Marketing Sports Sedans

[jd yort]

We had Superlap on here in Sydney on the weekend. They apparently managed to get over 10,000 people out there on Saturday to watch a bunch of predominantly late model Japanese cars go around a track in single file racing against the clock.

To most people on this forum, we would agree that there is no comparing the products. One event you get to see cars actually racing, the other well you don't. Sports Sedans look better, sound better and are compariable in speed though there was some very quick lap times out there.

The price to see this procession was $40 a pop. This event you could say was Marketing perfection. So how is this possible and what can be learnt from this?

(Sports Sedan competitor Dave Loftus was competing in his GTR and his new paint scheme looks fantastic).

[Toyzda]

Non racing people do not like real competition. Drifting experienced a massive following in Australia in the begining because the cars were just illegal street cars with crazy people doing skids. As soon as it became proffessional the crowds and entries disappeared. These people also don't like rules and competition that make all the cars similar. They like to tell others their car has something different to the others, or like that car because it goes good for what it is. Superlap is also similar to this as there are hardly any cars evenly matched or built to any class rules.

This crowd most likely used to follow Group C, but became bored with Group A and then finally gave up all together when Group Red vs Blue turned up.

SS may have a chance of attracting this crowd with the exciting and diverse cars, but this crowd doesn't like racing or competition.

This crowd is the exact opposite that motor racing will attract. All "our" crowds that like competition are driving there factory backed Tripple Eight Whincup Holdens to work...

But after all that there still could be a solution. How about SS do a Superlap day as part of the State Series. A whole day of qualifying in effect, but it would expose the class to the community that attends the Superlap days. This could be a good marketing event.

[2002 turbo]

My thoughts on why this event was a success:

1. Promotion, there was heaps of it leading up to the event!!!
With the backing of Yokohama and Wynns they surely had plenty of money in the till to pay for it however they used many methods to get exposure. While the advertising wasn't overly mainstream i.e no TV commercials they got the word out for this event by doing the following:
- A Billboard on the M4 in the weeks leading up to the eventrace
- Ads in Auto Action and a 2 page feature story in last weeks issue pre-viewing the event
- Their own website was updated nearly every day with news and pictures
- The event was mentioned on Triple M quite few times
- They had an official launch in Martin Place in the CBD of Sydney
- They got on various internet forums Skylines Australia, Ausrotary, Nissan Silvia and built interest in the event posting teaser pics of the international cars on the docks,etc
- They used Youtube to host videos previewing the event
- Had international covergare on the well known Speedhunters.com website

I am sure they did other things too, this is just what i noticed.


2.The Internationals
Without a doubt this was the big draw card for a lot of people, seeing their hero cars from Japan run here in Australia. Also seeing how the Australian cars would stack up would of been of interest too.

The pace of the Jap cars certainly didn't disappoint but anyone educated enough would of seen that coming from a mile away!!! With no real rules to adhere to, super sticky tyres with token grooves that were good for a few laps not races!!!, powerful yet sometimes fragile engines, properly developed aero and pro drivers there would be no excuse for them to be slow!!!


3. Contacts in the industry
Ian Baker the main man behind the event is one of those guys that pretty much knows anyone who is anyone in the whole turbo/Japanese performance car scene. Mainly due to his involvement in the scene from the early 1990s through his old fabrication business Performance Metalcraft and his current business Hi Octane racing.
He knows the people and the workshops that build and race a lot of these cars so naturally he would of been in their ears about getting cars out there to race at the event. He also would of hit up a lot of the local workshop/performance part manufacturers to get trade stands to fill up the paddock area.


