Bentley GT coupe - the Marketing Story

NEW YORK, March 27 -- Over the past twenty years, Bentley has been rediscovering its own identity and distinctive spirit, all the while nurturing the dream of developing a Grand Touring coupe for a new generation. The reference points for this dream have been the Speed Six of 1928 and the R-Type Continental, which in 1953 was able to take four adults, seated in great comfort, to 120 mph -- the fastest four seater of its time. And a dream it would have remained without financial backing to a level unprecedented in Bentley's history.

But now Bentley has that backing and the dream is reality. The GT coupe is just months away from being shown to the public for the first time. Bentley is at the dawn of its most exciting era since founder, Walter Owen (or WO) Bentley first put his name to a car, back in 1919.

How is it to be done? The first point to make is that while the GT coupe may have been a dream for many years, had that dream not come hand in hand with a tangible business case, the GT coupe would never have been built. Bentley believes that even in the rarefied atmosphere of the upper luxury sector of the car market, there is a clear gap in the market that only a car such as the GT coupe can successfully fill.

Those looking to buy in this sector currently have a straight choice between two dramatically differing breeds of car. They can buy a number of uncompromising two-seater sportscars with minimal space for luggage, or they can choose a rather more accommodating coupe but suffer a corresponding reduction in driving enjoyment. Those who crave true supercar performance, response and style, but need the flexibility of a car that seats four, carries their luggage and can be used everyday for all purposes, have not yet been provided for. The GT coupe is designed for these people.

Having determined the market niche, the responsibility then fell on the design and engineering staff to fill it as effectively as possible with a product that would leave no questions unanswered. Though it is envisaged that many GT coupe buyers will possess a number of cars in their fleet, it is also hoped that most will find it satisfies all their motoring requirements and wishes. The Bentley owners that use their GT coupe everyday will likely be the ones who gain most from the extraordinary breadth of its abilities.

The result is a marketing proposition where the product itself is by far the strongest tool. When its full specification is revealed, it will be clear that from any standpoint of importance to the customer -- be it power, performance, practicality or style -- the GT coupe is more than capable of speaking for itself.

Nevertheless even the best product needs a voice if it is to be heard particularly if, as expected with the GT coupe, 75 percent of those who buy one will not be existing customers.

Adrian Hallmark is Bentley's member of the board for marketing. He explains: ``Even with our current product, there are around seven million people in our target group who have the financial means to be able to afford one of our cars. However a large number of them will admire our products, but stop short of buying one because they hit a mental hurdle when confronted with the prospect of paying 150,000 Pounds Sterling or more for a car, despite the fact they think the car is worth the money. Our current customers tend to be among the most wealthy in the world and there is a big step between them and another group of still extremely affluent individuals who are uncomfortable with buying cars at our existing price points.''

He adds: ``While the GT coupe will not be cheap, it will be more affordable than is traditional for Crewe built cars. It will present a level of affordability that's well within the range of those who would naturally shy away from one of our larger cars.''

As far as rivals are concerned, Bentley recognises that while the packaging, power and practicality of the GT coupe makes it a genuinely unique proposition, it would be foolish to assume therefore that it has no competition.

Hallmark continues, ``Bentley is defined by the brand more than most, but our customers are not: we hope they would wish to be identified in part as 'Bentley people' but it's never going to be their only passion in life. They will have many other interests and while we hope the strength and positioning of the product means they will consider a Bentley GT coupe before any other car, we know also that's not the only choice they have. They might want a new or additional holiday home, or a bigger holiday home; they might choose to buy a boat or start an art collection. Anything that is expensive can fairly be thought of as competition.''

What does unite 'Bentley people' is an interest in and a love for cars. Yet Bentley's research shows that GT coupe buyers are going to be interested in subtly different aspects of cars than Bentley's traditional clientele. Certainly both groups value indomitable performance, the finest quality and craftsmanship, but the GT coupe buyer is likely also to be interested in technology and contemporary design.

