Acura Bid For Top Luxury Tier Hangs On New MDX Campaign

Acura wants to elevate itself to the first tier of luxury brands, and so the Honda-owned marque is betting its biggest-ever marketing campaign on its most important vehicle in the effort.
The question remains whether the much-coveted remainder of Generation Y that has financial wherewithal will be drawn in by the initial stages of a campaign meant to get them to respond emotionally to a brand that may not yet have the practical bona fides in the category to pull off such an indirect appeal.

In any event, Acura has unveiled a new multi-channel advertising initiative for the 2014 MDX sport-utility vehicle which brand stewards said will be its most expensive effort ever, comprising more than double its estimated spending of $39 million last year on a campaign for its new RDX SUV.

Gary Robinson, manager of Acura national advertising and the brand, told  journalists the push will be “the biggest launch in Acura history in terms of scope and dollars.”
Acura year-to-date sales through May were ahead of 2012 by 10 percent, and the brand has been overhauling its lineup and its marketing for the last couple of years.

But Acura has remained outside the top tier of U.S. luxury marques consisting of the Germans and Lexus , and Honda wants to change that proposition for the short and long term, starting with this campaign for the vehicle that often has been its volume-leading nameplate.
More than the unprecedented dollar outlay alone, Robinson believes that Acura also is finally taking the right tack in terms of positioning the brand. “We stumbled on to identifying a really interesting niche within luxury that we believe is untapped: a new generation of very technology-oriented kind of doers out there that are quietly out there changing the world,” he said.

“They have a lot of money but they aren’t interested in the traditional trappings of luxury. [They're a] new kind of young, affluent class that is interested in the finer things in life but not for the sake of showing off, but looking for things that are highly functional and highly part of their lives.”
To that end, Acura’s new campaign takes an oblique approach to promoting the new MDX that it calls “Made for Mankind.” Seeking to highlight the “synergy between man and machine,” the first 60-second TV spot in the campaign, “Human Race,” features dreamlike images of people scuba-diving in underwater caves, scrambling up large trees, dancing, teaching movements to a robot and gazing at starlight. The ad consumes 40 seconds before it even shows an MDX.

“Man is a determined creature,” the voiceover says. “No matter the circumstance, opposition or even understanding, there is an inherent calling to seek, push, improve, transcend. It’s a perpetual process, a necessity of the human spirit, that inspired our own evolution. Because if your quest is to build the world’s smartest luxury SUV for mankind, you must hold yourself to the standard of mankind.” It ends by calling the vehicle the “extremely new 2014 MDX.”
Whether an approach flattering the associational capabilities of the target market sells the new MDX remains to be seen. In other “video concepts” that are central to the campaign, Acura gets more practical. “Re-Invention” depicts how the MDX has been completely rethought and improved to the point that the only remaining component of the previous-generation model is a small metal bracket.
And “Choose” focuses on the 2014 MDX’s all-new system that offers “sport” and “comfort” driving modes in addition to normal, adjusting steering effort, throttle response and other aspects of the ride and environment to suite the tastes of the driver.
In any event, it’s the first campaign produced by Mullen, Acura’s new agency, and actually stemmed directly from the pitch that Mullen made to land the account in March from incumbent RPA.
The campaign “gets less of the intellectual part going, which is well known and accepted with this target, and actually makes them start to feel something,” Peter Rosch, Mullen’s executive creative director, told journalists. “It’s a little bit of [creating] a gut feeling that I want to get myself into that car.”

But as abstract as the first ad is, Robinson and Rosch promised that the campaign also will highlight the practical manifestations of the new mood in the MDX, such as a design shift from 41 buttons for the infotainment controls down to just nine, with a touchscreen. “The direction is simplicity and ease of use,” Robinson said. “While there are lots of people doing different things with touchscreens, we think ours works well and is intuitive.”

Source: Forbes

2014 RLX is Acura's new large luxury flagship sedan

Honda's Acura brand was the first premium car line from a Japanese company.
Infiniti and Lexus came along later, but out-shined Acura in one big way, literally, with large sedans to serve as flagships.

While the LS was, and is, the flagship for the Lexus brand, Acura never really had one. For many years the RL was their largest model, but didn't have a large, premium look or feel.
Behold the 2014 Acura RLX. It's only slightly bigger than the RL on the outside, but much roomier on the inside. And almost as important, it has the look of a large premium car. From its overall shape and stance, to little details like the headlight clusters, the RLX takes Acura a bit more upscale.
Features abound, both as standard and optional. Acura has excelled at putting the latest technology into its cars in recent years, and the RLX continues that tradition.

From safety alerts to comfort items, the big Acura sedan has them.

