Lucid ads and commercials

[xponents]

Ah, if there’s a setting then you must be right. Nobody would certainly ever try to work around that, because successfully doing so meant making more money. That would be “against the rules”

Yup, I'm definitely one of those "assume everybody is nice" guys, which I should probably stop.

 

[xponents]

Which raises an interesting question: why isn't a small inset listing Lucid's key awards put in the corner of every ad page for Lucid? Motor Trend Car of the Year, Car & Driver 10 Best, World Luxury Car of the Year, MotorWeek Driver's Choice Award. (There are about a dozen others, but why gush?)

They did exist in 2022 (year won is one example), but they have stopped now. Perhaps it is because the awards were awarded to Lucid a while ago, and they only want to gloat about new developments? I would view that as weird, though.

 

[hmp10]

. . . removing the CA focus in the branding *is* making a political statement.

I have to disagree. Ad campaigns are constantly adjusted or refocused as advertisers test what works best. And I've seen nothing in the sales numbers that tells me that the current campaign is anything to write home about.

Unless someone were following this thread, I don't think most people who pay attention to Lucid ads would think anything of less talk about California and more talk about the car's technical merits as anything other than a shift in advertising focus.

There is absolutely nothing unique about doing car design in California. Most brands do (see earlier post about the 15 automotive design studios there). And, as I've said before, the real hallmarks of Lucid design -- mid-century modernism and homage to the heyday of Detroit iron -- have nothing specifically to do with California. Derek Jenkins has claimed bullet trains and airplanes as design inspirations for Lucid products. What do bullet trains have to do with California? It's true that California used to be big in aeronautical, but those days are fast fading, and when talking about airplanes designed in California one is as likely to conjure up the Spruce Goose as anything else.

Other than stating a fact about where the Lucid design team lives and works by saying "designed in California", I see nothing inherently Californian in Lucid design except that they chose to name their gray, tan, and beige interiors after California locations. But that's just a marketing gimmick. I love the interior color palette in my car, but you don't have to go to Santa Monica to come up with a really nice gray/beige color combo, and you certainly don't need to see the geo coordinates stamped on the doorsill to appreciate the look.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed his iconic buildings largely out of his Oak Park studio. None of his work is known as "designed in Illinois". The long parade of notable Aston Martin designs has never been billed as "designed in Warwickshire". The gorgeous Duesenbergs and Cords of the 1920-30's came out of Indianapolis and Auburn, Indiana. Yet they were not known as "designed in Indiana". Harley Earl, the father of American auto design, worked out of Detroit. Yet none of his ground-breaking designs were ever known as "designed in Michigan" or "designed in Detroit".

Good design is about the people who do it, not about where they do it.

 

[borski]

I have to disagree. Ad campaigns are constantly adjusted or refocused as advertisers test what works best. And I've seen nothing in the sales numbers that tells me that the current campaign is anything to write home about.

Unless someone were following this thread, I don't think most people who pay attention to Lucid ads would think anything of less talk about California and more talk about the car's technical merits as anything other than a shift in advertising focus.

There is absolutely nothing unique about doing car design in California. Most brands do (see earlier post about the 15 automotive design studios there). And, as I've said before, the real hallmarks of Lucid design -- mid-century modernism and homage to the heyday of Detroit iron -- have nothing specifically to do with California. Derek Jenkins has claimed bullet trains and airplanes as design inspirations for Lucid products. What do bullet trains have to do with California? It's true that California used to be big in aeronautical, but those days are fast fading, and when talking about airplanes designed in California one is as likely to conjure up the Spruce Goose as anything else.

Other than stating a fact about where the Lucid design team lives and works by saying "designed in California", I see nothing inherently Californian in Lucid design except that they chose to name their gray, tan, and beige interiors after California locations. But that's just a marketing gimmick. I love the interior color palette in my car, but you don't have to go to Santa Monica to come up with a really nice gray/beige color combo, and you certainly don't need to see the geo coordinates stamped on the doorsill to appreciate the look.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed his iconic buildings largely out of his Oak Park studio. None of his work is known as "designed in Illinois". The long parade of notable Aston Martin designs has never been billed as "designed in Warwickshire". The gorgeous Duesenbergs and Cords of the 1920-30's came out of Indianapolis and Auburn, Indiana. Yet they were not known as "designed in Indiana". Harley Earl, the father of American auto design, worked out of Detroit. Yet none of his ground-breaking designs were ever known as "designed in Michigan" or "designed in Detroit".

Good design is about the people who do it, not about where they do it.

Fair points. I think we understand each other’s position at this point, and although we disagree I certainly respect your opinion. At the end of the day, we’re both just guessing; neither of us is on the other end of the data (which they certainly track and have).

