Toyota has the name and the money to break into a market dominated by the Big 3 for a long time. I think the Titan did clear the way for the Tundra to make a big splash but unfortunately Nissan for some reason stopped short unlike Toyota.
Where did Titan marketing go wrong?
I've had my Titan for about 3 years now and overall, couldn't be happier. I've been spending a lot of time researching trucks in the last few months. Mainly, because I wan't a diesel/superduty in order to upgrade my RV (travel trailer-5th wheel). And please, don't try to convince me my Titan can handle it.... that topic has been beat to death.... I'm talking about a BIG 5th wheel.
Anyhow, it has occured to me that the Titan is a great truck for the money. Sure, it's easy to think your truck is great because you spent the money and have a vested interest in it being good. But plenty of un-biased people think so too. Many of the recent write-ups in auto mags put us right behind the Tundra in performance and well ahead of the 'big 3' - I'd agree with that.... there is no doubt that the Tundra has better #'s... but it also has a much higher price tag... For a half ton truck the Titan is damm good!!
But...... the sales numbers are not too great.... Or, at least no climbing like Nissan would like. So, why?
Early reliability issues? I think this is a big one.... it's too bad, too.... because they really aren't a big deal. The rear end and brakes were fixed pretty quick. But the media and particularly the competition loves to talk them up.
Plain old marketing? I think so again.... What actaully prompted me to sit down and write thing thread was that I just saw a Titan commercial and realized I have seen about 10 for the Tundra and at least as many for each of the big 3 since I've seen one for the Titan... It almost seems like Nissan is already planning the 'funeral' - Or at least they aren't targeting any ads to my demographic.... which they should since I bought one already... I think I'm a pretty marketable group - 35 yr old male, married, mid-sized construction business owner, watch a lot of TV, sports, etc., go out probably more than most, drive around a large metro area. I know I NEVER see any ads for the Titan... I'd remember.
As a comparison, how many ads have you seen for the Tundra compared to the Titan over the last year? I'd say it's about 10 to 1 in favor of the Tundra... It's really too bad because the Titan is one hell of a great truck.... Just not enough people know it!!!!!
Anyhow, it has occured to me that the Titan is a great truck for the money. Sure, it's easy to think your truck is great because you spent the money and have a vested interest in it being good. But plenty of un-biased people think so too. Many of the recent write-ups in auto mags put us right behind the Tundra in performance and well ahead of the 'big 3' - I'd agree with that.... there is no doubt that the Tundra has better #'s... but it also has a much higher price tag... For a half ton truck the Titan is damm good!!
But...... the sales numbers are not too great.... Or, at least no climbing like Nissan would like. So, why?
Early reliability issues? I think this is a big one.... it's too bad, too.... because they really aren't a big deal. The rear end and brakes were fixed pretty quick. But the media and particularly the competition loves to talk them up.
Plain old marketing? I think so again.... What actaully prompted me to sit down and write thing thread was that I just saw a Titan commercial and realized I have seen about 10 for the Tundra and at least as many for each of the big 3 since I've seen one for the Titan... It almost seems like Nissan is already planning the 'funeral' - Or at least they aren't targeting any ads to my demographic.... which they should since I bought one already... I think I'm a pretty marketable group - 35 yr old male, married, mid-sized construction business owner, watch a lot of TV, sports, etc., go out probably more than most, drive around a large metro area. I know I NEVER see any ads for the Titan... I'd remember.
As a comparison, how many ads have you seen for the Tundra compared to the Titan over the last year? I'd say it's about 10 to 1 in favor of the Tundra... It's really too bad because the Titan is one hell of a great truck.... Just not enough people know it!!!!!
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you gotta also remember when the titan first came out in 2004, it was 10-1 ads/commercials compared to the tundra...
Don't forget that the Titan has only been out since 2004. These other companies that have the half ton trucks have been out wayyy longer than the Titan has. IMO it won't be until the new model comes out that Titan sales will go sky high.
I agree that Nissan's marketing could be more agressive, and Toyota has done a good job flooding the media...Enough that the F/D/C guys are sick of seeing those commercials...
I also agree that in many ways Nissan broke the full size truck barrier...
Where the Titan fell short of the goal line was the intial issues that got a lot of "ink"...and to be truthful Nissan shouldn't have let it go so long, over a year to get a handle on the frt brakes, and in every truck/tow forum the first thing the "other" guys will tell any new truck buyer looking at the Titan is that the rear end has had too many failures...Launching a brand new model is hard, but dogged by just a few issues can be a sales killer...
I also agree that in many ways Nissan broke the full size truck barrier...
