Scion, Mercedes and the Battle for Gen-Y Drivers

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

There is a nice little post over on YPulse that takes a look at two very different new media approaches to marketing cars to young people.

Scion has been actively targeting youngins for a while now, making appearances in a number of AdultSwim cartoons including “Assy McGee” and “Frisky Dingo.” I guess they weren’t getting what they wanted from that relationship so they are now making their own branded entertainment which can be viewed oven at on their very own branded portal, here.

Their latest series, “The Fists of Oblivion”, features a bunch of Kung Fu puppets. And not a single Scion. Or much in the way of entertainment value – unless you really dig puppets fighting.  It isn’t clear how this will help sell cars.  Even more interersting is that “The Fists of Oblivion” gets exactly one unrelated return on a Google search, so god knows how anyone would even find it if they wanted to.

Meanwhile, Mercedes is taking a more high-minded approach:

“…by inviting an exclusive group of Gen Y consumers to www.generationbenz.com, a password-protected website. MediaPost (reg. required) reports that the site is an attempt to mine the select Gen Y sample for insight towards their “attitudes, lifestyle and brand preferences” through questionnaires, polls and live chats. Ultimately, the company “hopes to get a new group of consumers into the brand and shape the brand for the future.” (via)

Whether either of these campaigns will get young people to buy their cars is tough to gauge but at least Mercedes has a chance of coming away with a bit of useful data

Related articles by Zemanta

• Scion Gets Its Assy McGee On For Youth Marketing [Offbeat News]

Toyota Gets a Little Assy (McGee)

Following up on what I’ve got to assume was a fruitful partnership for the Scion with Adult Swim’s Frisky Dingo, the carmaker has signed on to another in-show sponsorship.

This time the Scion brand will be worked into Assy McGee, an animated series featuring a gun-toting ass with legs (see pic above).

According to TVWeek:

“During each “Assy” episode this season, which kicks off April 6, a mock commercial for Scion will appear. The 35-second commercial is a takeoff on those local auto dealer spots with the loud-mouthed pitchman. Only in this spot, the loudmouth is Assy, who makes a gassy pitch, complete with graphics that promise Scion car shoppers, “No Haggle,” “No Hassle,” “No Bullshit.” It ends with the tag “Don’t make me run your ass over.”

You can watch it for yourself here.

I remember seeing the Scion sponsorship in Frisky Dingo and thought it was actually pretty funny and well-don.  The key seems to be transparancy.  We’re all in on the joke and at the same time the brand message is being transmitted.  This is a lot like the Doritos/Colbert Report union.

Whether or not Scion appearing in a show about an animated ass will drive up sales among young drivers remains to be seen.