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Once again, a struggling brand seeks to refine its obscure image
Once again, a struggling brand seeks to refine its obscure image

Ever since Infiniti was launched with mystifying advertising images of rocks and trees 21 years ago, Nissan Motor Co.’s luxury brand has been hard to pin down.

Vehicles such as its G37, the 2011 M sedan and the QX56 SUV turn heads and win praise in buff books. But while luxury competitors such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Lexus have soared in consumer popularity over the past decade, Infiniti has struggled to keep up.

Infiniti’s sales peaked at 131,401 in 2005. Last year they totaled 81,089.

The problem? Fuzzy brand awareness caused by more than a decade of sharing vehicles and marketing resources with its larger sibling brand, Nissan.

Ben Poore is on fire to fix this. As vice president of Nissan North America’s Infiniti Business Unit for the past year and a half, Poore’s mission has been to sharpen the brand’s image. His most visible initiative is a new campaign, “The Way of Infiniti,” which is scheduled to run for five years.

“Our brand has always been about performance luxury,” Poore says. “We’ve always been there, but we now have a very solid and interesting way of defining ourselves.”

Dealers add that Nissan needs to give Infiniti a broader lineup to match luxury rivals. Infiniti is expected to make several new product announcements next month — likely including a performance subbrand — to bolster its luxury credibility.

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