Challenge: “There is no substitute” has been the unofficial Porsche tagline in North American ever since Tom Cruise delivered the line with a megawatt grin over 40 years ago. So it was about time to make it the centerpiece of a new brand campaign called (wait for it) There Is No Substitute. Thing is, the campaign wasn’t so much about Porsche itself as it was the people whose passion built and sustain the brand. But how do we turn what began as anecdotes into full-blown stories?
Solution: Start with the anecdote, then push, push, push. Working with the social team, we zeroed in on a few owners who seemed to have more to their Porsche story than just the snippet we were given. Through repeated interviews with our subjects (who were kind enough to bear with me) I began to build a picture of their lives and the role Porsche played in each one.
Result: Tales of resilience, of discovery, of rediscovery, and even true love. Every one was ultimately about the beauty of the human experience. It eclipses anything Porsche has ever done itself, but the human experience is enriched—in part—because of Porsche. And for that, there is no substitute.
