What is most puzzling to me is why SRT would not have consulted its cousin's ( Ferrari) marketing function, since Ferrari has always had, as long as I can remember, incredible marketing.
Ah yes, let's listen in on Luca de Montezemolo's words of wisdom ...
[ringtone "Woman" by Wolf Mother perturbs the atmosphere at La Pergola]
LdM: [glances at caller ID] [facepalm, heavy sigh] [answers anyway] Pronto.
RG: Yo Luca, it's Ralph. Got a minute?
LdM: Ah, wait one. [looks around the table at Silvio Berlusconi and half a dozen supermodels, stage-whispers
it's that "cool guy" from SRT again, they all collapse in stifled giggles] But of course. How may I serve you today?
RG: I'll tell you straight, I got about 500 Vipers sitting like so many paperweights and winter's coming on. You seem to be pretty good at moving expensive cars. I think we should tell all SRT dealers that they must offer test drives to qualified prospects. Sound good to you?
LdM: Except perhaps for our FF pickup truck, all Ferraris have a two-year waiting list and dealers cannot keep them in stock. What is this "test drive" you speak of?
RG: Come to think of it, we had a waiting list too, where many of our most loyal customers plunked down huge deposits months in advance after seeing the prototype all over the news.
LdM: And you rewarded them by making sure they got the very first cars before anyone else, no?
RG: [clears throat] Upon reflection, we felt it was more important to provide dealers with showroom candy to drive sales of Rams and Darts. Viper fanatics understood this without our having to explain.
LdM: [makes face as if he had just stepped in dog poo] That is the most brilliant thing I have heard all day.
[Berlusconi urgently holds up a table napkin reading "Put it on speaker!" as the supermodels clap in agreement. LdM does so with a wide grin.]
RG: Thank you. How else can we get our brand out there? Remember, our marketing budget is about $1.98.
LdM: Product placement has worked well for us. Ferris Bueller, Miami Vice, Magnum P.I., Cannonball Run, Rush, a few hundred other films and television series. This is the kind of advertising that money cannot buy.
RG: We had our own TV show. It was even called "Viper." And I think Angelina Jolie drove one in a movie once.
[Berlusconi pounds the table, tears of laughter streaming down his face]
LdM: [shushes him with a wave] Excellent, but don't stop with her. Build your celebrity clientele. We began with Peter Sellers and Elvis long ago, now everybody from Schwarzenegger and Stallone to Paris Hilton and Justin Bieber. There is no such thing as
bad publicity, my friend. Who are some great names driving Vipers?
RG: Bon Jovi, and, ah ...
LdM: I see. When all else fails, win on Sunday and sell on Thursday, or whatever it is you Americans say. How is your racing?
RG: [brightens] We are doing very well in our second season of the American LeMans series.
[Berlusconi falls off chair, curled up laughing on the floor]
LdM: Congratulations. Let me guess--Nielsen ratings for telecasts of last week's ALMS race are in the neighborhood of 0.0001?
RG: If that.
LdM: How long will it take you to win enough victories and podiums to accumulate sixteen World Constructor Championships, seventeen World Driver Championships, hundreds of millions of screaming fans all over the planet, and hundreds of millions of dollars every season from prize money and sponsors?
RG: Longer than it took you, I imagine.
LdM: You know, I really like you, so I'll tell you a secret--Ferrari might clear a few euros from selling actual Ferraris, but far more profitable is our merchandising. Every week, emails go out to millions of Tifosi in over 100 countries with tasteful, classy advertising for fine watches, apparel, luggage, sporting goods, jewelry, fashion accessories, posters, books, office supplies, and so forth, all bearing our Scuderia shield that more or less doubles the price. These products are available online and at Ferrari dealers and boutique stores worldwide, as well as our theme park in Abu Dhabi, and people can't get enough of anything with the Prancing Horse on a yellow background. I presume you have similar plans.
RG: [startled] Who the hell is going to buy stuff with a poisonous snake on it?
LdM: We seem to live in very different worlds. [Berlusconi gives a thumbs up. "F'in A, bro!"] Now we must at last address the product itself. What has your Viper to offer?
RG: Two-seat hatchback coupe, steel frame with aluminum and carbon fiber bodywork, rear wheel drive 8.4L 640hp 600tq V10, 200+mph,
[email protected] 1/4mi, 1.05 lateral g, 14.65 ft^3 cargo space ...
LdM: No, not all that. How does it feel? How does it look?
RG: It feels like a race car for the street. The few who've bought it rave about how much fun it is to drive, and the admiring crowds, and how happy they are with their purchase. And it looks like Halle Berry lying on the beach sideways naked.
LdM: Mama Mia! How fast is it, really?
RG: At Laguna Seca it holds many records, even over the C6 ZR1. It certainly beats any Ferrari 458 by several seconds at a third of the price.
LdM: [harrumph] Easy there, Signore Zheel. But now that you bring this up, how much does it cost?
RG: MSRP of most examples ranges from $120,000 to $140,000.
LdM: That certainly is less than a 458, I must concede.
RG: Many dealers are asking $10-50,000 market adjustment.
LdM: Right next to all those econoboxes, family sedans, sport-utes, pony cars, and monster trucks? How is this working out for you?
RG: We have no control over them. Potential customers laugh hysterically and order new C7 Corvettes at half the price and there's nothing I can do about it.
LdM: And you think I can? If I had a world-class product like yours, combined with Ferrari's 60 years of heritage, I suppose I could.
RG: That's why I'm calling. Now that we're part of the Fiat family and all, you should be selling Vipers at Ferrari dealers. Think of the synergies!
LdM: [pinches bridge of nose, shakes head sadly] I tell you what, I'll call Sergio in the morning and I'm sure he'll approve. [ends call, rolls eyes] Said no one ever.
Berlusconi: You guys should get a room.
LdM: Ha! No, WE should get a room. Ladies ... [they all giggle delightedly and follow him out]
With that said, it appears to me that the marketing problems appear to be mostly in execution and follow through which suggests insufficient oversight. For instance, there does not seem to be enough of a connection established between the racing program and the Viper SRT and GTS. For example, a simple video could be made showing an SRT with aero going around a road course track side by side with the race car at speed. Or, each car by themselves and then merge the videos so they are side by side. Or, start with the race car and morph the car into the SRT Viper or GTS Viper with aero. Simple videos. Simple message. Cool sights and sounds. Then play the ad on the British version of the car show we all like. The American version is pathetic.
I don't think it's that simple, I'm afraid.
