February 6, 2014
German automaker Porsche is returning to Le Mans 24 Hours race after a 16-year leave and is hyping up its mission with an extensive digital campaign.
The automaker's pursuit of a victory at Le Mans 24 Hours race has called for a start-from-scratch approach, and the brand is eager to share that journey. Competing in high-level racing events can help a brand clarify design methods, gather favor among auto enthusiasts and gain bragging rights over contenders.
"The upcoming rules package for 2014 were particularly interesting to our engineers and will allow them to expand their horizons when it comes to technology transfer from the race track to our future road cars," said Dave Engelman, media relations manager at Porsche Cars North America, Atlanta.
"From the brand perspective, everyone here at Porsche is quite excited," he said. "We won the GT LM class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last year with our new 911 RSR and then again the 24 Hours of Daytona a week and half ago, making the new 911 two-for-two in 24 Hour endurance races. "
History to work with
Porsche has achieved 16 victories at Les Mans and more than 30,000 racing victories overall. To say that the brand is highly familiar with the sport is an understatement.
Nonetheless, the brand insists that it is starting from zero, reassessing everything that it has tried before.
Continually overhauling designs allows Porsche to reinvent itself over and over. The rigorous standards of racing impels the automaker to strive for greater models, which are then translated to sports cars.
The automaker has created a microsite to convey these ideas to fans.
The microsite explores Porsche's driving principle, its values, its mission, the infrastructure of the track, the technology it has used while crafting its vehicle and its preparation.
Porsche's Le Mans 24 Hour Microsite
Porsche will be unveiling its newest Le Mans Prototype, or LMP1, in the near future.
Behind the Scenes of an LMP1 Test
Race to the race
Luxury automakers such as Ferrari and Aston Martin are also returning to high-level racing after a long departure.
Bentley Motors revived its racing identity Dec. 13 after a ten-year departure with the debut of its Contintental GT3 at the Gulf 12 Hours, Dubai.
The British automaker revealed the model during July’s Goodwood Festival of Speed and will debut it on the racetrack after months of refinement. An automaker such as Bentley is able to cultivate new fans and bolster its legacy by engaging in and performing strongly at races (see story).
While most luxury automakers have rich traditions in the racing world, how thoroughly should this history be woven into a brand’s image?
Following appearances in racing events, social media pages are often saturated with tribute-recaps that can enthrall a core constituency, but may also fail to resonate with less zealous fans. However, reminding all fans of the intense competition and push toward innovation inherent in racing can create an aura of passion that captivates rather than deters consumers (see story).
For brands such as Porsche, racing provides the impetus for every project that they take on.
"Porsche has one of the richest racing reputations and legacies of any automotive marque, anywhere, ever," said Bob Prosser, CEO of Auto World Marketing Corp., San Diego.
"The company has earned major victories and championships in rally, desert [and] road courses, and has built engines for McLaren's winning Formula One team," he said. "Porsche continued this tradition in 2005 with the Porsche RS Spyder prototype and the Penske Motorsport team in the American Le Mans Series.
"Now, Porsche is coming back to racing hot-and-heavy in 2014. Porsche opened this season with a win at the Daytona 24 Hours. The tradition continues."
Final Take
Joe McCarthy, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York
Share your thoughts. Click here
