Apparently Matthew McConaughey is that hot!

Of course I did watch the Colbert Report last night, where Stephen offered up his opinion that Matthew should have been named People magazine's sexiest man alive this year.

But, I'm really referring to the fact that Lincoln sales have taken off since the campaign began -- increasing by a whopping 25%, for their best October in 7 years.  Wow.  And, according to the dealers when people come into the franchise they talk about Matthew more than the car!  (Clothier, Naughton, O'Leary, 2014)

Of course the variety of funny parodies of the spots didn't hurt, particularly with the target audience.  But I think the lesson here is that the younger your target is, the more likely they are to be influenced by celebrities. 

Here's a link to the first blog I wrote...

http://pjlehrer.blogspot.com/2014/09/is-matthew-mcconaughey-hot-enough-to.html

And one about the Subaru ad, which was more appealing to this Baby Boomer...

http://pjlehrer.blogspot.com/2014/09/sorry-lincoln-im-checking-out-subaru.html

Clothier, M., Naughton, K., O'Leary, M. (2014, November 4)  Lincoln Rides McConaughey Spoof to Best October in 7 Years.  bloomberg.com.  Retrieved November 4, 2014, from

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-04/lincoln-rides-mcconaughey-spoof-to-best-october-in-7-years-cars.html

Sorry Lincoln, I'm checking out the Subaru.

I live in Manhattan and haven't owned a car since I was a teen, so I usually don't notice car commercials.  But blogging about the new Lincoln campaign with Matthew McConaughey has caused me to tune in. 

While seeing that ad in situ hasn't made me any fonder of the campaign, I did see a local car ad for the Ford Fusion that mentioned some features that interested me.  And, it made me think that if I was in the market, I would probably follow-up, since I tend to be practical about these things.

Therefore it was a total surprise to me when I responded to an ad that was virtually fact free.  It's a new ad from Subaru featuring a flowerchild grandmom bonding with her granddaughter.   If you haven't seen it, you can check it out here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSpKW1tUUiM

 

Since I do take great delight in corrupting all my nieces and nephews -- much to their parents dismay -- it's easy to see why it touched me.  But the fact that it would actually move me to follow-up blows my mind. 

I've been reading for years that research shows that all purchase decisions are emotional.  And, I've been preaching to my students that marketing is all about finding those emotional hot buttons and pressing them.   So why am I surprised to find that I am not the exception to the rule?

Is Matthew McConaughey hot enough to convince ladies to buy Lincolns?

With the number of women drivers in the U.S. surpassing the number of men as of 2010, car manufacturers have finally woken up to the fact that women can no longer be ignored.  Not only did they account for 39% of car purchases in 2013, but their behind the scenes influence is even greater.  Estimates are that they make the final decision on more than 60% of purchases, and have impact on anywhere from 85% - 95% of purchases.  But 91% of car salesmen are men, and 74% of women say they are being misunderstood. (Baime, 2014)

 

So what's a car maker to do?  Lincoln thinks the answer can be found in their decision to hire Matthew McConaughey to be their spokesperson.  The hope is that he will appeal to both the younger end of the target and yes, the females.  (Greenberg, 2014)

 

The campaign was launched this weekend with commercials on football, and this fall's new shows.  And if you think that college football is an odd place for Lincoln to try to reach women, you should know that 40% of college football fans are now female.  (2013)  And, Lincoln will also be running commercials on the Grammy's and print ads in Woman's Health and Vanity Fair too. 

Clearly they are sincere in their desire to reach women.  Now we'll have to see if they are successful.  Because this sure doesn't feel like a female targeted ad to me.
 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoGGDKV88Fg

 

Baime, A.J. (2014, August 21)  Car Sellers Refine Pitch to Women.  Wall Street Journal.  pD1 & D3

 

Greenberg, K. (2014, September 4)  McConaughey Behind the Wheel of Lincoln in 5 new ads.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved September 5, 2014, from

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/233426/mcconaughey-behind-the-wheel-of-lincoln-in-5-new-a.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=75815

 

(2013, March 19.)  Passion for College Football Remains Robust.  footballfoundation.org.  Retrieved September 5, 2014, from

http://www.footballfoundation.org/tabid/567/Article/53380/Passion-for-College-Football-Remains-Robust.aspx