Subaru BRZ IMC plan

Abstract

The United States is currently home to one of the largest automotive industries in the world. Conditions in the U.S. automotive industry are improving since the recent recession. In the sports car category of the automotive industry, younger consumers are behaving differently than older consumers, creating a new market for affordable sports cars. There are a number of trends in the automotive industry including: plug-in hybrid technology, safety related systems, in-car connectivity, car size, and growth in the sports car industry. There are several environmental factors impacting the automotive industry, including the recent recession, a rise in a demand for sustainable products, new governmental regulations, and technological advances. Subaru is a company that was established in 1953. In 2012, Subaru launched a new entry level sports car called the Subaru BRZ. The Subaru BRZ was created as a joint venture project with Toyota. The Toyota version of the vehicle is called the Scion FR-S. The target market for the Subaru BRZ consists of mostly younger males. Current marketing efforts for the Subaru BRZ have been limited. The Subaru BRZ competes with other sports cars such as its twin vehicle, the Scion FR-S, Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, Hyundai Veloster, and the Mazda Miata. The buying process for vehicles has recently involved more online activity. An integrated marketing communications plan was created for the Subaru BRZ with information from the situational analysis and research. It strives to meet several objectives which include: building awareness, generating interest, creating preference and encouraging test drives and purchases of the Subaru BRZ. These objectives are to be accomplished by using a mix of traditional and new media but will mainly be focused on social media. The impact of the IMC plan will be measured using tracking studies.