2013 winning case study: McLaren, Brand Extension - hear their story

2013 winner: Brand Extension

Ferrari. Lamborghini.

Even their names, written simply in black and white evoke strong emotions.

In an industry defined by desirability their products are positively worshipped. Their images have hung on bedroom walls around the world for over 50 years, vying for space alongside the other classic icons of desire; bond girls and supermodels.

McLaren™ is nothing at all like its super car competition.

Their mission has traditionally been winning races. Notoriety for McLaren™ always came in the form of sporting success not brand success - they were there to build sponsors brands, not their own.

To most, a Formula One™ team moving into road cars might seem like the most natural thing in the world.

That’s just not the case. Surprisingly, the differences between the businesses far outweigh the similarities. The business model, scale, place, brand mindset and audience are all entirely different.

Fuel the myth

In understanding the audience we realised that it was the stories within McLaren’s heritage that were by far the most valuable transfer to the road – not the technology as we’d initially imagined.

Our job was to fuel the myth and ensure it was steeped into every part of the new supercar brand.

McLaren™ had typically set itself a monumental challenge – develop a brand to take on the might of Ferrari and Lamborghini.

From a standing start McLaren™ took more than a quarter of the market’s value against the category’s two most entrenched players in just 18 months of trading.

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