Team Case Project: The Los Angeles Car Show
Overview:
Land Rover and Jaguar, two highly respected motor companies, have both
launched a new addition to their automotive families. The Land Rover Evoque and the
Jaguar C-X75 are two new exciting vehicles being introduced to the world of cars and
SUVs. In order to promote these vehicles, Land Rover and Jaguar launched the Los
Angeles Campaign. The campaign consisted of advertisements throughout the city;
including billboards, broadcast and print among major hot spots in LA, such as the LA
Convention Center and LA International Airport. The campaign focused on creating a
positive and intriguing image for future buyers leading up to the LA International
Automobile Show. Jaguar and Land Rover achieved a successful campaign and received
“a number of prestigious automotive awards at the Los Angeles Auto Show” (Jaguar
Media Resource).
Situation Analysis:
Internal
In 1948, the Rover Company launched its first model called the Land Rover. Land
Rover specializes in robust four-wheel-drive vehicles intended for extreme capability and
strength. Maurice Wilks designed the Land Rover, which was inspired by the American
World War II Jeep. Land Rover is the second oldest terrain vehicle, with the first being
the Jeep. Land Rover has its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom.
Land Rover participates and sponsors many events throughout the year. Land Rover is
the automotive sponsor of the United States Equestrian Sport. The vehicle sponsors the
equestrian event because it believes that both the Land Rover and the Equestrian sport
align with each other portraying “a required skill, courage, stamina and finesse to
compete and excel within this exclusive community” (Land Rover). Land Rover and
Range Rover sponsor prestigious golf events throughout the nation each year. By
sponsoring golf tournaments, it enables viewers to see the best golfers in the world and
luxury vehicles together.
Each year, Land Rover participates in several auto shows both nationally and
internationally. The auto shows enable consumers to view the luxury features of the SUV
inside and out. One last event Land Rover participates in is the Muddy Buddy Ride and
Run. Land Rover partners with the Challenged Athlete’s Foundation, which is a
foundation that funds and supports physically challenged athletes. This day includes
biking, trail running, and obstacle courses in cities throughout America.
Jaguar was founded in 1922 and works to make luxurious cars for people all
around the world. The company has a vision that they hope will appeal all over the
world, by creating not only fast cars but also beautiful cars (Jaguar Cars and Autos).
Jaguar’s mission statement reads “Our mission at Jaguar, since the company was founded
by Sir William Lyons in 1922, has been to create and build beautiful fast cars. Cars that
bring the enjoyment and exhilaration of driving to life” (Jaguar Cars and Autos).
Jaguar launched its first sports car after WWII, the XK 120, and since then has
continued to create the most up-to-date technological and luxurious vehicles. Jaguar
originally started out as a company making sidecars for motorcycles and later changed to
making passenger vehicles.
Jaguar participates in annual auto shows, one being the Goodwood Festival of
Speed. This auto show has been the centerpiece to sports cars for more than a decade
(Jaguar International-GoodWood Revival). Since Jaguar focuses a lot of its attention on
the speed of its cars, this show was part of the celebration of Jaguar’s 75 anniversary.
The company also participates in several auto shows both nationally and internationally.
Jaguar has created and maintained a brand image that is not only known for its
quality, but also its comfort. The brand is able to do this by focusing on its expert
engineers and its “leading-edge automotive technology” (LMS Engineering Automotive).
Jaguar is a first class brand that has been able to make a difference in the world of luxury
vehicles.
Jaguar Historic Timeline (Jaguar Cars and Autos)
·
1922: Jaguar is established under the name of Swallow Sidecar Company
·
1933: Jaguar changed its name to SS Cars Ltd.
·
1935: The first car to bear the name Jaguar appeared at a London auto show
·
1939 -1945: Production of cars was ceased due to WWII, where the company created
sidecars for the military
·
1945: The company name changed from SS to Jaguar because of the Nazis in
Germany, the “SS” had already formed a negative connotation in the UK
·
1948: Company debuted its first sports car, the XK 120 at an auto show in Earls
Court
·
1951: XK 120 C-Type was debuted at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and won
·
1954: XK 140 D-Type was introduced
·
1960: Purchased Daimler Motor Company
·
1961-1974: The Jaguar E- Type was manufactured, which is considered to be the
best Jaguar ever built
·
1966: Jaguar merged with The British Motor Corporation
·
1968: 4.2 – liter Series 2 debuted
·
197: V12 Series 3 E-Type debuted
·
1990: The Ford Motor Company purchased the company
·
1992: XJ 220 prototype to market
·
2008: Tata Motors purchased Jaguar from Ford Motor Company
Land Rover Timeline (Land Rover Cars and Autos)
·
1948: The first Land Rover made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show
·
1970: Range Rover was introduced
·
1976: The one millionth Land Rover leaves the production line
·
1987: Range Rover introduced to the US market
·
1989: The Land Rover Discovery was introduced
·
1994: Range Rover, the second generation was introduced and the Rover Group
