Advertising Essay, Research Paper

My Advertising Campaign is on the new 2002 Chevy Avalanche. Although this vehicle will not be available to buy until the spring of 2001, I am positive that we have a good product. Some of the strengths of the avalanche are name recognition, technical specs and its versatility. With the name Chevy on any vehicle you are almost guaranteed that the product will be of very high quality, durability, and will last a long time. Some of the technical specs that are strengths are The Chevy Vortec 5300 V8 engine with a peak horsepower of 265 horses and 320 ft.-lbs. of torque, IFS front suspension, A five link rear suspension, autotrac automatic four wheel drive system, dent and rust proof tailgate, and the capability to haul up to 8300 lbs. The strength of versatility is displayed with the four-door cab systems that can comfortably seat up to six adults. The Avalanche also includes a midgate system. A midgate acts as a second tailgate located between the bed of the vehicle and the cab. The midgate allows for the Five foot three inch bed to turn into an eight foot one inch bed. To convert the bed you also have to remove the rear window and fold down the back seats. Another strength is the hard tonneau cover that covers the bed. It will protect any thing you put in your bed from bad weather. The tonneau cover also has a nifty top box storage compartment with five cubic feet of space, and a cargo box that will work as a beverage holder, fish holder, or muddy boots compartment.

The only weaknesses that I can think of are the price and the new product label. Although the price is expected to be between $30,000 and $35,000, my clearly defined target market will be able to afford it. The fact that it is a new product might be a weakness, but I am sure that the name recognition will help it get to the growth stage.

The most unique consumer benefit is that you can use it as a pickup or an SUV. This vehicle can haul your whole family, and also haul materials up to eight feet long, and up to 8300 lbs. Another benefit is its versatility. Also, with my product, the consumers will have confidence and security because of brand name.

This is definitely a good value considering that full size extended cab trucks are priced between $28,000 and $35,000, and a full size SUV can cost between $32,000 and $50,000. My product offers a combination of a full size truck, and a full size SUV for less money.

Adequate distribution channels will be very easily made available. The Avalanche can be distributed with the other Chevy vehicles to dealers all over the U.S.

My target market are Males between the ages of 30 and 45, married with children, educated, middle to upper-class, white collar workers, loves the outdoors, but also likes luxury. This is definitely a significant market. These people are definitely heavy users of the pickup truck and SUV market. The problem that my product solves for potential buyers is that it can act as a luxury vehicle, a hunting vehicle, and a family vehicle all in one.

Although all full size trucks and SUVs could be considered a competitor, I feel that the only competition we will have will be from the Ford Explorer Sport Trac, and the Nissan Frontier. I feel that both of the competitors marketing strategies are target market and brand loyalty. Through researching my competition, I found that their target markets are men between 25 and 35 that are married, and at least one child. Although both of my competitors vehicles are less money than mine, I don?t think they can compete with my product. The weaknesses of the Ford are that it only seats five people, it only has a V6 engine, and the bed length is barely over four and a half feet. The weaknesses of the Nissan are that it also only seats five people, it also has a bed that is barely over three and a half feet, and it is also only available in a V6. Neither of these two vehicles can haul over 5,000 lbs. The only strengths of these vehicles are that they both have four doors and are four wheel drive like my product. Also their prices and availability might be strengths. Both are currently available. The Explorer sport Trac costs between $21,665 and $24,435, and the Nissan Frontier costs between $20,410 and $22,790.

The creative objectives and strategy were clearly defined in my oral presentation. They both will appeal to and attract my specific target market. The similarity in both the verbal and the visual were that this vehicle could be used as a luxurious SUV or a rugged pickup. Certain phrases that I used in both ads were ?The Ultimate Utility Vehicle,? and ?Pickup or SUV? You Decide.?

The media I chose to use were a print ad and a commercial. I chose the print ad so I can inform and educate potential buyers of my product in a specialized magazine where I know my target market will be reached. Another reason I chose a print ad is the quality of print versus a newspaper. The reason I chose to do a commercial is so that this product can be introduced in a creative way, and also so I can remind people of the quality of Chevy products. I chose TV over radio because sometimes it is hard to reach a specific market on the radio and a lot of people either change stations during commercials, or the image they receive may be totally different than the actual image. The Media schedule will be in Field and Stream and Outdoors Magazines. I will advertise heavily during the first couple of months of the introduction stage, and then slow down during the growth stage. The other part of the media schedule will be on ESPN on Sunday mornings between 7:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. The programs that run on ESPN during these hours are all hunting, fishing, and outdoors shows.

The three additional promotional support I plan to use are; If you test drive an Avalanche you will receive a gift certificate to Dick?s sporting goods, If you buy an Avalanche you can either choose between a rebate and a low interest rate, and finally the big promo, If you buy an Avalanche you will be registered to win a dream hunting and fishing expedition.