Dubai
The themes used for automotive advertising campaigns in the UAE have been remarkably consistent over the years. They have revolved around the models themselves, gleaming forth in the spotlight or set against some of the instantly recognisable city landmarks, stretches of highways or off-road runs (when it comes to SUVs). Or if the vehicles needed a more wholesome association, the advertisers had happy families in them.
The key words used to sell the models would be ‘high performance’, ‘inspiring’ or ‘value for money’ depending on which buyer segment it was meant for.
Now comes the UAE’s decision to have a flexible fuel pricing regime, which does beg the question — do dealerships and advertising agencies need to bring in subtle tweaks to the campaign messages? Shouldn’t ‘fuel-efficient’ feature as a dominant theme in its own right?
For Michel Ayat, CEO of Arabian Automobiles Co., the issue is clear-cut: “There is no need to bring on any changes to the advertising content. What we will do is get our sales executives at the showrooms to give more detailed information on a particular model’s fuel economy and other advisory to improve driver behaviour and thus get more out of their car.
“Sure, fuel prices will be at the top of the mind of vehicle owners for the simple reason it will get updated each month, unlike the situation with the Salik toll charges, where most car owners wait for the (RTA) messages before they top it up.
“So, the new fuel pricing will be more about bringing changes to the way use their cars than in deciding which model they should buy. If there are to be changes, it will be a family deciding on a 1.6-litre engine model that can offer 12-kilometres to the litre as their second car rather than have an 8-cylinder guzzler.
“But none of this requires a major change to the way we frame our advertising.”
A BMW Group spokesperson reiterated the part about being consistent with the messaging — “At this point of time, our marketing strategy will remain as is. We already have a strong focus on sustainability through the BMW i8 and ‘Efficient Dynamics’ technologies that help reduce fuel consumption and emissions. “The automotive industry is going through significant change and BMW has already shown that 3- and 4-cylinder engines and e-mobility do not compromise on the sporty design or driving pleasure.”
But advertising industry sources reckon that some changes will have to show up in automotive campaigns. “Mid-range car dealers will need to address the shift in consumers’ behaviour in their advertising messages,” said Antonio Boulos, Vice-President — Operations, MENA at bpn, the media agency that is part of IPG Mediabrands.
“They will need to express special focus communicating the fuel consumption rate of their vehicles. Promotional offers will need to be provided to lure fuel price-sensitive consumers. This phenomenon has been witnessed in other markets where similar fuel price conditions exist.”