taken over by BMW
·
1997: The Freelander was introduced
·
2000: BMW breaks up the Rover Group, and sold Land Rover to Ford
·
2005: Range Rover Sport introduced fitted with an adapted Jaguar engine, replacing
BMW
·
2008: Ford agrees to sell Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors
Communication tools and messages used in the past:
Jaguar Land Rover has used many communication tools throughout the years.
One successful campaign was the Land Rover LR4 campaign where the brand used
YouTube at its social media platform. The campaign featured three videos conveying
how people feel safe inside of a Land Rover when telling people something that they do
not want to hear. Many web sites and blogs featured the videos and drew national
attention for Land Rover (Lamb). Another communication tool Land Rover used was the
print campaign featuring professional golfer, Greg Norman. The campaign featured a
play on words that reiterated that luxury, performance, comfort, and drive are
characteristics of both golf and Land Rover (Land Rover Media).
In 2009, Jaguar introduced the Jaguar XKR GT2 by entering the car in the
American Le Mans Series’ event the Petit Le Mans. The car’s track time was used for
testing and development (Jaguar Media). Jaguar was also the first to launch a broadband
multimedia magazine for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. Apple users could
experience the Jaguar XF by going to www.jxfphone.com, which contained the magazine
that featured the XF in vibrant photos and videos that were all cropped to perfectly fit the
devices’ display screens. This allowed users to take advantage of the widescreen format
of those Apple products (Jaguar Media).
Publics
Jaguar and Land Rover target a relatively small market compared to other
automobile brands. Because Jaguar and Land Rover are both in the luxury car category,
the brand’s target market is based on consumer demographics, specifically income. A
luxury item is defined as “an item that is not necessary for living, but is deemed as
highly-desired within a culture or society… In other words, as people move into higher
income brackets they are more able and more likely to purchase more expensive luxury
goods,” according to Investopedia.com. Jaguar and Land Rover target consumers that
belong to the higher income brackets because this group makes up the largest percentage
of luxury car owners and are most likely to purchase this automobile type. Men are also
more likely to make impulsive purchases, like luxury cars, than women are.
Jaguar and Land Rover are in the exclusive luxury car category, but the Evoque
and C-X75 also compete in the hybrid category. The brand has many direct competitors
that are in the luxury hybrid category as well. BWM offers the 7 Series and the X6
hybrids, Cadillac offers the Escalade hybrid, Mercedes offers the M-Class and S-Class
hybrids, and the Infiniti M35h hybrid. The leader in the luxury hybrid car industry is
Lexus with five different hybrid models, which is more than any other luxury brand
(Kelley Blue Book). There are also numerous other car brands that offer hybrid options
that are not in the luxury category.
External Environment
In an effort to create hype and increase sales of new environmentally conscious
automobiles, Jaguar Land Rover launched the 12-month “Pulse of the City” campaign
(Schorr). With the growing sustainability movement and cries for environmentally
friendly vehicles, concept cars were designed to meet that call. After the creation of the
Land Rover LRX concept car in 2008, Jaguar Land Rover developed the Range Rover
Evoque, a compact SUV designed to meet the requirements for reduced carbon-dioxide
emissions (Jaguar Land Rover). The brand also released the Jaguar C-X75, an electric
concept car designed as an idea model to inspire future designs and more advanced
technologies (Schorr). The Jaguar C-X75 is a plug-in hybrid that hopes to lead the way in
reducing carbon-dioxide emissions.
To initiate the “Pulse of the City” campaign, Los Angeles was chosen to celebrate
the global debut of both vehicles through the “Hello Los Angeles” events. Hot spots and
high profile areas were strategically chosen in the international, trend setting city to
display the cars and give consumers sneak peeks into the new vehicles to be debuted later
in the week. New spots were chosen beginning Friday, Nov. 12, and continuing each day
leading up to the Wednesday debut at the LA Auto Show press conference (Schorr).
Jaguar Land Rover teamed up with the musicians OK Go; fashion journalist and
television personality Louise Roe; singer Solange Knowles and actor Miles Fisher for the
“Pulse of the City” campaign (Schorr). The campaign was created in hopes of connecting
consumers with the cars through recognition of high profile celebrities. Those celebrities
and others considered “City Shapers” drove an Evoque in each city on the 12-month tour
and their journeys were tracked in order to create a living interactive guide for consumers
to follow (Jaguar Land Rover). The brand also launched an aggressive social media blitz
to create buzz. On top of extensive broadcast and print advertising, the company used an
interactive Twitter scavenger hunt and created an app for DROID by Motorola for users
to get involved and access the unique musical journey that OK Go mapped out through
LA. The car was inspired by city architecture and people of the city and those same
inspirations drove this campaign.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths:

