4/8 Post

To get started on this campaign, Dr. Spotts suggested that we make a list of all the research items and topics that we will need to complete our campaign. Research and data to back up our reasoning is very important for this project since the clients are such sticklers about this. Our team created this list and we shared it at the research director meeting (which I sat in for since Rebecca couldn't make it). Dr. Spotts then suggested that we split this into the 4 Cs analysis so that it is easier to split the research between the 5 team members. The entire campaign is extremely brand focuses as Mercedes is a brand focused company. They sell products based on their product attributes and the value of their brand name, which is one of the top 10 brands in the world according to Interbrand. Their company does not use events or sales promotion tactics, which means their brand is extremely important to their overall organization and sales. Another extremely important part of the project is the customers. Mercedes is trying to reach out to a new market outside their general demographic to sell more from their affordable segment. We must really understand who the customers are, their media consuming habits, purchasing behaviors, and all forms of data on the group (demographic, behavior, psychographic). This group is a huge growth opportunity for Mercedes since they have a loyalty rate in the 70%-80% range. Therefore once they get a customer, they usually keep them. For these reasons, we will be focusing on the two Cs of consumers and company for this first week of our project. To get the ball rolling, I decided to split up our topics into the 4Cs so we will be able to jump into researching. 

Company: 

• Mercedes as a whole/ Mercedes brand
• Springfield location brand specifically
• What does Mercedes sponsor corporately?
• Past marketing the Mercedes Springfield location has done
• Look into financing= how much does a consumer actually need to pay to afford one of the affordable cars?

Customers:

• Income info about Springfield residents/ Western MA residents
• The purchasing process of getting a new or used car
• What are the key characteristics that consumers look for when picking a car to purchase
• Consumer Decision Journey
• Statistics on who is buying Mercedes in the area/ how many people have purchased cars so far
• What kind of people are most likely to be able to afford/ want Mercedes affordable segment?
• What is the target market(s)?
• Psychographic data on this group
• Demographic data on this group
• Behavioral data on this group
• What type of media does the target market use?
• What channels are the best for generating awareness?
• What are best channels for generating traffic to the store/website?
• What news outlets does the target market view the most?
• What PR tactics can be utilized in the campaign?

Competitors:

• Competition research (other luxury brands)

Context:

• Overall auto industry statistics
• Car dealerships/ what drives traffic to dealerships
• Economic factors that affect buyer behavior
• Regulatory or legal factors that must be addressed 
• Technological trends that affect company and consumers
• Social trends that affect Mercedes’ performance

After splitting up the questions into the 4Cs, I saw that the majority of the topics that we want to research are customer and company focused anyway, so that fits with the overall goals of the campaign. The next thing that I wanted to do was list out all the potential elements of value so that my team and I can pick out the top factors that influence the luxury automotive industry as a whole. 

The wikipedia page about the luxury automotive industry defined a luxury automobile as: "a vehicle with higher quality equipment, better performance, more precise construction, comfort, higher design, technologically innovative modern, or features that convey an image, brand, status, or prestige, or any other 'discretionary' feature or combination of them."

This definition was helpful in determining elements of value. Here is the list that I think applies to Mercedes. As a team, we will most likely have to do this again and think of it from the perspective of our target market specifically once we have determined exactly who our target market is. 

Life Changing:

• Self Actualization: "The realization or fulfillment of one's talents and potentialities, especially considered as a drive or need present in everyone." I believe this is an attribute for those older, retired people that Michelle was talking about. They think "I've made it, know I can get  a Mercedes". This would not be helpful for the affordable segment because we want to convince people that they don't need to be at that stage of their life to get a Mercedes. However, if we can convince people that they "have made it" at an earlier stage in life, that could be helpful for our campaign. 
• Heirloom: A heirloom is "a valuable object that has belonged to a family for several generations" and Mercedes has a long line of high quality car that are well known and respected. This is definitely a huge part of their brand. They even have an antique car on display when you first walk into the dealership and they have one of their most well known old cars as a huge display on the wall. It's the first thing you see when you enter the dealership.
• Affiliation/ Belonging: Owning a Mercedes puts you in a group of an elite few. This group includes celebrities and other famous figures. This conveys a status of image and prestige. 

Emotional:

• Design/ Aesthetic and Attractiveness: Mercedes is known for their sleek designs and their beautiful cars.
• Fun/Entertainment: I think of convertibles when I think of this.  

Functional: 

• Saves Time/ Avoids Hassle: The Springfield location saves time and avoids hassle for the customer because they are all about pleasing their customer (It's not business, it's personal). I think of Michelle talking about the average customers experience when trying to get service on their car versus their experience at Mercedes. 
• Reduces Risk: Mercedes is leading in the industry for safety, which reduces the risk of drivers. 
• Reduces Effort: Mercedes has technology that reduces the effort of the driver, such as lane correct and even technology that allows the car to continue driving when the user takes their hands off the wheel (Mercedes does not advertise this though because they do not want the driver to stop driving and rely on the technology).
• Quality: Mercedes is one of the highest quality cars in the market.