Thanks for the good conversation

 

[hmp10]

Thanks for the good conversation

Same here.

 

[xponents]

Fair points. I think we understand each other’s position at this point, and although we disagree I certainly respect your opinion. At the end of the day, we’re both just guessing; neither of us is on the other end of the data (which they certainly track and have).

Thanks for the good conversation

Agree with that, it was getting repetitive partly thanks to me, but each of our points were made clear to each other. Lucid in the past has noted our suggestions in terms of advertising as they do for almost any other subject on this forum, and I have faith that they can quickly act upon this and just generally improve their advertisements.

And thank you, too. Some others would probably get frustrated at the repetitiveness, but you did stay still on your stance as did I, while I got some insight into your POV. Thanks for the fun debate!

 

[hmp10]

Speaking of design, after seeing the Gravity at West Palm Beach a couple of weeks ago, we're driving some friends over to Miami tomorrow to see it again. As antipathetic as I am to SUVs as a vehicle class, I just can't get enough of looking at this one. The profile and rear is an absolute tour-de-force of design given the constraints imposed by the interior space demands.

If they tell me tomorrow it was designed in California, I'll do my best just to nod and keep my mouth shut.

 

[xponents]

If they tell me tomorrow it was designed in California, I'll do my best just to nod and keep my mouth shut.

Please do let me know of the results regarding that... if they do say that and appreciate it, then our entire argument is doomed, unless they say they won't buy it because of that

 

[hmp10]

Please do let me know of the results regarding that... if they do say that and appreciate it, then our entire argument is doomed, unless they say they won't buy it because of that

I meant the Lucid staff. My friends know the perils of tempting me into certain discussions although, God bless 'em, they still do it often enough. I think it's called winding me up.

 

[joec]

For Lucid, no amount of marketing spending could have beat the way they came out of the gate winning award after award after award. I don't know how many of those awards happened with the help of a tactical approach on Lucid's part, other simply than the exceptional engineering and design that went into the process in the first place.

This is an important point. There's a lot more to marketing than just "ads".

One could argue every aspect of the company is part of marketing. Great customer service, to give one example, is an excellent way to promote word-of-mouth.

 

[xponents]

This is an important point. There's a lot more to marketing than just "ads".

One could argue every aspect of the company is part of marketing. Great customer service, to give one example, is an excellent way to promote word-of-mouth.

Tesla is a great example of this. Even factors outside the company play a part, including you owners and this forum generally. Lucid is doing a fantastic job at keeping its current owners extremely pleased with the car and actively listening for feedback, but its such a damn shame the media doesn't want to point that out, leaving you owners doing all the work regarding the word-of-mouth aspect.

 

[PhotoEye]

I've always preferred viewing "marketing" as the process of creating name recognition and product awareness BEFORE a need for the product arises. Basically, establishing (or maintaining) a cognitive impression that can be activated once a purchase option begins to surface.

I'm not expecting to have tens of thousands of viewers automatically place orders after viewing a television ad. But, I am expecting tens of thousands of viewers to learn the name, appreciate the design and features, and talk it up (multiplier effect). Then, the sales promotions have a wider context.

Just one perspective of many here!

 

[hmp10]

. . . I am expecting tens of thousands of viewers to learn the name, appreciate the design and features, and talk it up . . . .

I watch very little broadcast television and now do most of my magazine reading online, using ad blockers wherever available. Perhaps this is the reason I have seen very little Lucid advertising. (There is a lot of YouTube content on the Lucid, getting into whatever level of detail you might want, but one has to know the brand already and go looking for it.)

Can anyone post samples of Lucid ads that showcase its capacious interior, its luxury materials, its performance prowess (perhaps via mentions of key awards). I wonder what percentage of the ad content they represent compared to the more "atmospheric" stuff.

 

[no gas]

I think the situation with Arizona is somewhat different. Local government was instrumental in getting the Lucid plant built there, with tax incentives and other forms of assistance. Every state or local government that does such invariably touts this as a win for their economy, and I don't think it's much taken amiss by the public.

This California thing Lucid has going, however, is much more attitudinal, as in "California design is better than other design aesthetics", "our cars are cooler because California is cooler", etc. It annoys even me, and I'm much more aligned personally with almost all aspects of California life than Florida life.

Guess which state has max EV penetration? California has a the 6th largest economy in the world by GDP. Aiming for complete ban of ICE by 2035. With headquarters in California, I can see why Lucid likes to stress on that.

 

[Adnillien]

I've always preferred viewing "marketing" as the process of creating name recognition and product awareness BEFORE a need for the product arises. Basically, establishing (or maintaining) a cognitive impression that can be activated once a purchase option begins to surface.