Quality, trusted brands assure consumers with new products

Celebrity endorsements create feelings of desire

Strategic placements/sightings will spark buzz with high profile audiences

To support Jaguar and Land Rover brand cars
Weaknesses:

Celebrities are not all familiar to target audience

A 12 month campaign will make sustaining hype difficult

There is a limited target audience with the types of events

Collectors may not see the benefits to their collections

Target audience may not share concern for environmentally conscious vehicles
Opportunities:

People like to see and be seen and these events have that potential

Eco-friendly products are gaining popularity

Interactive Evoque journeys could be new selling point for consumers
Threats:

Other cars at the show could be more exposed than the C-X75 and Evoque

Can be hard to change people’s perspectives of environmentally friendly cars

People are reluctant to spend money on a car that’s brand new to the market

Preconceived notion that Land Rover and Jaguar are typically aimed toward
upper-class men
Problem Statement
“To communicate who they are, how they’re changing, and what they’ve got
coming, Jaguar Land Rover is executing an aggressive PR campaign, including a week of
pre-show events, guerilla activities and social media tactics” (PR Week).
Research:
Land Rover made its debut in 1948, being the most robust European car since its
formation. This vehicle was designed for its durability and unparalleled strength. Being
that Range Rover, the first car model, created in 1970, was such an overnight sensation;
Maurice Wilks thought that Land Rover would become rapidly popular. His vision of the
Land Rover came about from an American World War II Jeep. Throughout the decades,
Land Rover’s evolution has changed to more of a sporty and sleek vehicle. Land Rover
has been a hit with celebrities since its debut, especially with famous European celebrities
like Queen Elizabeth and Pope John Paul II.
Jaguar was founded in 1922 by two motorcycle enthusiasts, William Lyons and
William Walmsley. Jaguar was originally named Sallow Sidecar Company, with the
intent to build sidecars for motorcycles before creating multiple passenger cars (Jaguar).
The name soon changed to Jaguar after World War II. In 1926, the company began to
build actual automobiles that were luxurious and more attractive to wealthy people.
In 2008, Jaguar and Land Rover were bought by Tata Motors from the Ford
Company. Tata Motors paid 2.3 billion dollars to the Ford Company to combine Jaguar
and Land Rover automobile brands (Ford Motor Company). Ford Motor Company made
the sale to Tata Motors because they wanted to concentrate on its “core Ford brand”
(Ford Motor Company). Because Land Rover and Jaguar are prestigious and luxurybased vehicles, Tata Motors is a highly lucrative company now because of this brand
combination. The newly introduced Range Rover Evoque costs about $43,995, and is a
compact SUV that went into production in July of 2011 (Schorr). This luxury vehicle was
designed to reduce carbon dioxide omissions. It’s available in 3-door and 5-door body
styles. The Jaguar CX-75 costs between 1.15-1.48 million dollars. The name consists of
the C meaning concept, the X standing for experimental, and the number 75 for the 75
anniversary of Jaguar. Only 250 cars will be available to the public (Schorr).
The Hello Los Angeles Campaign was in charge of a larger campaign called
“Pulse of the City”. Los Angeles was chosen to initiate the campaign as the first city on
the tour because of the annual LA Auto Show (Jaguar Land Rover). The LA Auto Show
began in 1907, with 99 vehicles on display at Morley’s Skating Rink. As the auto
industry rapidly expanded, the auto show changed venues four times throughout the
1920s to accommodate the increasing needs of vendors. During the 1929 show, an
electrical circuit in one of the airplane exhibits sparked causing the whole show to catch
fire. This catastrophe ended in more than one million dollars in damage. With the help of
the public, the show re-opened a day later at the Shrine Auditorium.
The auto show continued to prove victorious throughout the 1930s, but went
