gs]

really a wagon?

 

[tino]

Really, really a wagon. Yea CTS-V Wagon is cool and all but it also starts at $64,900, the 3 series sport wagon starts at $41,450, E class wagon at $58,600, and the Audi allroad starts at $40,700. As far as I know, or as far as I want to look those are the only desirable wagons available today, and unfortunately they're just too costly...

I'm telling you a TLX wagon could do really really well...