Marketing isn’t easy, but sometimes everything just falls into place and it looks easy. Think about it: If you can get a hot model to take a big bite out of one of your cheeseburgers, chances are good that you’ll sell some burgers. Combine something that humans find attractive, put in an action that most people would find desirable, and presto, you’ve got yourself a killer marketing strategy. After that, all you have to do is hope and pray that whatever it is you’re selling holds up to the promises that you made.
The McLaren 650S is a product that needs no worry. The company has great history building super cars that haul ass and corner…the fact that they are unbelievably pretty in person helps. But how do you sell it? Used to be, you tossed the keys to an aging Brit, let him drive in front of a bunch of cameras, and you were done. We all know where that story ends, so to make up for it, McLaren took two pages out of their book: find a beautiful location and show the car in action. The location is the Hakone Turnpike, a legendary bit of road in Japan that offers both wonderful scenery and a driving experience that might just be unparalleled in the world, with an excellent road surface and enough turns that it’s compared to the Nurburgring Nordschliefe. Supercars might not be our thing, but be honest: if you were given the key and told you could make a lap, would you bother opening the door or would you just leap into the seat?
