Did advertising pursuade you?

[CX5racer]

Interesting to see how much advertising Mazda has been doing with the 3, 6 and CX-5. I think this is one of their most agressive campaigns I can recall. Although I don't read women's magazines it seems to me they are targeting males as most of the adds we found are in male oriented magazines and lots of TV commercials during auto racing. In speaking with a family member who is a Mazda marketing rep he states the demographics they target is educated "techie" people, engineers and such, in higher income brackets as well as car enthusiasts which all seems to fit. Also the Safe & Sound soundtrack they use is quite catchy.

I know when we were first considering compact crossovers the Mazda really was not on our radar until we started seeing all the adds with that beautiful soul red car. Being an Accord owner we had been looking at the CRV but after some test drives and checking out cars around town (not a lot of CX-5's were on the road yet) my wife cracked me up when she said "I don't want a CRV as old women drive those, the Mazda is much sportier". So the advertising did have an effect on us putting Mazda on the list, the test drive is what sold us.

Just curious as to whether advertising had any influence on your decision to buy a Mazda?

 

[katman]

Advertising had nothing to do with my decision. Honestly, I have only seen one commercial for the cx5, maybe seen the same commercial 4x and that's it- I've never seen a print ad.
I looked at the competition and thought that:
1) CRV- frump mobile. It looks like a mom mobile. It also has low clearance, not the thing for occasional heavy snow. Also, looks like a slightly modded previous gen CRV and I didn't want to pay today's $ for yestertech. I also will add that we had a '98 CRV and outside of crappy heat and ac, like the car, was mechanically flawless and after 100K miles, sold it for half of what we paid for it
2) Rav4- Again, looks like a warmed over version of the same car that came out '06 or whenever. Safety scores disappointed, no available leather, less mpg and lacked features available on CX5
3)Hyundai/Kia Sportage- Lower mpg, lower resale, that's enough for me not to test drive
4) Nissan- Didn't want a cvt tranny
5) Ford-I will not consider them!
6) Chevy Equinox- chasis is fricken ancient, based on the Saturn Vue from what? 2000? Drove one, hated the steering. I've done my time with GM, time to move on.
The only ads I remember seeing recently for any small suv are the Rav4 ones. The qualities of the CX5 really are what sold me on it, especially compelling considering the our local Mazda dealer closed down shortly after the '13 cx5 came out and the nearest dealer is 30 miles away. In fact, that is the only dealer withing 120 miles!

 

[CX-SV]

I see plenty of print and TV Mazda ads. Yawn...

No, advertising does nothing to persuade me when buying cars.

 

[paris1]

I see plenty of print and TV Mazda ads. Yawn...

No, advertising does nothing to persuade me when buying cars.

Nor me, but Mazda is doing a masterful job of getting a whole lot of CRV, Escape and Rav4 shoppers to include CX-5 on their short list with all of that advertising. I DVR everything I watch on TV and I'm always amazed how often I catch a glimpse of a Soul Red Mazda while buzzing through commercials. They have flat never mounted this kind of a sustained ad campaign and I think it shows in their sales figures.

 

[V8toilet]

No

 

[CX-SV]

^ V8 - I read through above, but didn't see response to "did advertising persuade you...?" (besides website impact noted)...

 

[craigo]

Advertising works. I see it everyday. It's not so much a "I've got to go buy that" response, especially with a major purchase like a car, but rather by informing people that "this car exists" or "this brand exists", people will think "I have heard of that" when they are looking into a new car. Then they look up reviews, or the pictures, or ask their buddy Carl with the miata, check it out and eventually buy one.

Billions aren't spent on advertising for nothing.

 

[ALafya]

Ads did nothing for me in this case, because I was obsessively tracking automotive news and owner forums even before the official launch.
I did see many Mazda commercials on TV, first for the CX-5 and previous gen SkyActiv 3, then for the current gen Mazda 3. I also see many web banner ads for Mazda, probably because I frequent sites like this one as well as others.
The new 3 is in our short list for replacement vehicle for my wife, later this year. I am sure it will be a delight to drive.

 

[dergibog]

No.

 

[sr12345]

Product reviews brought it to my attention.
Pre-purchase research (including finding this site) increased my interest.
The test drive sealed the deal.

 

[vasichkin]

Product reviews brought it to my attention.
Pre-purchase research (including finding this site) increased my interest.
The test drive sealed the deal.

