Lucid ads and commercials

[hmp10]

Also worth noting: Despite Detroit being the “Motor City” and Michigan in general being synonymous with the American Auto Industry, California has a long and storied history of being a car-lover’s paradise. Just watch American Graffiti, for crying out loud. Hot rods, cruising. The Beach Boys. All those glorious open highways. The PCH.

Every car collector I know is a Californian.

With the film industry based in California, so much about California became representative of American life to people around the world, the American car culture included. But that doesn't mean that other parts of the country weren't just as car crazy. I grew up in Georgia and, like all my friends, was absolutely obsessed with cars. Trolling the local MacDonald's in your waxed and polished car was the cool thing to do at night. (The investor who opened the first MacDonald's franchise in my hometown almost went broke because the kids who bought just a soda and then paraded in bumper-to-bumper loops through the parking lots all evening scared off the families who the place needed to stay afloat.). And lining up under the awning at the Shoney's Big Boy to check each other's cars out as the carhops brought food to your car was a rite of passage.

And there were plenty of movies and TV shows showcasing American car culture that weren't California based: "Route 66", "Smokey and the Bandit", etc. And although many people think the iconic musical "Grease" was about California's youth culture, it was actually originally set at Rydell High, based on the real Taft High School in Chicago.

Two of the biggest (and richest) car collectors I know live in Connecticut and Florida (the latter one recently moving from Chicago). And one of the most important car collections in the U.S. is the Revs Institute Museum in Naples, Florida. Not only does it have an amazing collection focused on the history or automotive technology, it also has the country's largest library of auto manuals and runs car restoration training programs associated with several engineering schools.

As California goes, the rest of the country follows a decade later as far as trends go.

That has certainly been the case in some areas, although I think New Yorkers might take some issue with that, especially in art and fashion. However, I think we are at the beginning of a move away from California as the center of American pop culture. Part of that is the breakdown of the Hollywood studio system and the infusion of foreign-made programming that is filling more and more streaming services. For instance, we have whole new genres springing up as a result of streaming's hunger for more content than Hollywood can produce, such as Scandinavian noir.

Not to mention, California is outpacing every other state by orders of magnitude in terms of EV sales.

True, but that's also what most worries me about Lucid marketing. It's so infused with California-think that it is failing to grasp changing attitudes in other markets that are going to be critical to its becoming a mass-market brand.

 

[borski]

100 percent this. Back when Apple was founded, I believe "made in America," or any state for that record, was a pride point. At this point, sectional politics are very divided, up to the point where we are approaching pre-civil war levels of division.

Nope. Plenty of things were made in America when Apple was founded. They were specifically proud of being from Silicon Valley, not just America; because it was associated with novel technology and great design.

I'll tell you one thing: the people Lucid is hoping to appeal to with the bear branding do not give a sh*t. However, people on the "other side" (not calling out specific groups, think it’s pretty clear) absolutely do care and WILL associate Lucid with the opposing side. It is a lose-lose situation, to me.

I actually think the whole point is that by *not* placating to political whims, Lucid is outwardly not being political. If they suddenly removed the CA ethos to placate to the nonsense drivel coming from either extreme, they’d be in trouble, as neither “side” would be happy about it, because both would want more political statements in their direction. Not conservative enough for the MAGA crowd, and not liberal enough for the liberal crowd.

Lucid is doing what it’s always done; explicitly *not* playing politics. I’m completely on board with that.

Politics change.

 

[borski]

However, I think we are at the beginning of a move away from California as the center of American pop culture. Part of that is the breakdown of the Hollywood studio system and the infusion of foreign-made programming that is filling more and more streaming services. For instance, we have whole new genres springing up as a result of streaming's hunger for more content than Hollywood can produce, such as Scandinavian noir.

Those very same streaming services you mention are all based in California.

 

[hmp10]

Lucid is doing what it’s always done; explicitly *not* playing politics. I’m completely on board with that.

Politics change.

I don't think anyone is saying Lucid is playing politics. The point I'm trying to make is that Lucid has a blind spot about the attitudes in some parts of the country that influence buying decisions.

 

[borski]

I think you summed it up well, except your response also does ironically prove our point. What I think we are trying to say is not that Lucid should be aligned with another state, far from it; it is that Lucid should not be partnering with ANY state to reduce the risk of politicizing everything, as you said.

