Marketing Campaign: Piaggio's Vespa Scooters

Marketing Campaign:

Piaggio’s Vespa Scooters

Presented by

Jaclyn Susan Mosher

Chrisanne Sikora

Jia Liu

Vidya Gopalan

Natalia Musatova

History, Marketing Now, Competitors, Market Trends

Audience

Media

Other Marketing

Divided into

2 target markets

Young people

Retirees

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Structure of Presentation

Part One

History

Marketing Now

Competitors

Market Trends

History of the Vespa

Parent company Piaggio (Genoa, Italy)

First appeared in 1946; by 1951, 100,000 sold

Not sold in US from 1980-2000

Made famous in films (Roman Holiday, right)

Meaning: the ecological, economic, and personal satisfaction one achieves after buying a Vespa scooter. Vespanomics promotes embracing motor scooters as an alternative form of transportation to reduce oil consumption, pollution and traffic congestion.

Additional meanings: 1. A feeling of total exhilaration; consistent with riding a stylish, high performance Vespa. 2. The incomparable level of satisfaction that can only come from helping the environment while also saving a boatload of money on gas.

Origin: A union of the words Vespa and economics. Related words: Vespanomic, adj, vespanomically, adv

= ?Play video

What is Vespanomics?

Brand Extension and Promotional Events

Vespa clothing line (top left)

Vintage posters – for sale and used in new campaigns

Models on Vespa – create a scene

Vespa on the Red Carpet

Competition

Brand Name (Vespa) vs. Price (Yamaha, Honda)

Two “knock-off” competitors:

Yamaha Vino (left) and Honda Metropolitan (right)

Similar campaigns: “Euro style,” urban, “fun”

Part Two Audience

Audience 

Geography: 

Urban/Suburban settings across the countryCoastal Cities as well as interior regions

 Behavior/Psychographics: 

Commuters looking for fun alternative to carsAttracted by lower fuel costs and flexible parking optionsEasier to maneuver in city 

Demographics divided into two distinct age groups

Younger consumers (20+ years old) College kids, young professionals Older professionals, Baby Boomers, enthusiasts

Approximately half of Vespa consumers are women 

Audience (cont.)

Young Consumers (20-35 years old)

Attracted by:

Low up-front cost (when compared to cars)

Low fuel costs

High customizability of Vespa

—no two are exactly alike

Vespas in Love

Older consumers (45+ years old) 

Attracted by:

Low fuel costs “fun” alternative means of commute Way to reclaim lost youth  

Enthusiasts who enjoy weekend rides as a hobby

People who enjoy fixing/restoring old vehicles 

I feel as young as him

Women 

Attracted by high level of customizability

Vespas less intimidating than most motorcycles

Part Three Media

Marketing in the Past

2002: $340,400Media Used: Magazine, Sports TV, National Sports Radio

2006Media Used: Co-op Advertising, Foreign, Special Events Marketing

2007Vespanomics: Go Green Challenge Campaign

Vespanomics Video Contest Measurement

Date Range: 8/13-12/05

Total Videos: 7Subscribers: 28Total Views:7,639Total Comments:90

Targeting Younger MarketSegment

College students and urban professionals (Boston)

Objective

Arouse brand awareness among younger generation

Promote two Models: LX 50 and LX150

Positioning

3F (Fun, Fashion, and Freedom)

“ It’s just fun. ”

I love the style elements

It gives me a sense of freedom

Why do they love Vespa?

What is 3F?

FunRide your buddySolo adventure, group ride, or Vespa rally

FreedomOut of congestion and close to Mother NatureLess worry about money (gas & insurance), time, parking, and global warming

FashionVespa designVespa customization

Media Mix

Outdoor media On vehicle advertisements

Print media Magazines and Brochures

Radio

Electronic media Social networking sites Content Communities

Screensavers and wall papers

On Vehicle Advertisements

A relatively inexpensive medium with high frequency and reach

MBTA subway system

598,200 passenger trips each weekday

Most of the riders are commuting concerned young consumers

A relatively longer riding time

Print Media: Magazines

Fashion

Feel the wind in your soul patch. Just the thing for your freedom. Never have to help your friends move again.

Source: Print ads by McClain Finlon.