For years, Acura was criticized by the automotive press, and maybe by some potential customers, for not having a V8 engine in its largest car. Acura might be getting the last laugh now, because pretty much all of its luxury competitors are scrambling to put smaller engines in their cars.

The RLX's 3.5 liter direct-injected V6 is all new. While smaller than the one in the previous RL, it makes 310 horsepower, and earns EPA mileage ratings of 20 city and 31 highway.
Acceleration is more than adequate. And for turning, the RLX gets an all wheel steering system. Yes, the rear wheels steer too, automatically, via electronics. The idea is to help the car rotate through curves and feel nimble. Parking maneuvers become easier too.

Is it the biggest car in the luxury segment? No, but it's fuel efficient and is brimming with technology. And most importantly, the RLX gives Acura a car that can be called a flagship.

Acura RLX "Luxury, Luxury" Commercial

6 common tire myths debunked

1. The tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS) in my new car makes sure my tires are adequately inflated. 
The truth: TPMS isn't required to issue a warning until pressure is 25 percent below the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation. That's "well below the pressure required for safe driving," according to AAA and "barely adequate to carry the vehicle's maximum load," says the Rubber Manufacturers' Association. TPMS is intended as a last-minute warning before imminent tire failure, not as a monitor to make sure your tires are properly inflated.

Buy a quality tire gauge and set your tire pressure to at least the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation, which is found on the driver's door jamb. I'd rather you set your tires 3 or even 5 psi high rather than 1 low. Tire-pressure gauges can be inaccurate, and tires leak as much as 1 psi per month. Higher pressure improves hydroplaning resistance and, if you're like many folks, you may not bother to check your tires again for six months.

2. When replacing only two tires, the new ones go on the front.

The truth: Rear tires provide stability, and without stability, steering or braking on a wet or even damp surface might cause a spin. If you have new tires up front, they will easily disperse water while the half-worn rears will go surfing: The water will literally lift the worn rear tires off the road. If you're in a slight corner or on a crowned road, the car will spin out so fast you won't be able to say, "Oh, fudge!"

There is no "even if" to this one. Whether you own a front-, rear- or all-wheel-drive car, truck, or SUV, the tires with the most tread go on the rear. Don't believe it? Watch this.

3. A tire is in danger of bursting if pressure exceeds the "max press" number on the sidewall.

The truth: The "max press" number has nothing to do with a tire's burst pressure. The "max press" and "max load" numbers indicate the pressure at which the tire will carry the maximum amount of weight. A new, quality tire will not pop at an even multiple of the "max press." I'm sworn to secrecy about the exact burst pressure, but I wouldn't hesitate to double the "max press" of any new passenger-vehicle tire on a new wheel. But hitting a big pothole at super-high pressures may cause a failure.

4. The "max press" is where the tire offers its maximum cornering grip.

The truth: If you didn't read the previous point, do so now. Many law enforcement officers cling rigidly to the misconception that the "max press" is secret code for maximum at-the-limit traction. It's a coincidence that many low-bidder tires offer increased grip at 40 or more psi. But that's all it is: a coincidence. If I were going to race a stock ex-cop Ford Crown Victoria on street tires on a road-racing circuit, 45 psi front, 35 psi rear wouldn't be a bad place to start. (The tail would be, in Nascar lingo, too loose for safe street driving.)

5. Low-profile tires fitted on large-diameter wheels improve handling.

The truth: The short sidewalls of low-profile tires enhance the tires' response when the driver first turns the steering wheel. That gives the driver the (often false) feeling the tire has tons of grip. But after that initial movement, it's the tread compound—the stickiness of the rubber—that determines how well the tire grips the road. Also, the combination of a large-diameter wheel and low-profile tire is usually heavier than the original equipment. This means the suspension may not be able to keep the tire in touch with the pavement.

6. All tires with the same designation are exactly the same size.

The truth: Think all 225/35R19s (or whatever tire size) are exactly 225 millimeters wide and their sidewalls are exactly 35 percent as tall as the tire is wide? Not exactly. And unlike what's commonly believe, these designations are not about production tolerances.

All the tires of a specific part number or stock keeping unit (SKU) can be can be slightly wider or narrower than the nominal width and their profile can be slightly taller or shorter than the stated percentage. Why? A wider, taller tire puts more rubber on the ground, which is good for a performance tire. A shorter, narrower tire uses less material, thus reducing costs in a business where profit margins almost never break into double digits. So tiremakers might scrimp a bit here and there. It's a bit like how a 2 x 4 is not, in fact, 2 by 4.

Acura RLX Art of Style Tour: Ft. Lauderdale, FL