Same for me but I didnt even need the test drive. I did test drive the crv in the dealership across the street. Hated the ride and the sleazy salesman. Hate Honda sales tactics.

 

[Beefy]

No, ads did not persuade me. Car reviews pointed me towards the CX-5, and my test drive confirmed it.

That being said, the ads are pretty on-point and accurate. The car drives far better than its price point.

 

[vasichkin]

I started paying more attention to the ads after I purchased the car.

 

[CC58]

For me the unique engine/trans tech and superior handling were big factors, but I'm an old engineer too. The universal consensus in all the comparison reviews was a big factor. Mazda's quality sealed the deal. There are ads on TV? I fast forward over those.

 

[CX5racer]

Interesting replies on this topic. Not 100% certain but my guess most if not all replying to this thread are males. I am curious if the adds had any impact on female impressions on the Mazda line? Were wives/girlfriends a factor in any of these purchases? Did the adds bring the CX-5 to the lime light so to speak as a valid competitor in a very competitive compact crossover line?

I know many times when telling people I bought a new car and they ask what did you get and I say the new Mazda CX-5 I hear replies like Oh I've seen that car on TV looks nice....So in other words there is awareness. Mazda had some dark years when Ford was the major owner and many people saw it as a non-competitor, I was one of those even though I had a 626 back in the day. May sound strange but I also get some joy out of the fact I'm not following the masses in buying Honda or Toyota just for the name.

 

[bmarsh]

I've had (at least) one Mazda for the last 32 years... I do notice the ads, as I am a huge F1 racing fan, and they have lots of ads there, and Grand Am/Tudor, etc.

I think the ads were what sold me on Soul Red, actually.

 

[katman]

I like to think myself immune to advertising- I took marketing classes in college and when I see ads, I'll analyze them, think of the market segment they are going after, subliminal aspects, etc.
My mom had a dress shop when I was growing up and sometimes I would go to the mart to help when she bought dresses. Sometimes a vender would hard sell a dress- she'd walk away. "Good stuff will sell itself
And if they have to hard sell it to me, it will sit unsold in my store"
The only ads I've seen are ford escape and I see them all the time!
Fwiw, I'm a male but bought the cx5 for my wife.

 

[Beefy]

Interesting replies on this topic.

Indeed. Mild sexism and elitism in one efficient post!

 

[Bon Scott]

When I got out of college 22 years ago, I couldn't find a real job....so I ended up being hired selling cars at a Mazda dealership. This was back when the MX-3's were brand new and the MX-6 was remodeled for '93.....and selling like hotcakes (everyone wanted the hunter green). Anyways, I sold Mazdas for 2 years and then got out of the industry altogether. My my experience selling them though, I did become a believer in the brand (especially the models that were made in Japan as compared to the ones that were coming off the Ford assembly line). Anyways, for the last 20 years I have owned 2 Acura Integras and 1 Nissan Sentra...all of which were bought used. 3 months ago when I came into some money, I decided to finally treat myself to a brand spanking new vehicle and was very intrigued by the crossover. One day a really nice CX-5 drove by me and it caught my eye. After doing some research online, and seeing all the positive reviews as compared to the RAV4 and CRV.....I set my sights on the CX-5. I didn't drive the RAV4 nor the CRV nor anything else for that matter. I liked the look of the CX-5 compared to any other crossover vehicle out there...and I knew that Mazda was very much in line with Honda and Toyota. The fact that the CX-5 is manufactured in Japan sealed the deal for me. I checked out a few places, drove the vehicle, and got some quotes. 2 weeks later I bought the GT model in black with sand leather. Could not be happier (except for the USB reloading all my music upon every startup...which I believe Mazda is addressing very soon).

So, no advertising did little to persuade me. For me it was simply that I knew Mazda was good and I love the look of the CX-5 compared to any other crossover out there. However, when I see the ads on TV for the CX-5 now that I own one...it makes me smile.

Bon

 

[joemon1984]

I am basically from india and mazda dont sell cars there. I bought CX5 after reading a lot of positive reviews. Made in Japan was one big factor in deciding to go with CX5. I was little nervous about the purchase as i never even seen a mazda car before relocating to canada. I saw cx5 advertisement only after I made my mind to purchase one. After 8 months of ownership, I realize I made the right choice. It is an amazing machine.