Fisker Reboots Marketing With Old Media Ad Buy

Ronnie Schreiber
by Ronnie Schreiber

In what Fisker insists is not a defensive reaction to a cascade of bad news that has put the company’s continued survival in doubt in at least a few observers’ minds, Fisker’s ad agencies, eMaxx Partners and Mono, have run a series of ads strung out over five pages of Friday’s Wall Street Journal print edition.

The ad buy consisted of four quarter-page ads followed by a full page devoted to Fisker. A representative of eMaxx called the ads a “sneak peek of the brand voice” that will be further exposed in a larger worldwide marketing campaign to be launched in the third quarter of 2012. Though the campaign was kicked off with an ad buy at one of the oldest of old media outlets, the larger campaign will include a variety of media outlets by not much in the way of television ads. The main thrust of the campaign seems to be painting Fisker as a visionary company akin to the inventors of the 19th and 20th centuries that brought us the modern world.

In the press email announcing the WSJ ads, Henrik Fisker said, “Launching a new car company is a difficult enough challenge on its own and one that is rarely attempted, let alone also trying to establish a new brand with a revolutionary new product and technology.” Roger Ormisher, director of global PR for Fisker, said, “The ads are about celebrating the achievement of bringing a new car company to market during one of the worst economic downturns ever. There are always critics and skeptics of any new project, especially one that’s been in the political spotlight. But this is underlining what we achieved.”

The ad buy in the Journal might seem anachronistic for a technology based product but despite new media and the growing impact of social networks, but if you want to sell cars to the people who can afford a $100,000 second or third car (which because of the Karma’s limited range it necessarily would be – Justin Bieber has a Cadillac CTS-V wagon to drive when his chrome wrapped Fisker Karma is low on juice) there are worse places than the weekend editions of the Wall Street Journal. For decades the automotive classifieds in the Journal have been like a candy store for car enthusiasts, and they continue to be so as other newspapers get put out of business by the Scylla of eBay and Charybdis of Craigslist. The classified automotive section of the WSJ of course has the high buck Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Rolls-Royces that you’d expect but there usually are some interesting collectible enthusiasts cars for those on a slight more limited budget also listed by private parties or by exoticar dealers. Simply put, rich folks still read the print edition of the Wall Street Journal.

Fisker ad copy:

New isn’t easy.

History will tell you the new path is often the most difficult.

Discovery, far more work than settling.

But history will also tell you there are always a few who simply don’t care.

They don’t care that pushing forward is 4,000 times harder than being pulled along.

They don’t care that giant leaps require more than a single step.

And they don’t care that not everyone is behind them.

Because they know the doubters aren’t the builders.

The critics are never the creators.

And the skeptics, rarely the inventors.

When we set out to redefine and reshape how the

world thinks about cars, we knew it wouldn’t be easy.

And despite our many firsts, accomplishments, and accolades, it hasn’t been.

But that’s alright.

Building the future never is.

Ronnie Schreiber
Ronnie Schreiber

Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth, the original 3D car site.

More by Ronnie Schreiber

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  • Ex Radio Operator Ex Radio Operator on Jun 23, 2012

    Lefties can never win on facts. Slurs and name calling is their stock in trade.

    • Rwb Rwb on Jun 24, 2012

      And this is in response to...?

  • Conslaw Conslaw on Jun 23, 2012

    I would be in Fisker's camp except Tesla seems to be putting out better cars cheaper. Tesla is also not only doing its own engineering, but also doing custom engineering for other companies.

    • Pch101 Pch101 on Jun 23, 2012

      It pays to remember that Tesla was started by tech entrepreneurs. Tech entrepreneurs tend to think in terms of creating companies that others will buy. Having interested buyers doesn't necessarily require making a profit; rather, the potential for a profit or the ability for the business to fill a void within the acquiring firm can be enough. I was quite skeptical of Tesla, but they have proven me wrong by doing a good job of grooming a company that an established automaker will want to eventually acquire. As a business, Tesla may never make a dime in profit, but that probably won't matter. The same thing can't be said of Fisker. Fisker is going to have to live or die based upon the success of its products. Given what has happened thus far, life isn't looking good for Fisker.

  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
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