Saab Stories Invite Some Offbeat Comparisons

Advertiser: Saab Cars USA

Agency: Lowe & Partners Worldwide, New York

Challenge: Create a global image for the Swedish car company, a niche player in the United States.

The Ads: Print ads use unlikely comparisons between Saab and such things as steroids, parenthood and oxygen bars to draw attention to specific features of Saab cars. The ad titled “Saab vs. Oxygen Bars” shows a Saab 9-3 convertible with its top down, against the background of a brilliant blue sky. The text says drivers can get ample amounts of fresh air in the car. “Saab vs. Parenthood” asserts that drivers of the 9-5 wagon needn’t trade driving pleasure for safety and roominess. “Saab vs. Steroids” pitches Saab’s turbocharged engine.

Comment: Saab sales in the U.S. grew 8.1% in 1998, a strong performance during a year when the total new-car market expanded by only 2.9%. But Saab, part-owned by General Motors, continues to lose money in the U.S. These ads, developed through a collaboration between Saab’s U.S. and Swedish agencies, both units of Lowe, court people the company has identified as potential customers: active, affluent, educated adults who shy away from luxury icons and fads. So the ads combine whimsy with information, and exude confidence rather than coolness. Saab has struggled for some time to find the right way to reach its market. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the campaign is Saab’s decision to take its media spending out of TV and put it into better-targeted media such as magazines, direct mail and the Internet. The company is quadrupling its online spending. $$$