Great. They’re not. They’re based in CA and proud of the benefits of that. It isn’t a political statement.

Although it’s obvious Lucid is not making it about politics themselves, it is inevitable that somebody will do that (as I stated in my Texan example). There are little plus sides to the Californian marketing, as I stated in my previous post, but there are negative sides. Therefore, the point here is that Lucid should not be partnering with ANY state.

It is inevitable that somebody will make *anything* about politics. If it isn’t CA, it’s that it’s an EV; coal rollers exist, and they’re not coal rolling in CA. If it isn’t that it’s an EV, it’s that it’s not a truck. Anything can be politicized.

I don’t see a reason to neuter yourself to cater to the whims of people who are going to find a reason to politicize whatever you do anyway.

 

[PhotoEye]

OK, I must be missing a boatload of stuff here. Where is all the advertising being discussed here?? I'm not seeing ANY!

 

[borski]

I don't think anyone is saying Lucid is playing politics. The point I'm trying to make is that Lucid has a blind spot about the attitudes in some parts of the country that influence buying decisions.

Fair enough - I should have been clearer. I was mostly aiming that piece at @xponents.

But my point remains: Lucid has always made their CA HQ and roots a big piece of their brand’s very ethos, down to the names of their interiors, the wide sweeping shots of their cars on roads in CA in ads, and so on.

By changing tack and suddenly removing the literal core of their brand in order to respond to present political whims, they *would* be politicizing themselves. By ignoring the present political whims (which will change, inevitably, one way or the other) and focusing on building a great product and a brand with a very consistent soul/ethos, they are actually more immune to those very same political whims, especially as they change.

In fact, I can’t think of a single company that has navigated the political tides like that well. They’re constantly changing, and brands can’t.

BMW and Mercedes once made vehicles for Nazis. They are still proudly German.

Politics change.

 

[hmp10]

Those very same streaming services you mention are all based in California.

But how many of them put that point front and center in their marketing campaigns?

I was at NBC in Burbank in the 1990's. We had a public relations staff of 78 people who spent a good bit of their time trying to keep publicity about substance abuse issues tamped down, especially among the talent stable. And that free-wheeling attitude about drugs and alcohol infused programming meetings. There were many times when pilots were being pitched to us that I sat there dumbfounded that programming execs who grew up in Los Angeles did not see the issues with some of the shows they were ready to green light.

One I still remember vividly was a pitch for a show starring Kirstie Alley on the heels of her success coming off "Cheers". One of the main characters was her bumbling, good-natured, alcoholic father. He was a limo driver, and some of the story arc was built around his escapades and hijinks while driving intoxicated. This was at a time when the MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) movement was gathering steam around the country, but none of industry-bred execs were concerned. I had to raise holy hell about it before the pilot was rejected.

I have lived in 10 states and overseas. As with any other region or state, Californians can get very blinkered in their perspectives about what is going on elsewhere.

I don’t see a reason to neuter yourself to cater to the whims of people who are going to find a reason to politicize whatever you do anyway.

And I don't really see how downplaying the California design aesthetic is going to neuter Lucid's sales efforts. I spend a lot of time talking about cars with friends and family from all over the country, quite a few of whom now own EVs. I've never had a single one bring up California design as a reason they would be interested in a Lucid. They certainly like its design, but they are invariably surprised if I mention anything about things such as naming the interior color palettes for California locations. In fact, most are puzzled why they would do that.

 

[hmp10]

OK, I must be missing a boatload of stuff here. Where is all the advertising being discussed here?? I'm not seeing ANY!

??? I think this whole discussion is about how prominent a role Lucid's California heritage should play in its advertising.

"Designed in California" was the opening line in the post that started this thread.

 

[PhotoEye]

??? I think this whole discussion is about how prominent a role Lucid's California heritage should play in its advertising.

"Designed in California" was the opening line in the post that started this thread.

OK. I guess I was stuck in my original posts yesterday about all the beautifully produced TV ads I was seeing this weekend for MB, BMW, Polestar, and other EVs. Made my stomach ache.

 

[borski]

But how many of them put that point front and center in their marketing campaigns?