Where the Titan fell short of the goal line was the intial issues that got a lot of "ink"...and to be truthful Nissan shouldn't have let it go so long, over a year to get a handle on the frt brakes, and in every truck/tow forum the first thing the "other" guys will tell any new truck buyer looking at the Titan is that the rear end has had too many failures...Launching a brand new model is hard, but dogged by just a few issues can be a sales killer...
Titan sales have been up the past two months some due to big rebates and the rest I think is due to Toyotas marketing thats not only helping Tundra sales but is actually helping Titan sales as well. It gets people into the Toyota dealerships and lets them know that its an american made truck with real truck capabilities but after people see the price they decide to go check out the other " foreign truck" Titan and of coarse after a test drive thier sold.
Sup Titanians
Almost 2 Great Years Now
No Regrets...truck Is Strong, Tough, And Helpful
Would Probably Get A 2010 Titan Later On
Sometimes It Good That People Dont Know Much About
The Titan Yet...its Like A Mystery Car
Almost 2 Great Years Now
No Regrets...truck Is Strong, Tough, And Helpful
Would Probably Get A 2010 Titan Later On
Sometimes It Good That People Dont Know Much About
The Titan Yet...its Like A Mystery Car
The funny thing is... I was one of these people. I would have loved to have bought a Tundra but my budget didn't allow for it with the packages and options I wanted. So with the Titan configured just the way I liked and the performance it provided, I was sold.BigA said:Titan sales have been up the past two months some due to big rebates and the rest I think is due to Toyotas marketing thats not only helping Tundra sales but is actually helping Titan sales as well. It gets people into the Toyota dealerships and lets them know that its an american made truck with real truck capabilities but after people see the price they decide to go check out the other " foreign truck" Titan and of coarse after a test drive thier sold.
Nissan never threw real money into Titan ads...plain and simple. Marketing is everything. A proper marketing campaign can sell ice water to eskimos in January. Prime examples being any of the domestic 1/2 tons, which are inferior when compared to Nissans Titan, yet sell better. The only conclusion one can come to is....Nissan wants to throw money elswhere where it can make them more money. I see ads for their bread n butter sedan, the Altima, all the time.
The management philosophy is French!
Say what? lol :eeeek:
Quality*Quality*Quality! Nissan come out of the gate like gang busters. Out ran everything, out pulled everything, fun to drive. Then Motortrend tested one and went through 2 rearends and bad brakes. A/C leaks in cab, radios did not work, leaking fluids, it was a never ending problem. Brakes were replaced numerous times because they had no fix. The fix came but was only a stop gap fix with the real fix happening in 08. Differentials still failing in 07 Titans, is it fixed or not? 08 Titans supposedly has a beefed up axle. Is this the fix? I read where another 07 owner had water in the passenger floorboard. After 4 years there should be no more leaks.
Bottom line: Nissan came out with a great truck with problems. They screwed around too long and let the problems become the first thing you think about when you see a Titan. My son calls mine a shop truck. Stays in the shop all the time. Ask any service manager if the rearend problem has been fixed and most will say, what problem? They tow the factory lie. Nissan needs to fess up and tell the folks what was wrong and what they did to fix it, if anything. No more bull crap.
Will I buy another Titan, yes. When, when they tell me how they fixed the problems. For now, maybe the 2010 model Titan might be a winner for me, right now, I will check out those diesels and see which one catches my eye.
Bottom line: Nissan came out with a great truck with problems. They screwed around too long and let the problems become the first thing you think about when you see a Titan. My son calls mine a shop truck. Stays in the shop all the time. Ask any service manager if the rearend problem has been fixed and most will say, what problem? They tow the factory lie. Nissan needs to fess up and tell the folks what was wrong and what they did to fix it, if anything. No more bull crap.
Will I buy another Titan, yes. When, when they tell me how they fixed the problems. For now, maybe the 2010 model Titan might be a winner for me, right now, I will check out those diesels and see which one catches my eye.
You can't forget that Nissan never intended to sell 200,000 or 300,000 titans a year. I think their max capacity from what I remember is 90,000 units a year. So if they are selling 75,000/80,000 a year with hardly any money spent in advertising, I'd think they would be somewhat happy. Now if they expected to sell to compete with the amount of sales as the big three then yeah, they messed up with the advertising.
Quality doesn't seem to be much of an issue anymore. No matter what make you buy, there will always be a few with issues.
I can't stand the toyota commercials anymore. Especially the part where it says the truck that's changing it all. To me, the Titan really changed it all 3 years ago and started the power race we have today. Toyota has just finally caught up...
Quality doesn't seem to be much of an issue anymore. No matter what make you buy, there will always be a few with issues.
I can't stand the toyota commercials anymore. Especially the part where it says the truck that's changing it all. To me, the Titan really changed it all 3 years ago and started the power race we have today. Toyota has just finally caught up...