downhill during the World War II and went on a break from 1940-1951. In 1952, the
show re-opened at the Pan Pacific Auditorium with 152 vehicles on exhibit, including
those from international manufacturers. Throughout the next 50 years, the auto show
continuously grew, and it became the triumph that it is today. In the past decade, the
show has changed its name from The Greater Los Angeles Auto Show to the LA Auto
Show. The show moved its dates from early January to late November/early December in
2006. This resulted in two shows during the year 2006, the second show marking the
100-year anniversary. In 2010, the auto introduced two hybrid high-class name brand
vehicles with great marketing tactics to assist their production.
Jaguar Land Rover wanted to be a part of the auto show because it’s a strong base
for marketing tactics to debut their new cars, the Range Rover Evoque and Jaguar C-X75.
Leading up to the global debut was a weeklong series of events that created anticipation
among high profile LA residents. They used aggressive social media tactics, hosted
concerts, put on scavenger hunts, and provided hotel accommodations and restaurant and
popular club VIP statuses. All of these tactics created awareness of Jaguar Land Rover
cars.
Objectives
The objectives for Jaguar and Land Rover LA Auto Show Campaign are:
1.
To create awareness of the electric super-car, the Jaguar C-X75
2.
To create awareness of the luxurious Range Rover Evoque
3.
To increase Jaguar and Land Rover car sales with various marketing tactics
Other objectives would be to target younger and a more trend-setting audience who
desire to be ahead of the curve and try to make a car-based fashion statement, and to
promote Jaguar and Land Rover’s luxury cars to residents in the Los Angeles area.
Programming
The Jaguar Land Rover Auto Show Campaign created numerous events to
advertise new cars that are targeted to a lavishness car buying audience. The marketing
strategies for the new Jaguar Land Rover luxury brand cars consisted of extensive
broadcast, print, digital and outdoor advertising billboards from the brands throughout
LA. These strategies were also included in The LA International Airport, the LA
Convention Center and many major LA hot spots. The following are the major aspects of
the campaign. The Jaguar Land Rover marketing team hosted 30 members of lifestyle,
business media and auto for the pre-show events beginning Friday, Nov. 12 (PR Week).
The LA Automobile Show:
On Nov. 19, 2010 at the Los Angeles International Automobile Show, Jaguar Land
Rover made an impact with a series of events, awards, announcements and promotions
about its new luxury cars. Jaguar and Land Rover presented the city with “Hello L.A.”
banner ads around popular destinations and hosted VIP events to get people to attend the
show (PR Newswire). On Nov. 12, the C-X75 was parked in front of the Cleo, which is
“one of the hottest restraints in town,” and the Evoque hosted a party at the Colony
nightclub. The next morning was an Irvines’ Cars & Coffee classic car show (PR Week).
The LA Auto Show had plenty of new and prestigious cars, but Jaguar Land Rover swept
everyone away with their new exclusive models. The hot commodity was indeed the
Jaguar C-X75 Concept, but also on display at the Jaguar stand were the 2010 XJ, XK and
XF. This 2010 Model Year lineup was on display for press review on Nov. 17-18 and
available during the public show days from Nov. 19-28.
Jaguar Land Rover Press Conference:
On the morning of Nov. 17, there was a press conference at the auto show in Los
Angeles, which featured a global debut of the Range Rover Evoque and a North
American debut of the Jaguar C-X75. The press conference was hosted by fashion
journalists and television star, Louise Roe. After the cars were released, a full day of
international broadcast interviews followed, highlighting both brands' latest designs.
The first LA deputy major showed up after all of the media interviews after
touring the show (PR Newswire). Jaguar then presented him with a display that
showcased the brands’ LA Campaign, which is by far one of the largest markets in the