Improper Bostonian

Circulation: 85,000 Readership: 420,500Young trendsetters

A d Size: ½ Page Horizontal Spread

Print Media: Brochures

Your Guide

to the Road

Educational BrochureYour Guide to the Road

ContentLicensingMaintenanceParkingSafety concernsVespa customization DIY tipsVespa local and national clubs info

DistributionT stationsShopping districtsAdapted small flyers attached to T ads

Radio

Boston’s #1 hit music stationTarget group : women 18-34

Reach more female consumers and rescue frustrated drivers in the traffic

Chosen Programs

Matty in the MorningRomeo

Chosen Spot Duration: 15 second

Electronic Media

No.6 most trafficked site in the U.S

Mostly college students and young professionals306,307 members in Boston alone253 groups about Vespa globallyFree business page: two-way communication and viral effects

Popular photo sharing site

Very active online communities252 groups about VespaThousands of photos tagged as Vespa

Screensavers and wall papers Low cost, dynamic

The Photo Contest

•Build up a Vespa Contest Group•Identify enthusiasts•Send out messages

•Develop application•Vespa Cartoon photo customization•News feed viral distribution

•Cartoon style photos from Facebook•Real photographing artwork from Flickr

•Produced based on top 100 winners•Downloading links posted on both sites

Screensavers and wall papers

Vespa Micro site

Rewards

Top 1000: A free T shirt (designed by Vespa)Top 100: A free T shirt (printed with their own photos)Top 2: A free Vespa LX 150

They become Vespa’s moving ads.

Marketing Time Frame and Budget

Slightly

Heavy

Slow down Heavy

December New Year Early March

Market: Boston

Seniors rank number 3, among the top 10 markets for number of retirees.Seniors make up a nearly third of the Boston population newspapers advertisement prompted the seniors for a store visit

Media

NewspaperOnline NewspaperMagazine

Targeting Older Market

Newspaper

Scarborough Research

Boston Globe (Audit Bureau of Circulation)Metro Boston

Different Sections and Features

GeneralArts and EntertainmentTravelEducation

Retail

General Rates

Ads must measure 3 columns by 10.5 inches

This special position is ideal for high end goods: apparel, travel, automotive and technology.

Advertisers reserving space on this page will pay a 15% premium on their existing rate

Metro reaches nearly 250,000 people daily, mainly the commuter riders

Metro Boston

Boston.Com

Reaches 4.4 million visitorsContextual targeting matches the audience

Different Sections

NewsBusinessSports

Online Advertising

BeltwayThe Beltway is one of four ads appearing above the fold on Boston.com's homepage as well as in their main Sports pagePixels: 170x65Max. File Size: 4K maxAnimation: StaticRich Media: NoThird Party: NoLocation: Boston.com homepage; Sports homepage

Half-page AdThe Half-Page Ad, as its name suggests, takes up half of article pages.Pixels: 336x850Max. File Size: 60KAnimation: Up to 30 secondsRich Media: YesThird Party: YesLocation: Article pagesNotes: Expandable ads can expand up to 504x800

Ad Specification

E-magazine- Environment Friendly Magazine

E-reader Survey

Female readers: 64%, Male: 36% Age group from 40-44 and 50-5448% of the e-readers who currently own or intend to buy environment friendly products74% of e readers included fuel efficiency as a factor in purchasing a vehicle30% of e readers are presently considering the purchase of a new vehicle

Magazine

Part Four Other Marketing

I Product placement in movies and shows  II Cause-related sponsorship

III Sales promotions and events

Other Marketing Strategies

A number of celebrities and filmmakers are seen on Vespas (e.g. Jerry Seinfeld, Robert De Niro, Kirsten Dunst, Andy Dick, and Lenny Kravitz).  

Vespas are showing up in the movies and television shows (e.g. Diane Lane's in "Under the Tuscan Sun" and Hilary Duff in "The Lizzie McGuire Movie."  

Two "Ugly Betty" cast members, Ana Ortiz and Michael Urie at the Environmental Media Association Awards, held on 10/24/07, showing their love for Vespas!

Hayden Panettiere modeling a Vespa GTS:

Vespa's Go Green Challenge

A chance to win one of three scooters

Create a video about the economic and environmental benefits related to the use of a scooter

Play Video

Piaggio will sponsor another video contest (asking people to demonstrate their love for Vespa scooter)

Piaggio will sponsor a contest to find the “Best Vespa parking spot” (the crazier the location, the better)

Future Promotional Contest 

Sales Promotions 

Pizza delivery services and other food delivery services

Offer scooters at the price of 5 for 4.

Special pizza carriage installed at the back of the scooter 

Gap clothing stores are offering a chance to win Vespa  

Partnering with Credit Card companies (AMEX, Discover) to offer a Vespa scooter in exchange for miles saved up on a credit card

 Cause-related Vespa sale

Pink Vespa for Breast Cancer cause

Red Vespa for AIDS cause

Thank you for your precious time!

Any questions or comments?

Or, go and buy a Vespa…