GT coupe buyers will tend to be younger than current customers and will typically be in their forties rather than in their fifties. Men will still buy many more than women, but their majority will decrease from the overwhelming 96-99 percent of current customers, to a slightly more balanced 85-90 percent of GT coupe buyers. They will be high achieving, hard working and more typically owners of their own business rather than directors of public companies.

It will be no surprise that Bentley is not going to indulge in extensive advertising campaigns to reach such people: this has never been the Bentley style and seen as a less targeted tactic that is quite inappropriate both to Bentley's brand values and the exclusive nature of the product. Though the GT coupe will be made in greater numbers than any other Bentley to date, by all normal standards it will still be an exceptionally rare sight on the road.

Bentley prefers to adopt a much more targeted approach and it sees its expanding motor-racing programme in general and Le Mans in particular as playing a vital role in reaching those people for whom the GT coupe was born. ``It helps in two very distinct ways,'' says Hallmark. ``First, through the people who go to Le Mans and the media coverage the team receives, it allows us great access into the mind set of an already car oriented target group. They are likely to understand the heritage of a race like Le Mans and how it is inextricably intertwined with our own. Secondly, it helps people understand that Bentley is changing in a very dynamic and exciting way, and this makes them curious. Hopefully that curiosity will still be aroused when they see the GT coupe. When WO Bentley ran this business, motorsport was at its very heart and now it is once again.''

This direct approach characterises the entire marketing strategy for the GT coupe. Bentley aims to reach its new customers through strategic alliances with other luxury non-automotive companies, organising joint activities and promotions, highly targeted direct marketing and internet activity. ``To achieve our aims, we need routinely to be in touch with roughly ten times more people around the world than at present,'' says Hallmark. ``These will be existing, lapsed and prospective customers. We will involve them in driving events, keep them informed of the company's activities and give them an entirely different and much more personal treatment than they are accustomed to receiving for mass production luxury car manufacturers. We will be charging more for our GT coupe and, for us, justifying this with the provision of what we believe will be a demonstrably better car is not enough. Our customers need to see not just a better car but a better company too.''

It is with such thoughts in mind that the decision was taken not to grow substantially the global dealer network, despite the considerable increase in production that the GT coupe will mean. Currently there are 121 Bentley dealerships around the world and this number is not envisaged to grow beyond 150.

So while the dealer will still be able to provide a level of personalised service that will be a revelation to many new customers, the dealers themselves will know they too are part of an extremely small and exclusive family. This is helping to create a business that runs successfully at such a personal level right from factory, completing the environment the Bentley driver can expect to enjoy.

Extensive demographic analysis shows this small number of dealers is more than adequate to cover all markets and, as the launch of Bentley's first operation in China in 2001 showed, the company is fully aware of and committed to keeping the global market covered. Its strategy is to establish a presence in all emerging markets for its cars, becoming an established figure long before a market reaches full maturity.

Finally, the issue of how the GT coupe will affect Bentley's brand values should be addressed. Bentley is changing, but instead of moving away from what made it great in the first place, history will show that the GT coupe marked the point on the road where the marque's march back to its heartland broke into a sprint. The strength of any brand in this sector is the original thought that created it and, in this case, that was the vision of WO Bentley. And while there were times in the distant past when that vision had become little more than a nostalgic fairytale, now and increasingly it resonates through the walls of the factory at Crewe.

WO's proposition was very simple and it is as compelling today as it was 83 years ago. He would combine cutting edge design with outrageous performance and superlative craftsmanship to create a potent, authentic and unique motoring experience. It would not be some trinket and it would have more than simple presence and power. It would have a purpose that took it beyond mere recreation and turned it into something of real use and significance. And while it would offer great comfort and unquestioned luxury as it went about its daily business, so also it would possess a thinly veiled ability to turn into something very special at any moment.

It is this vision, above all, that motivated Bentley to make the GT coupe and inspired those charged with carrying out the task.