Porsche Perceptions in Focus Group

[Sonic dB]

I was looking at the thread today regarding people's perceptions of Porsche and its drivers. I was reminded of this excellent excerpt from the book "Truth Lies & Advertising" by Jon Steel, who is the account planner for Goodby, Silverstein & Partners who handle the Porsche advertising account.

Here are the scans from the book.

[Carl Bauer]

What a great post. The *********! cartoon is just awesome! They really did have the adverts nailed in the 993 era w/ stuff like this:



Thanks for scanning this Sonic.

[RallyJon]

Just because you like to think of yourself driving fast on a mountain road, doesn't mean you're not an *******.

OTOH, you take a kid who dreams of a 911 so vividly that he gets the tail and other details and you force them to drive a Honda for a few years and there will certainly be some built-up resentment. People hate themselves for all sorts of reasons, and the emotions they display aren't necessarily rational.

[jorian]

Great article! Thanks for the scans.

[masraum]

Originally posted by RallyJon People hate themselves for all sorts of reasons, and the emotions they display aren't necessarily rational. [/B]

Yep, lots of people resent (in some cases a gross understatement) people with more than they have.

[JeffO]

What a great post. As i I was reading this I thought I would draw the view from the drivers seat looking out over the hood and the headlights with the blur of the road spedding past. But I can't draw!

[drauz]

"lots of people resent ... people with more than they have."

especially if the thing the have more of is fun.

[jester911]

Great post. I often feel as though people look at me that way when I am driving my car. The good thing about it is I really don't give a hairy rat's rump what they think.

It is kind of funny that I drive a 20 year old car that has a value much less than most new cars on the road. It is noisy,leaks a little oil, has no a/c, has virtually no cargo space,can only fit one passenger, and I get people that act like I have some 100k exotic auto.
As is so often the case, perception and reality are far from the same thing.

[dickster]

Enjoyable read, it always interests me how industries, other than the one I work in, operate. The lengths that they go to with focus groups etc....

No resentment felt here, only admiring glances

[Erik Mckenna]

Some Porsche drivers are A-holes..
My wife and I were going out for dinner and a guy he may have been mid 30's to late 30's in a red 928 ( which sounded GREAT! BTW) was tail gating us and then decided to cut around us to make a left turn.. which is the same thing we were doing is making that same left turn well he jumped over the solid line to try to beat us to it and almost hit is us... The only thing that saved us from hitting was the fact his car was so loud I knew he was going to try somehitng stupid and i grabbed the wheel from Ash and turn away from him.. I waited for him to look back at us as we waited to turn left.. but he never did I would have given him the digit and maybe said something to him. it was too bad he was such an a hole because his car was bad azz

but it's good to read that young ones still see Porsche a a great car to want to own someday.. i hope I can pass the love on to my kids!

-Eric

[kühn tune]

It is kind of funny that I drive a 20 year old car that has a value much less than most new cars on the road. It is noisy,leaks a little oil, has no a/c, has virtually no cargo space,can only fit one passenger, and I get people that act like I have some 100k exotic auto.

I went to a high school that was mostly upper middle class and I was an exception. These kids got new Probes or Civics when they turned 16 and a Mustang GT or Jeep Wrangler when they were Seniors. I had a (mostly) forrest green, 21 year old 912 that everything below the doors was painted black with a rust cure. The heat tunnels were filled with expanding foam and the floors and front pan were made of fiberglass, silicone sealant and panels my dad and I cut from an old freezer. Some mornings I would have to stop on the way to school and scrape ice from the inside of the windshield.

Those kids who had everything handed to them and whose lives centered around fashion and sports while I was working a 40 hour week after school and on weekends came to the conclusion that I was some kind of snob.

Man I wish I still had that car.

[randywebb]

Note the question in the posted article: "Is there anything socially unacceptible in loving to drive?"

The answer is "of course" -- and that is part of the general public's perception. Even tho Porsche AG has gone to great lengths to reduce pollution (my Boxster S had an EPA pollution index of only 0.31) and has always been the economical, small-engined giant-slayer of a sports car.

I suspect that the major factor is the money issue - or percieved money issue.

A third important one though is how we drive and what people see. We all like to dart around a bit in traffic, no? That is not percieved well.

I'd like to see a comparison of perceptions of Porsche drivers/owners with Fcars, and Corvettes. That might get at factor #4, which is:
- it's a GERMAN car - and not one made by those cute, pink-cheeked Bavarians in their ledehosen either. It has a teutonic feel (and image) that you don't get in an Fcar or Corvette. I don't know if the general public realizes that consciously or sub-consciously, but I'm sure they relate to not as just a powerful sports car, and an expensive one (most think the new ones cost Fcar levels of $$ too), but as a German car.