world for both brands. Frank Klaas, Global Head of Communications, said, “Los Angeles
is the perfect setting for the world debut of our all new Range Rover Evoque five-door
and North American debut of our Jaguar C-X75 electric concept. LA is an international,
trend-setting city and, of course, is the entertainment capital of the world. We were very
pleased to share Jaguar and Land Rover with the City of Los Angeles.”
Hotel PR in West Hollywood:
There were vehicle displays for a Land Rover retailer meeting centered on the
exhilarating new Range Rover Evoque at the W Hotel in West Hollywood. Multi-colored
Evoque wire frame installations were placed throughout various shopping areas and city
hot spots as part of a Twitter-based scavenger hunt contest (Jaguar Media Resource). On
Nov. 12, the Jaguar C-X75 Concept was placed in front of the Redbury Hotel on the
corner of Hollywood and Vine.
On the Road with Jay Leno:
Renowned car collector and Jaguar owner, Jay Leno, made a special visit with the
new Jaguar C-X75 for a demonstration drive for his www.jaylenosgarage.com and
bigdoggarage.com websites. On the website, there were video and story postings from
Leno’s garage in Burbank, CA (PR Week). Because he is one of the biggest stars in Los
Angeles, Jaguar Land Rover thought it was only right to have him try out the car firsthand. On Nov. 15 Jay Leno held an exclusive VIP reception in his famous garage where
the C-X75 took center stage among a variety of beautiful cars (Jaguar Media Resource).
“Hello Los Angeles” Parade:
On Nov. 16, the Range Rover Evoque “Hello Los Angeles” campaign had a
tastemaker reception at Cecconi’s in West Hollywood. There the LA City Shaper
Program was announced, featuring celebrities such as, OK Go, Solange Knowles, Miles
Fisher and Louise Roe. Later that day, the Grammy Award-winning band, OK Go, led an
eight-mile parade through the streets of LA. Fans got to join the band with their own
instruments and get on board with the celebratory journey (Jaguar Media Resource).
Awards and Accolades:
Jaguar and Land Rover received numerous automotive awards at the Los Angeles
Auto Show. J.D. Power and Associates announced Jaguar as the No. 1 luxury brand car
in its 2010 Sales Satisfaction Survey and AUTOMOBILE Magazine presented the 2010
“Design of the Year Award” to the 2011 Jaguar XJ. Popular Science magazine also
presented its “Best of What's New Award” to the Jaguar XJ in the Automotive section in
the magazine. Range Rover Sport won the “Automotive Lease Guide's Residual Value
Award” in the Best Luxury Utility Vehicle category for the fifth consecutive year in a
row. Land Rover also won the “People’s Choice Award” for the Premium Compact SUV
from Texas Automotive Media.
Evaluation:
The LA Auto Show was greatly successful in reaching the target audience and
marketing the new Jaguar Land Rover luxury hybrid cars. The marketing tactics
distributed were all the rage and advertised the cars quite satisfactorily. The campaign
received recognition from organizations around LA, newspapers, magazines, and the auto
show was broadcast around the nation. The brand engaged with 16,000 people prior to
the show (PR Week).
There were also more than 200,000 web cast views and increased traffic to all
websites, such as interactivejaguar.com, helloevoque.com and the “Pulse of the City”
phone application. The visits nearly doubled for interactivejaguar.com from Nov. 12-20
compared to the previous week, and the traffic increased 50 percent for helloevoque.com
from Nov. 17-18. The phone application doubled to 2,800 more people. With 500 TV
appearances, reaching 22 million viewers, and other media outlets, such as The Wall
Street Journal, The New York Times, MTV and BBC, the overall sales for Jaguar Land
Rover North America increased 18 percent in 2010 (PR Week). “Positive sales results
show the brands’ transformation and aggressive communications are driving momentum”
said Stuart Schorr, the VP of Communications for North America. The nontraditional
approach of combining press conferences, events and various social media tactics will
continue globally for Jaguar Land Rover.
Recommendations:
Overall, the Los Angeles Auto Show campaign was very successful in creating
awareness about the Range Rover Evoque and the Jaguar C-X75. Jaguar Land Rover did
a good job of creating the campaign, and we think the brand should continue its
marketing tactics and strategies; such as the press conference, utilizing Jay Leno as a
celebrity endorser and collaborating with Los Angeles restaurants and night clubs to
entice target consumers. As the brand evolved and expanded the paradigm of how they
communicate with the public, their nontraditional approach of mixing events, press
conferences and social media outreach engaged more consumers successfully achieving
its goal. If Jaguar Land Rover adapts the LA Auto Show approach to other target cities,
its campaign will continue to drive the brand in the right direction.
Although the Los Angeles Auto Show Blitz was successful, there are few minor
things that could have been done in a different way. The campaign did a great job at
using Facebook, Twitter and the Android phone application, but we think the social
media efforts could be increased. For example, creating Facebook advertisements would
be effective because they are very customizable and more specific to the target audience.
Another approach that the Los Angeles Auto Show Blitz used was incorporating a
Grammy-winning band that led a parade around Los Angeles. Although this tactic was
successful in gaining awareness, we think a band or musician that is better known to the
target generation would have drawn more attention to the event. For example, Elton John,
The Eagles or Journey would have resonated more with the target audience and given
people more of a reason to participate in the parade. Although celebrity endorsements are
not always the most compelling, a more popular and relatable artist would have created
more interest to the brand and excitement for the event.
Works Cited
Ford Motor Company. FORD MOTOR COMPANY ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT TO
SELL
JAGUAR LAND ROVER TO TATA MOTORS | Ford Motor Company Newsroom.
Home | Ford Motor Company Newsroom. 26 Mar. 2008. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
<http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=27953>.
Hall-Geisler, Kristen. "History of Jaguar - Jaguar Cars History - Overview of Jaguar."
Exotic
Cars - Exotic and Luxury Car Profiles and Exotic Car Manufacturer Histories.
The New York Times Publisher, 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.
<http://exoticcars.about.com/od/overviewsofmaker1/p/JagHistory.htm>.
"Jaguar Cars and Autos." Cars and Autos. Web. 25 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.cars-and-autos.info/jaguar-cars/index.htm>.
"Jaguar International - Goodwood Revival." Jaguar International - Market Selector
Page. Web.
23 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.jaguar.com/gl/en/experience/events/goodwood_revival>
"Jaguar: Engineering a Brand That Combines Luxurious Sound with First- Class
Handling." LMS
International - Leading Partner in Test & Mechatronic Simulation. Web. 23 Nov.
2011. <http://www.lmsintl.com/Jaguar-engineering-a-brand-that-combinesluxurious-sound-with-first-class-hnadling>
Jaguar Land Rover. Jaguar Land Rover Builds Buzz Around Los Angeles Auto
Show.Jaguar Media Source. 18 Nov. 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
<http://us.mediajaguar.com/php/news.php?id=215>.
Land Rover Global Home. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. <http://www.landrover.com>.
"Land Rover Cars and Autos." Cars and Autos. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.cars-and-autos.info/land-rover-cars/index.htm>
Lewis, Tanya. "Nontraditional Strategy Places Jaguar Land Rover in New Light PRWeek US."
PR News, Features, Opinions, and Analysis - PRWeek US. 01 Mar. 2011. Web. 21
Nov. 2011.
<http://www.prweekus.com/nontraditional-strategy-places-jaguar-land-rover-innew-light/article/196752/>
Schorr, S. (Ed.). (2010, November 17). Range Rover says 'Hello Los Angeles'. Retrieved
from
http://www.interactivelandrover.com/pulseOfTheCity/images/news/pdf/
111710084041_LA_VIP_event_RR_release.10.16.10.FINAL.pdf