I was at NBC in Burbank in the 1990's. We had a public relations staff of 78 people who spent a good bit of their time trying to keep publicity about substance abuse issues tamped down, especially among the talent stable. And that free-wheeling attitude about drugs and alcohol infused programming meetings. There were many times when pilots were being pitched to us that I sat there dumbfounded that programming execs who grew up in Los Angeles did not see the issues with some of the shows they were ready to green light.

One I still remember vividly was a pitch for a show starring Kirstie Alley on the heels of her success coming off "Cheers". One of the main characters was her bumbling, good-natured, alcoholic father. He was a limo driver, and some of the story arc was built around his escapades and hijinks while driving intoxicated. This was at a time when the MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) movement was gathering steam around the country, but none of industry-bred execs were concerned. I had to raise holy hell about it before the pilot was rejected.

I have lived in 10 states and overseas. As with any other region or state, Californians can get very blinkered in their perspectives about what is going on elsewhere.

I hear what you’re saying, and I agree with you in general - people often miss the forest for the trees.

I just disagree that this specific case is that.

(5 states and overseas, but hey, you’ve got a few years on me )

And I don't really see how downplaying the California design aesthetic is going to neuter Lucid's sales efforts. I spend a lot of time talking about cars with friends and family from all over the country, quite a few of whom now own EVs. I've never had a single one bring up California design as a reason they would be interested in a Lucid. They certainly like its design, but they are invariably surprised if I mention anything about things such as naming the interior color palettes for California locations. In fact, most are puzzled why they would do that.

I’m not saying it would neuter their sales efforts. I’m saying it would neuter their *brand*, which at the moment relies heavily on being a California company, specifically headquartered in Silicon Valley. For one thing, I would bet many many dollars that that is specifically one of the reasons the PIF got involved. KSA wants to be seen as “green” and “tech-savvy”. They have what, like 98% of citizens on the fastest networks in the entirely of the Middle East?

I’m saying that changing the brand now to make it more “palatable” would be seen explicitly as a political statement, and would hurt the *brand*, this hurting their sales. And I think that would hurt much more than losing however many Floridians who buy yet another Tesla.

In fact, Tesla is a great example of exactly what Lucid *shouldn’t* do. They got political, even without Elon’s shenanigans, and it hurt them.

 

[alanalanbobalan]

Another example of why it’s a bad idea to infuse your advertising with political statements (also an example of a lot of other bad ideas):

 

[hmp10]

I’m saying that changing the brand now to make it more “palatable” would be seen explicitly as a political statement . . .

To me, the Lucid brand is far more about leading-edge powertrain technology, space packaging, and efficiency. Thus I don't think that just backing off a bit from the California-design angle -- without saying anything about doing so or why -- would signal anything more than a decision to use limited advertising space to push more specifics about Lucid technology and engineering.

Interestingly, some of the longest discussions we've had on this forum about Lucid design had to do with its mid-century design aesthetic. And California was not the epicenter of mid-century design, which was derived from the German Bauhaus, Le Corbusier, and a host of Scandinavian designers. While some of its American practitioners landed in California, such as the Eames brothers, many of them were influenced heavily by Frank Lloyd Wright and the work of his Chicago studio. (Charles Eames was actually expelled from Washington Univeristy's architectural program because of his devotion to Wright's work.)

I see a lot of mid-century aesthetic in the Lucid. But when you get right down to it, the only strong California connection I see in Lucid's design is in the naming of their interior color palettes. And I certainly would not have seen those palettes and thought "California!" unless someone had told me.

I think there's a lot more "California design" in the heads of the marketeers than in the car itself.

. . . but hey, you’ve got a few years on me

Unfortunately for me, far too many people on this forum can say the same.

 

[joec]

Everyone here is making great points. Good discussion. I guess my biggest point is that California, like it or not, is where the EV customers are right now. Like millions more.

Around 40% of all new car sales last year in the Bay Area were electric cars. Compared to what? 4-5% average nationwide?

You can say that Lucid should be helping push those numbers higher in other states, but are we really going to put that on a fledgling startup who is struggling to sell 10k cars a year? How about we let those state governments set their incentives properly to make EV purchasing more attractive?

It’s just cheaper and easier for Lucid to focus on California at the moment to get a foothold.

If being proud of their California roots gets them more sales in their home state in the short term, that’s great. The rest will come eventually.