[naparsei]

the resentment can also be for other reasons

People often envy other people who made a choice they didn't - in the case of 20 year old 911, the decision not to do it could have been: spouse wouldn't let me, lack of parking space, choice of logic vs. passion, having kids, buying a boat instead, etc. etc.

It doesn't have to be rational, but if they opted out of P-car ownership (even if they could afford, and many could if they chose to), they're probably bitter about it...

[ckissick]

So yesterday, when I was driving around my 911, I was a rich ********* who kicks puppies. Today I'm driving the rusty '83 Westfalia, so that makes me a peace loving hippie. And that's why these stereotypes don't work.

Which one am I? Neither. I'm just a guy who likes old cars because they're fun.

[SandyI]

The whole Porsche/A**hole association began in the Go-Go '80's when thousands of 911's were leased by Yuppie jerk-offs and Scarface wannabes. (There are some hilarious stories about the infamous Steve Taub Porsche dealership in Santa Monica where the majority of the salesman were drug dealers.)

During the Jimmy Carter administation and earlier, most Porsches were purchased by affluent driving enthusiasts. And at that time, most Americans had no idea who or what a Porsche was. I lived in Denver in the mid-1970's. My dad had a pristine '69 912. I remember my friends dumbstruck when I showed them the car's engine was in the back!

I personally would like to thank the Hummer Corp because now those drivers take the heat for being the biggest jerks on the road.

[Jack Olsen]

That "*********" illustration is going to make its way into someone's avatar, I'll bet.

[masraum]

BTW, thanks tons for scanning and posting. That was very interesting. I wonder if things would be the same or different if the study was done now.

[masraum]

Originally posted by Jack Olsen
That "*********" illustration is going to make its way into someone's avatar, I'll bet.

Now that you've used the jedi mind trick on all of us.....

[Poohsan]

This thread is very interesting and timely to me, as I am new to the Porsche world. This thought of, “What does the rest of the world think of me because I drive a Porsche,” did not cross my mind until after I purchased one. Only after I purchased it did I see people’s reactions to the car. So far I have not encountered anyone screaming at me for being a yuppie scum, dog kicking, prick; but I have wondered what was crossing their minds at the stop light.

My motivation in purchasing was all about fun and driving. I was looking for a great sports car at an affordable price. My wife and I are frugal with money and we are not the type to impulse buy.

In the vain of being frugal I purchased a used 1981 911se Targa. I find people reactions to the purchase interesting. So far the reactions have been, “WOW that is a dream car” followed with the implication I must be doing well money wise. I find this very interesting as I have been getting these responses from people driving relatively new cars that were double or triple the cost of the Porsche I purchased.

The other side of the coin I was a kid in the 80’s and Porsche was an Icon of wealth, but for the most part I do not have a mental picture of prick or A-hole as a memory. I wonder if others in my age bracket or younger do not have a negative association with this car and it’s driver. I also wonder if the younger generations see the car as an old man’s car. It seems that everyone my age or younger is obsessed with ghetto-fabulous bling which is associated with SUVs and rice burners.

Happy driving!

Arron

Just for fun here are my demographic traits for your evaluation in regards to this subject ;-)

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Age: 33
Car: 911sc targa, (soon to be my daily driver)
Occupation: Toy Designer

[RSBob]

Thank you for posting.

It unfortunately confirms what I have always thought, even by drunks. Case in point, my wife drove our 914 to the local tavern where they have the absolute best cheeseburgers in the county. The tavern is a local hang out for the local biker/Harley set. They are very benign, but love to use the F word in all its splender all the time. I find it more humorous than anything.

Carol forgot to turn off the parking lights, when we parked around the corner, not visible from the tavern. A nice guy came in asking, "Does any one here own a Porsche? If you do, your lights are on." One of the bikers next to me immediately piped up, "I HATE PORSCHES". Needless to say I was a little surprised. I figured the alcohol was doing the talking, but the basic truth was there. Better translated: I HATE PORSCHE OWNERS. I doubt he was commenting on the abilities of the car. Who knows what this guy is all about, or if he was an abused child or lost several million dollars in the stock market - he was still very vehement, probably thinking the car was a 911 or a 911 derivative. I know one guy doesn't make a movement, but no one there disagreed with him either.

When I drive the 911 I am tailgated about 50% more than when driving the 914 even though it has a modified circa 74-78 911 PORSCHE red panel between the tail lights. (I also darkened the panel so PORSCHE doesn't scream out, but it is still there for all to read.

I certainly feel less self-conscious in the 914, probably because fewer people know what it is. I have to say that I love the exhileration of driving the 911, but really enjoy the anonyminity of the 914. Which means one thing - I need to hot rod the 914 so I get the same thrill.

But the A-hole factor stereotype is definitely alive and well. The more we can do to help lessen the image by driving responsibly when around others, the better.