4. The variety of things offered by the event
There was pretty much something for most car type people:
- International cars
- Locally built pro cars
- Local Aussie Ford and Holden interest was catered for by inviting two cars, although they got convincingly flogged by all the Jap cars!!!
- Milder street type cars were running that the everyday punter on the hill could recognise with
- Drift car sessions (yeah it is gay but some people like it????)
- Stunt aeroplane
- Motorcycle stunts
- Show and shine and car club displays
- Trade stands showing off a range of performance cars, parts and services
- Promo girls (of varying standard haha) handing out free energy drinks
- Jumping castle for kids

Really if you look at the nuts and bolts of the Superlap event it was a glorified super sprint with a handful of quick cars. However it drew the numbers in because it was marketed the right way and if offered the spectators plenty for their money. The amount of people was pretty staggering, I know a few guys in the NSW Sport Sedan association were pretty blown away by the attendance.

When I went to the Shannons Nationals at Wakefield in March it was like going to a funeral compared to this event at Eastern creek. Besides the Sport Sedan racing being excellent and the funny conversations with Loser on the hill the rest of the event was not in any way exciting. Can you imagine what it would be like for someone who doesn't know any of the people racing????

[jd yort]

I think you have covered it pretty well 2002. It was a well designed an implemented Marketing plan that ticked all the boxes for their target market. This weekend the GT's are running out at Eastern Creek and the entry is free, they will probably be lucky to get more than a couple of hundred through the gates even with the lure of watching and listening to Lambo's etc.

Definitely an opportunity lost for a display / promotion from NSW Sports Sedans. If they are running it next year which you think they would on those numbers something to think about.

So is there a full body sports sedan that could have a shot at the title under their regulations? Now that would be some great publicity for the class.

[Topgear]

It was a good event, we had a trade stand there and meet many Sports Sedan guys as well as local customers and many potential overseas customers, it was a great turn out!
The winning car actually uses our products, so we can all be proud to know that the best cars in the world for this category use Australian made transmissions! And having our transmissions come 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Asia Pacific Rally on the same weekend made it even better!

Ian Baker did a great job organising the whole event and I know he had a lot riding on it.
I was very surprised by the amount of people that turned out for the event.

Yes Sports Sedans can learn a lot from the promotion of this event but keep in mind the bill board on the M4 alone was in the vacinity of $40,000...
Thats about the same amount Kerrick put into the National category (Thank you very much to Kerrick!!!!) every year...

I think we can promote our category better but we need to be smart and get the best value for money advertising we can get...

I think a youtube promotion video would be a good start, an expert can do something like this for around $1000 and do a very nice job... Although would require us to all pull $20 out of our pockets ;)

[MrBoost]

hey jd you do know sports sedans had a big setup with 4 cars out there under a transporter marque with video's playing and posters and booklets being handed out??

[MrBoost]

there is no full bodied sports sedan out there thats going to do a 1:30 around eastern creek. the money spent on those cars is astronomical. Completely wind tunnel tested with aero parts hanging off them everywhere which would be illegal in our class. I was told they would be underweight in our catergory too.

[jd yort]

hey jd you do know sports sedans had a big setup with 4 cars out there under a transporter marque with video's playing and posters and booklets being handed out??

Certainly did not know that there were cars out there. That is fantastic news that the opportunity was not missed. Who was out there and what was the feedback?

(If you ever need DVD's of old Sports Sedan footage to play you know who to contact)

[Walt Kowalski]

There are some excellent summaries above ^^. Here’s something from my perspective.
The Sports Sedan display was great but maybe got screwed by its position out in the boondocks. A special thank you to the helpful guys (sorry I forget names but the blue Soarer guy and the nice grey headed gentleman – I was the one raving about the sound of Copping’s car)
Modified Japanese cars have a massive following and the event was always going to be a huge winner with the spectators. To be honest I thought the crowds were going to be even bigger. The stand was only half full, although the pit roof and the hills were alive. I predicted at least 15,000 before the event - much more than actually attended but there was still a buzz in the paddock

If they can get American and Japanese teams again next year it will be EVEN bigger spectator wise. There will be hoards coming from interstate, not just a few mates of each interstate entrant as happened this year. Forums are already buzzing with it.