I agree to some extent with what TallTexan said. However, there are STILL a lot of people who think the Titan is a mid-size truck with no real capabilities. WTF? A couple of friends who have driven mine have made those kind of remarks - those guys are diehard Big3 fans. We get a fair amount of Titan commercials in our neck of the woods - nowhere near as many as the Tundra, of course - but EVERY one of those commercials calls it the FULL SIZE Titan. For some reason the general public just doesn't pay attention to what ads Nissan does have.
I thought the latest commercial was kind of cool. They hook a Titan frame up to a locomotive and have the train pull the chassis up against a pole. The chain breaks before the "fully boxed frame" shows any signs of damage. It's different anyway. Other than that I see the commercial with the dirt bikes in the back of the Titan and Ford box fairly often. They flip the beds upside down to show off the Titan's ability to hold the bike in place. The Utility Bed alone should win a lot of fans.
Geez, on second thought maybe the general public is just kind of dumb... :rollingey
Just kidding
I thought the latest commercial was kind of cool. They hook a Titan frame up to a locomotive and have the train pull the chassis up against a pole. The chain breaks before the "fully boxed frame" shows any signs of damage. It's different anyway. Other than that I see the commercial with the dirt bikes in the back of the Titan and Ford box fairly often. They flip the beds upside down to show off the Titan's ability to hold the bike in place. The Utility Bed alone should win a lot of fans.
Geez, on second thought maybe the general public is just kind of dumb... :rollingey
Just kidding
Nissan Marketing has put the burden of advertising onto the individual franchises. This philosophy has has grown stronger in the the last decade, whereas other manufactures have really pushed name recognition. Brand recognition has suffered for Nissan in the U.S.A. ever since the Datsun brand was abandoned. Nissan is the best kept secret in the automotive industry....
I don't buy a word of it. People are not staying away because of any "quality" issues..the 04s didn't exactly jump off showroom floors...even before any issues came about. So that kills that theory. And I know of nobody, anywhere who thinks or calls the Titan a mid-sized truck. It's advertizing along with the big 3 giving thier trucks away with all those huge incentives. And maybe the word got out that the dealers service departments suck as well.
The Titan has no issues that should steer people away. Just go read any of the GM, Dodge, or Ford forums to see how many of those blew rear ends, front ends, trannies etc.
The Titan has no issues that should steer people away. Just go read any of the GM, Dodge, or Ford forums to see how many of those blew rear ends, front ends, trannies etc.
Amen brother!To me, the Titan really changed it all 3 years ago and started the power race we have today. Toyota has just finally caught up...
Then I'll try to "re-sell" it...I don't buy a word of it. People are not staying away because of any "quality" issues..the 04s didn't exactly jump off showroom floors...even before any issues came about. So that kills that theory. And I know of nobody, anywhere who thinks or calls the Titan a mid-sized truck. It's advertizing along with the big 3 giving thier trucks away with all those huge incentives. And maybe the word got out that the dealers service departments suck as well.
The 04's were a shock to all truck owners when the Titan came out, I didn't believe that they were a full sized truck until I saw some up close at several Supercross races which Nissan was sponsering.
I still to this day get questions like "isn't the Titan suppossed to be a full sized truck?"...those same guys are suprised to see and sit in my Titan, even though Nissan has been touting it as full sized since day one.
Yes there are F/C/D forums talking about their rear end failures, but post a question about the Titan on RV.net and the nay-sayers come out of the woodwork!
You got guys how love their F/C/D trucks no matter what and simply refuse to look at the Titan and it's spec's and it's performance period....Blind loyality and stupidity...
It's alright not to like or want a Titan, but don't give me that small under-sized Jap truck crap...:rockon
The Titan does look smaller than most full sized trucks from a distance. But I think that is just because of the outside styling. Up close parked next to a f/c/d, it looks just as big though. I know when people get in my truck, usually the first thing out of their mouth is "wow, this thing is huge inside!"
I get that alot...I know when people get in my truck, usually the first thing out of their mouth is "wow, this thing is huge inside!"
The Titan cab is noticably bigger inside than the Dodge or Chevy/GMC superduty line. I test drove each in the last few weeks and was surprised. It's actually pretty close to the Dodge Megacab.
The rear seat legroom in the Titan is crazy big... When I go out on a bike ride with my son I fold up the rear seats of my CC and just roll both of our bikes in the back. I have to turn the front wheels about 45 degrees and they fit perfectly. No bike rack, no worrying about them getting stolen....
:cheers:
The rear seat legroom in the Titan is crazy big... When I go out on a bike ride with my son I fold up the rear seats of my CC and just roll both of our bikes in the back. I have to turn the front wheels about 45 degrees and they fit perfectly. No bike rack, no worrying about them getting stolen....
:cheers:
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