I'm not expecting to have tens of thousands of viewers automatically place orders after viewing a television ad. But, I am expecting tens of thousands of viewers.

Does anybody remember the 1989 Launch of the Inifiniti brand? The initial ads did not show the car, only zen like images with the brand. I don't believe that it was considered a very successful ad campaign with jokes like "Infiniti isn’t selling many cars, but sales of plants and rocks are booming…". Yes creating brand recognition and a good product association is very difficult.

I don't have enough expertise to tell Lucid how to advertise. I think their print ads are actually pretty good showing the beauty of the car in beautiful spots. I do see an occasional billboard ad here near the 101 and 202 freeways in Phoenix. Lucid still has a lot of work to do build its brand recognition. Homegrown word of mouth is good but not fast enough to fill the factories that Lucid has built.

 

[hmp10]

Guess which state has max EV penetration? California has a the 6th largest economy in the world by GDP. Aiming for complete ban of ICE by 2035. With headquarters in California, I can see why Lucid likes to stress on that.

That's fine if Lucid decides its fate can rest on defining California as its primary domestic market. But two other states combined -- Texas and Florida -- have more EV registrations than in California. And those are probably the two states most likely to find California branding unappealing.

Some posters doubt whether buyers in places such as Texas and Florida will really stay away from the brand over California branding. I think the same doubts could be raised as to whether many California buyers would opt for a Lucid over some other brand for that reason.

Remember also that European EV percentages swamp U.S. numbers, and Lucid claims to want to become a global brand.

I think trying to brand a company with a regional identity is fundamentally at odds with its trying to become a global brand.

 

[PhotoEye]

Does anybody remember the 1989 Launch of the Infiniti brand? The initial ads did not show the car, only zen like images with the brand. I don't believe that it was considered a very successful ad campaign with jokes like "Infiniti isn’t selling many cars, but sales of plants and rocks are booming…". Yes creating brand recognition and a good product association is very difficult.

I don't have enough expertise to tell Lucid how to advertise. I think their print ads are actually pretty good showing the beauty of the car in beautiful spots. I do see an occasional billboard ad here near the 101 and 202 freeways in Phoenix. Lucid still has a lot of work to do build its brand recognition. Homegrown word of mouth is good but not fast enough to fill the factories that Lucid has built.

Actually I do remember that vividly! I consider that to be a classic case study in introducing a new automotive product -- it was Infiniti v Lexus.

Both led with ethereal sounds and images for months, but no car. We were all asking "But what does the car look like!??" Lexus eventually showed the entire car while Infiniti continued down the zen meditative path.

It turns out both cars were very well engineered automobiles with virtually identically positive critical reviews. However, actually showing the car gave Lexus a head start among buyers that they never relinquished, while Infiniti languished and never got the traction it probably deserved. I, for one, adopted that first LS340 and stayed in the Lexus family through half a dozen other trims, including the LS 460 before my current DE.

WOW, that was some campaign!

 

[scal_air]

That's fine if Lucid decides its fate can rest on defining California as its primary domestic market. But two other states combined -- Texas and Florida -- have more EV registrations than in California. And those are probably the two states most likely to find California branding unappealing.

Some posters doubt whether buyers in places such as Texas and Florida will really stay away from the brand over California branding. I think the same doubts could be raised as to whether many California buyers would opt for a Lucid over some other brand for that reason.

Remember also that European EV percentages swamp U.S. numbers, and Lucid claims to want to become a global brand.

I think trying to brand a company with a regional identity is fundamentally at odds with its trying to become a global brand.

Do you really think that the phrase “designed in California” is enough to turn away serious prospective EV buyers in Texas and Florida? Hard to believe they were serious as this is not an inexpensive purchase. As mentioned before, that says more about the buyer than the company. And since you mentioned the European market, would they have the same antipathy to the phrase or would that be a positive?

 

[scal_air]

For those interested what a Lucid television ad looks like, I refer you to this thread -

Saw a new commercial during the Academy Awards last night

Don't judge - my wife watches them. But I enjoyed the commercial :)

lucidowners.com

 

[hmp10]

Do you really think that the phrase “designed in California” is enough to turn away serious prospective EV buyers in Texas and Florida? Hard to believe they were serious as this is not an inexpensive purchase. As mentioned before, that says more about the buyer than the company. And since you mentioned the European market, would they have the same antipathy to the phrase or would that be a positive?

Saying it’s important to be identified as a California brand in order to sell cars in California would seem to carry the implication that it also has consequences in places where what California is thought to represent engenders dislike, no?