MAINSTREAM TACK VS. INTRINSIC UNIQUENESS.

Advertising Age, April, 1999 by Garfield, Bob

Saab vs. steroids,'' one headline reads. The reference is to torque- producing turbochargers, as opposed to big-displacement muscle mass of other European performance cars.

``Saab vs. Vivaldi,'' says another. This is about compatibility with each of the four seasons. ``Four Seasons'' . . . get it?

``Saab vs. Descartes.'' This is a tart response to the famed Cartesian assertion cogito, ergo sum, with the carmaker arguing that feeling trumps thinking any time.

Again and again, the new global campaign for Saab frames the eccentric Swedish vehicle in opposition to some convention of the outside world, automotive and otherwise. But in the end, what emerges from this strategically sound but executionally weak campaign from the Martin Agency is a...

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