[Milu]

Porsche invested a lot of money in trying to lose their "yuppy" image. This began with profiling current owners and sending information packs to the press, showing the results of their studies: i.e. that the typical owner was a fortyish and responsible small business owner or professional and not a twentyish wide boy whizzkid with a bonus to spend. My source for this is simply the cynical articles that were appearing in some of the publications and club magazines at the time.

If Porsche themselves have not been helpful you could try contacting advertising agencies and the automotive press, as well as some of the Porsche Clubs, although these have been acting as Porsche subsidiaries of late. An intense internet search may also yield some results.

It may also be worthwhile getting in touch with the marketing staff of your nearest business school for some references on automotive marketing and buyer profiling for you to follow up on. It is a very long time since I studied anything related but in my day a large part of automotive advertising was actually aimed at those who had JUST purchased the car to reassure them they had made the right decision!

The following is my subjective and cynical view. Not every poster, porschephile or owner or Porsche themselves, may agree.

My remark about Porsche trying to change their current image is simply me being cynical. Like some others on this board I feel bitter and betrayed by much of the current product line and their catering to the SUV market instead of the enthusiast market. However, let us not forget that the prime objective of any business is to make a profit. Porsche has left motorsport, at least for the time being, is trying to appeal to the wider luxury market and consequently has diluted its product to be more acceptable and I feel as a consequence has also diluted the brand. In the light of this I feel they are again trying to change their image. More BMW and AudiVW than Ferrari and TVR.

Typically Porsche was a specialist sportscar for the enthusiast market with a bias towards competition. High quality product with great engineering. Very strong presence in motorsport. The cars were I think mostly purchased by serious drivers, competition types and those that at the very least aspired to the sporting aspects plus those that appreciated the engineering. This was diluted over the years. Obviously there have always been buyers who bought for the status symbol it offered.

To define how I see the current buyers first let me state how I see the cars:

Current production offers the Boxster which has the potential to be a great sportscar but which I believe is being held back in order to not steal market share from the more profitable 996.
The 996 range offers some sporting cars such as the GT3, but I cannot think of the bread and butter 996s as anything except fat luxury gts! Then we have the Cayenne, the fastest 4wd truck in the world.

So who buys or aspires to a Porsche today:
The entry level Boxster: Marginal owners, those that can only just manage the cost of a new Porsche. Young professionals. Status symbol buyers. Small number of enthusiasts.
The 996. Affluent new car buyers/business buyers - basically same profile as Mercedes or BMW buyers. GT3 buyers are likely to be trackday enthusiasts, these would be the closest to traditional Porsche buyers.
The Cayenne, at the moment I would guess status buyers who want to be the first in their street with the new, hard to get, model. In the future, I don't know.

My advice would be to aim your piece at an affluent, successful professional. A luxury car buyer who wants a little more status than a top range BMW and likes the sporting overtones that the Porsche name still carries. For the distaff: 30ish, independent, successful, looking for exclusivity, quality and status. I think that today the new buyer is indifferent to the engineering under the skin. The piece should thus personify: performance, style, luxury and success. Freedom and escape.

Hope the above helped.