Sure the marketing was good but the spectators came to see Japanese models (predominately) flying around the track. Those same people would also be attracted to actual racing where Japanese cars go door to door. At least one Japanese FDRX-7 – R Magic - was a race car, not just a Time Attack car.

There is a brilliant opportunity for Sports Sedans to capitalise on this phenomenon but the HMSS rules prohibit the Japanese custom of fibreglass/CF guards, bumpers etc even though those Japanese cars would have to comply with fairly heavy minimum weights if they ran in HMSS so there would be no weight advantage in having those items, just convenience.

Japanese cars tend to run those items for 4 reasons:
The ability to use commonly available rims as opposed to rather expensive custom made offsets
The adundance of cheap panels (some as low as $50)
The sometimes exorbitant cost of OEM panels
It is fashionable (and a lot of the stuff they use is just fashion - not function)

There are literally hundreds of Japanese cars, maybe thousands around Australia that have been heavily modified and taken to track days. These same cars invariably get defected or for other reasons become dedicated track cars with cages etc. You see them at any track day.
There is a REALLY BIG opportunity for Sports Sedans here if the Japanese cars can be allowed under the HMSS rules somehow without having to buy OEM panels (which will never happen – it’s just not their culture). Or if they can have their own Japo class.

The cars are ripe for the picking and it would be easy to drop a brochure under each windscreen wiper at SL etc. It could actually be really healthy for the Sports Sedan scene for those Japo fans to see their Japo cars getting flogged by real Sports Sedans whilst at the same time being able to compete against them.
I know it appeals to me and a number of my mates, some of whom competed in Superlap and may have done Mallala this weekend (Adelaide residents) except for the fibreglass rules.
In the meantime I float the idea of opening up the rules to permit at least a mild wide body and fibreglass panels, while maintaining the weight restrictions – or the establishment of a Japanese class.
Simple rules that require the full basic body including firewall, floor and roof to be kept completely intact (except to allow safety items such as minimum cutting for fuel cell piping) but allow bolt-ons to be open and engine swaps. It would be a winner and the cars would be fairly fast but obviously nowhere near fast enough for outright.
Not only would this boost numbers at interstate rounds (such as this weekend’s Mallala round where two Superlap FDRX-7’s live) but they would attract a completely new demographic to the event and possibly bring some crowds as well.
P.S. I appreciate that those Japanese cars can still run against the open SS but to a novice this is not an option and for the cost of a $10 tin cup the participant gets bragging rights with his mates, who in turn may be attracted to the sport.
Once they see how fast a real Sports Sedan is the technical amongst them might even be attracted to a real SS.
Unfortunately my hopeless spanner skills prohibit me from such a course!

[2002 turbo]

Certainly did not know that there were cars out there. That is fantastic news that the opportunity was not missed. Who was out there and what was the feedback?

Andrew (Toymax) might get on here and explain in more detail how it went (I wasn't able to be at the club display as I had my own stand to be on) but from all accounts the response was very positive.

The position of the display was a little bit out of the way but still people managed to find it and it looked good with info boards on the cars specs and a big screen TV playing race footage. From what I have been told quite a lot of people were interested in the class and how to get involved. Andrew told me that he was explaining to people that if they think a super sprint is fun wait until they take part in a real race!!

There was a varied display of cars ranging from the big hitters like Chris Jackson's Calibra Chev & Anthony Macready's Nissan 300zx Chev, Simon Coppings floorpan Commodore, Toymax's own Toyota Soarer floorplan car (which from what I am told had plenty of interest) and Joe Said's 20B powered Fiat 124. Funny story about the Fiat some members of a Japanese team (I think one of the RX7s) came up to have a look at it and when the bonnet was pulled off to reveal the 20B rotary engine they got very excited!!!!!

It certainly didn't hurt to be there, it didn't cost a great deal in the scheme of things and to get exposure to a new crowd of people can only be a positive for our class. Was a good effort by the NSW ASSA crew to make it all happen.