HOT HATCH DRIVER INSIGHTSBY DAN PANKRAZ

Dan PankrazYouth Planning Specialist, DDB SydneyDanpankraz.wordpress.com

I RECENTLY SPENT SOME TIME LOOKING INTO THE ‘HOT HATCH’ TRIBES.THESE LITTLE POCKET ROCKETS ARE TYPICALLY DRIVEN BY GEN Y’ERS SO I WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK INTO THE DRIVER MINDSET, WHAT THESE CARS REPRESENT AND HOW THEY’RE MARKETED.HERE’S WHAT I FOUND.

WHEN IT COMES TO SMALL POCKET ROCKETSIT’S ALL ABOUT BELONGING TO A TRIBE

HOWEVER SOME CARS ARE MORE ‘TRIBAL’ THAN OTHERS

A SPECTRUM OF ‘FOLLOWING’ FOR CERTAIN BRANDSExoticsAlfaACTIVE TRIBESNO TRIBE-CULT BRANDS LIKE SUBARY WRX, STI AND COOPER S HAVE ACTIVE TRIBAL FOLLOWING WITH MASSIVE ONLINE COMMUNITIES

HOT HATCH TRIBES IN AUSTRALIAC30 T5EVERYDAYPERFORMANCECULTURED CHICFAST TRACKVXR XR5 ExoticsFUNFASHIONISTA POCKETROCKETRETRO RACERSAlfaTRIBAL(Active Belonging)INDIVIDUAL(Passive Owners)PASSIONISTAPERFORMANCEAFFICIANADO-TECH IMPORT-BOY RACERRAWPERFORMANCE

SO WHO BELONGS TO THESE TRIBES?

SUBARU WRX ‘BOY RACER’ TRIBEOWNER TYPE Competitive, Poser, Car Nut, Showy, TechiesCAR SAYS “I want the real deal..it’s powerful, respected and intimidates.. I’ve got street cred and I like that people check out my wheels and know what it can do”CAR MAKES ME FEELPowerful, Aggressive, Masculine, KnowledgeableFabio, 33

MINI COOPER ‘FUN FASHIONISTA’ TRIBEOWNER TYPEFashionista, Playful, Colourful, Queen Bee, Creative ClassCAR SAYS “I’m all about having fun and looking good 24/7....I’m in a rush, get out of my way”CAR MAKES ME FEEL Stylish, Classy, Vibrant, Personalised, CuteAnita, 30

JOHN COOPER WORKS ‘RETRO RACING’ TRIBEOWNER TYPEFashionista, Design with a sense of history, Quality, Appreciates Uniqueness, Loves motor racing heritageCAR SAYS “I’m stylish with an appreciation of old school motoring, I don’t mind embarrassing bigger more powerful cars”CAR MAKES ME FEEL Stylish, Trendy, Retro cool, One step aheadAdam, 34

GOLF GTI ‘FAST TRACK’ TRIBEOWNER TYPE Sporty, Forever Young, Fast Life, Connected, CompetitiveCAR SAYS“I’m on my way up and love driving hard, but I’m no poser or rev head..it’s not how fast I go, but how I go fast ..”CAR MAKES ME FEEL Understatedly Cool, Dynamic, AliveFlo, 26

GOLF R32‘PERFORMANCE AFFICIANADO’ TRIBEOWNER TYPE Professional, Super ambitious, One pay rise away from an M3, Enemy of ordinaryCAR SAYS“I’m a wolf in sheep’s clothing, catch me if you can”CAR MAKES ME FEEL Successful, Dynamic, Agile, AdventurousChris, 30

CIVIC TYPE R ‘TECH IMPORT’ TRIBEOWNER TYPE Asian with a love of fast cars, street racing, tech/gadget enthusiast, little guy syndromeCAR SAYS“I’m a little dangerous and want something with racing tech and unique design..a feisty import, just like me”CAR MAKES ME FEEL Naughty, Futuristic, Unique, TechyJet, 25

THE FOLLOWING CARS DON’T HAVE ‘TRIBAL FOLLOWING’ PER SE, BUT ATTRACT A CERTAIN DRIVER TYPE

VOLVO C30 T5‘CULTURED CHIC’OWNER TYPE Cultured, Understated, Educated, Minimalist, PassiveCAR SAYS“I hate the status quo, want a small car that’s unique , just like me...I appreciate minimalist design, less is more”CAR MAKES ME FEEL Cultured, sophisticated, environmental, ethicalBel, 31

MAZDA MPS ‘A LITTLE BIT SPORTY’="null"> OWNER TYPE Conservative, Covert, Mainstream, Follower, Want the best of Zoom ZoomCAR SAYS“I want a weapon, but I don’t want everyone to know about it...it’s undercover like me”.CAR MAKES ME FEEL Sporty, Satisfied, Smart, ConfidentSimon, 32

ALFA ROMEO MIO‘PASSIONISTA’OWNER TYPE Passionate Italian, Image is everything, Obsessed by visual appeal, LoudCAR SAYS“It’s sexy, I’m the one you should be looking at, but don’t look under my bonnet”CAR MAKES ME FEEL Sexy, Extroverted, DistinctiveMarco, 27

SEMIOTIC CODES OF HOT HATCH ADVERTISING

IN TERMS OF MARKETING COMMUNICATION, ALL HOT HATCHES ARE MARKETED AS ‘CREATURES OF THE NIGHT’THEY’RE PORTRAYED AS SERIOUS, AGGRESSIVE, MASCULINE, PRIMAL, MENACING AND BROODING.ALL THE LANGUAGE AND IMAGERY DEPICTS ‘TRANSFORMATION’ - THE VEHICLE HELPING BRING OUT YOUR DEVILISH SIDE TO PLAY..

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