Mazda's Multiplicative Mayhem

What's going on with Mazda's product marketing strategy?

Those who take higher risks, often see higher rewards. This is all the more true in the case of a rapidly-evolving auto industry where R&D budgets are tightening, product lineups are consolidating, and consumers are less informed/interested in the product's origin. Mazda chooses to roll the dice with a unique product positioning approach to usher in their next-gen vehicles.

Buying a new vehicle can be reduced to a question; "How would you like your crossover - small, medium, large, or supersized?"

Something I've always appreciated about major OEMs is their ability to innovate, whether directly through the product with new features/tech or via a clever sales & integrated marketing strategy. In this case, Mazda tends to focus on the latter. But what is it that they're doing exactly which makes them so unique? It's safe to say its probably not the mundane slew of "choices" you have. Buying a new vehicle in the US can pretty much all be reduced to a simple question; "How would you like your crossover - small, medium, large, or supersized?"

But, Mazda gets extra credit for transitioning their lineup through re-segmentation in a unique way that could either prove a waste of time & resources in the long run, or a genius consolidation that supercharges their sales by opening up their brand to an entire new consumer base with minimal product development spend. Let me explain...

Context - a briefing in recent history

For years, Mazda had offered a variety of SUVs under the "CX" line for many different types of SUV buyers. The CX-3 for the young & single city-dweller, the CX-9 for the growing family of 6, and models in between for the buyer somewhere in the middle. Recently, however, they've begun launching a new adjacent lineup in an identical manner - but this time with a different consumer in mind. A continuation of the CX-line, the CX-30, CX-50, CX-70 & CX-90 are all replacing them - an evolution of the product from run-of-the-mill upmarket crossovers, to a more serious & off-road-esque look that is super hot right now. The obvious question remains: Are they not wasting efforts targeting the same buyer with two-products? In theory - no. The off-road appeal justifies a hefty premium, especially with the current egregious dealer markup situation. Overlapping with their traditional predecessors, these new SUVs will replace them by phasing out each model, slowly. At the time of writing, the only one still hanging around is their volume-heavy unit, the CX-5.

Still don't get it?

So what, Mazda made their product's more boxy, sit a bit higher, wider and look a little tougher? It's not just that - the bigger picture here is that Mazda has found their final puzzle-piece to their long-planned journey of moving upmarket to distance themselves from the competition. You see, there's really no Japanese brand that sits in-between the premium & legacy spaces while ALSO retaining reliability, above average build quality, and stylistic appeal that they've been focusing on for the last decade. The less-risky & more orthodox approach to appeal to the off-road type would be to launch a halo-car - a Ford Bronco, GMC Hummer, or even the new Hyundai Santa-Fe to lead the charge, followed by the more volumetric push of products slotted below but marketed in tandem. Mazda, however, makes a daring attempt to convince brand loyalists that their new products are totally different, different enough to justify the price increase, solidifying their upmarket status & finalizing their plan to reposition.

Consumers who prefer legacy brands are especially stubborn and more risk-averse, in theory, making them more hesitant to shift their overall perspective toward the brand.

Pros & Cons

The altruist in me wants to believe this is ingenious - a bullet-proof strategy that no other OEM saw coming. Realistically, we can learn from Infiniti's sloppy back & forth nomenclature reconfiguration that left the brand without a direction and it's enthusiasts scratching their heads. Mazda has already taken better steps to a more transparent & direct approach, but this is still very much an uphill battle. It's important to note consumers who prefer legacy brands (starting point for Mazda) are especially stubborn and more risk-averse, in theory, making them more hesitant to shift their overall perspective toward the brand. Best case scenario, Mazda successfully reinvents their image as an entry-level premium brand, distancing themselves from Honda, Toyota, Hyundai etc. and opening more opportunity to gain market share. Worst case scenario, the battle to communicate this message takes longer due to a rare but legitimate confusion that pushes away would-be buyers and worse still, cannibalizing their own sales. Overall, it should be the cheapest path to their vision.

Conclusion

To be fair to Mazda - they deserve a new respect for implementing such a bold product marketing strategy. Corporate competition looks weak in comparison - plus who can afford the new land-cruiser anyway? Extra points for sticking to their roots & spending all that money developing the new Skyactiv inline-6 powertrain to lead the charge, going against the grain. They need to focus on keeping the transparency - consumers are starting to wake up to shrinkflation, a phenomena recently identified by a reddit user who noticed their CX-70 & CX-90 displayed in a manner that makes the latter appear much larger when in reality, they're nearly identical in exterior dimensions... Awkward.