I didn’t mean to imply that car culture isn’t strong across the nation. It is. I was just pushing back against this idea that a car company in California is somehow out of step with America as a brand.

I can’t imagine it’s costing Lucid many sales in other states to fly the California flag a bit. Sure, maybe a small number of folks in some states more than others. But frankly, that’s not a Lucid problem. That’s an inferiority complex. And it’s not like that customer isn’t going to figure out where headquarters is.

California EV buyers are much more likely to be past their first EV, and frankly, actively looking for an alternative to Tesla. This is a much easier sale than trying to convince a first-time EV buyer in Florida or any other state, no matter what the commercial content.

 

[hmp10]

Another example of why it’s a bad idea to infuse your advertising with political statements (also an example of a lot of other bad ideas):

670 horsepower?

A "Fredsonic (?) chambered exhaust system" that "screams as loud as today's supercharged V8s"? . . . . . . . . .

 

[Lucken]

In fact, I can’t think of a single company that has navigated the political tides like that well. They’re constantly changing, and brands can’t.

BMW and Mercedes once made vehicles for Nazis. They are still proudly German.

Politics change.

When I was young I well remember my father saying, ‘You can buy any car you want, but as long as you’re living under my roof you will not buy a German car’.

 

[hmp10]

Around 40% of all new car sales last year in the Bay Area were electric cars. Compared to what? 4-5% average nationwide?

4-5% of the nationwide market is a good bit larger that 40% of the Bay Area market.

You can say that Lucid should be helping push those numbers higher in other states, but are we really going to put that on a fledgling startup who is struggling to sell 10k cars a year? How about we let those state governments set their incentives properly to make EV purchasing more attractive?

If Lucid's sales strategy is to accept whatever slice of the California market comes easily and hope that state governments elsewhere take care of the rest, then I'm seriously worried.

Lucid has spent hundreds of millions to quadruple its manufacturing capacity while sales are running at 10% of original projections. They are clearly hoping for a market bigger than just California. I don't think it is really putting a huge additional burden on such a startup to tell its ad copywriters to remove a few words from their ad campaign if those words might be even a bit of a drag on sales.

 

[hmp10]

When I was young I well remember my father saying, ‘You can buy any car you want, but as long as you’re living under my roof you will not buy a German car’.

When I got my first Mazda RX-7 I was explaining the Wankel engine to an uncle. I offered to let him take us for a spin in it. He refused, saying he would never buy a Japanese car no matter what kind of engine it had.

A few years later I had an RX-7 Turbo. We had just moved to Cincinnati and had invited a couple from down the street to dinner at our house. The conversation turned to cars, and the man asked me why it didn't bother me to be driving a "rice rocket" since our country had fought Japan in World War II. I pointed out that he had driven up in a BMW 735, and I actually had to explain my point to him before he got it. Dinner was somewhat quieter from there on.

I have encountered quite a few people over the years who would not buy a car based on its place of origin. I think it's a bigger factor in buying decisions than we sometimes recognize. Honda certainly recognizes it in pushing the point on models that are built in Marysville. Same with Mercedes in Alabama and BMW in South Carolina. They understand that regional attitudes have a lot to do with buying decisions, and they adapt their advertising accordingly.

 

[scal_air]

hmp 10
I congratulate you on your exquisite taste in cars - do you still have the FD?

I really understand what you are saying. Let me preface my opinion by saying that I'm a southern Californian who has spent time in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. I agree with Borski in that Lucid identifies that California is integral to its identity. It seems proud to display that fact with the bear emblem and the statement "Most Advanced Electric Car. Designed in California; Assembled in America;Engineered to Change the World." It is not overtly political in my opinion. However, you are saying that some people in other areas of the country may take offense and it may hurt sales. I understand but disagree. Did Tesla increase or decrease their sales by moving to Texas? Am I unlikely to buy a Mercedes knowing that it was produced in Alabama if my political views skew left? And if someone from the opposite side won't purchase a car based on where it was designed, I'm pretty sure they weren't considering an EV anyway...

 

[scal_air]

Another example of why it’s a bad idea to infuse your advertising with political statements (also an example of a lot of other bad ideas):

I think that commercial just strained the boundaries of credulity and good taste so many times that I did not retain any political brainwashing they hoped to accomplish...