Saab reportedly planning $150M ad blitz for new 9-5, including iPad app

Except for a few very low volume manufacturers, it's almost impossible to sell any significant number of cars without spending some dollars on advertising and promotion. Yet that's exactly what Saab has been doing in the months since it was sold by General Motors. Apparently, that's all about to change in a really big way as Saab prepares to start selling its all-new 9-5. Because the 9-5 is at the heart of the company's efforts to reclaim the sales volume it has lost in the last several years, it makes sense that Saab would wait until the new car was ready for customers.

Saab is planning to spend $150 million on marketing its handsome large sedan, starting with its home-market introduction in Sweden this weekend and continuing through the U.S. introduction in August. According to BusinessWeek, Saab also plans to cut its worldwide dealer body by up to 10 percent by the end of next year to cut costs as it aims for profitability in 2012.

Since this is 2010, the marketing push will go well beyond the usual print and broadcast advertising with a major online and mobile push that includes applications for the Apple iPad and iPhone. Later this year, we can probably expect a similar effort for the introduction of the 9-4x crossover.

Photos by Chris Paukert / Copyright ©2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: BusinessWeek]