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Ad Campaign For Growing Auto Dealership
Posted By: jmueller* on 12/12/2006 11:04 AM (CST) 500 Points
Hello All,

I need help coming up with a creative ad campaign for a growing auto dealer. The dealership has been around for 35 years selling Chevy's. They are in a smaller area about 15 minutes outside of a larger city with many competing dealerships. They are soon going to be adding 2 more lines (Buick & Pontiac).

Their ad budget in not in line with the larger boys, however, they do spend ad dollars monthly.

I am having a creative block. Hope you can help!

Posted by: wparquette* Member Response
12/12/2006 1:20 PM (CST)
Have them market their strengths:

35 years serving the marketplace

Personalized service and attention not possible at metro dealerships

Their customers don't get "lost in the shullfe"

GM 100,000 mile powertrain warranty ( huge selling point)

Chevolet- "America's Brand"- great value vehicles in all segments- literally something for everybody.........
 
Posted by: W.M.M.A. Accepted Answer
12/12/2006 1:42 PM (CST)
Contact me "off-forum" . . . let's talk.

Randall
WMMA
 
Posted by: bigstarnow Member Response
12/12/2006 6:05 PM (CST)
Get the owner on TV. Always works
 
Posted by: coupon man Accepted Answer
12/13/2006 1:17 AM (CST)
One similar dealership in our marketi uses "Just a conversation away"...

...you could also focus on the dollars saved per mile/minute...a $7000 off msrp discount on a suburban would be $200 per mile...for a 35 minute drive that's $14,000 an hour.
 
Posted by: nosheenjacob Member Response
12/13/2006 4:12 AM (CST)
What is their competitive edge? Why should the customer come only to them?
 
Posted by: panfred* Member Response
12/13/2006 3:59 PM (CST)

You need to find out way why they should go to You outside the city. Price or a additional accessories should be helpful.

Second: go to the city and take them to Your company by car of course, give them a ride! show them that You worth it to go to You.
 
Posted by: peanutpeanut Member Response
12/13/2006 4:18 PM (CST)
what about something simple

35 years says it all and now we are expanding
 
Posted by: Frank Hurtte Accepted Answer
12/13/2006 10:23 PM (CST)
I would build an add campaign based around the goofy uses for spending 35 minutes in the car.
examples...
saying the alphabet 70 times
listing eveything you like about your mother-in-law and taking a 34 minute nap
the idea would be to have every one of these be sillier than the last
 
Posted by: Marketing-Riot Member Response
12/14/2006 1:35 AM (CST)
Can you tell us what they offer in service - loans, special financing, what unique qualities do their sales people offer, are they a full service dealership and, to back up their 35 years, can they say why they have repeat customers and are those customers happy not only with the sale but with the service after the sale?

Any customer testimonials?
 
Posted by: NoStressXpress Member Response
12/14/2006 6:57 AM (CST)
The situation you described is very commonplace in that industry. You not only have a car dealership competing against other car dealerships that sell the same brand of car but also it is competing against the dealerships of other carmakers.

Your dealership must focus on establishing a powerful brand presence utilizing a Unique Selling Proposition that promises the prospective consumer a very satisfying customer experience. I am reminded of a very successful insurance agency that differentiated itself from the field by selling its customers "piece of mind" instead of insurance policies. Since your car dealership is NOT in the city you could come up with the benefits that consumers would enjoy if they did business with a small dealership outside of the city.

I hope this helps.

Conrad
 
Posted by: rjohnni Member Response
12/14/2006 7:18 AM (CST)
Think of a campaign in the mood of jack Daniels. Straight, attitude led and off beat.

Show people who grew up with the dealer. Show them in compromising or funny situations. but SAY seriously. Say for example, the Boomer who bought a Chevy when he was young, still trying to be young. becuase for him his car, and him haven't changed, spic n span. And so is his dealership. A middle aged lady still playing hot, though...you know what I'm saying...They never grew up because of the Service and support dealer been providing. Emotion, drama, fun, sexy...

it could go on with hot babes, dead men, infants, you name it, you have it.

Still, if you need more braining...you might as well ask me out.

Thnx, and best O

RJ
 
Posted by: darcy.moen Member Response
12/14/2006 8:39 AM (CST)
Your question is a little be vague.

Typically, dealers in the suburbs get the same upstream marketing resources from GM that the urban dealers do. This levels the playing field between dealers somewhat. This also forces dealers to compete in other ways.

Suburban dealers tend to play up the smaller dealer advantages. Such as:

1) better or more personalized service.
2) lower overhead means cost savings, which can be passed onto customers
3) small town flair (everyone is friends)
4) can be more creative with marketing

You might consider investing in referral marketing. Few, if any dealers really do a good job of referrals.

Then again, I get the sense your client needs more foot traffic into his dealership from the big city. This means playing on the big dealers home turf. I feel for you, as its a tough sell to pull that off. You can try to play the points above, but these attributes do not pull all that well. Results may not be what you client wants. Sorry, but it is what it is.

Darcy Moen
Customer Loyalty Network
 
Posted by: Marketing-Riot Member Response
12/14/2006 11:46 AM (CST)
To run a little with Johnni's response

What about showing car sales from generation to generation

Pics of generations of families growing up, buying cars from the same dealership generation after generation
 
Posted by: Marketing-Riot Accepted Answer
12/14/2006 11:48 AM (CST)
Maybe show from the toddler stage - first car (push type) moving into different intervals (battery-powered car), playing with hot wheels, dreaming, funky teenage car, etc.

You know - the hometowny feeling of growing up in the suburbs and dreaming about machines
 
Posted by: Marketing-Riot Member Response
12/14/2006 11:50 AM (CST)
The grandma and grandpa cars would be interesting too...with a little clean, nice, hometowny comedy added
 
Posted by: Rick Accepted Answer
12/14/2006 6:23 PM (CST)
Let's face it, the internet has changed the way consumers shop and nowhere is this more evident that in auto and real estate.
By the time the customer arrives at a dealership he has already done his research.
He knows what make, color, options and price he is willing to pay.
What he/she is looking for is a human connection to reinforce the purchase decision.

If I owned this dealership I would play on this human connection element i.e.: Smiths GM "Where everyone Knows Your Name".
Download the "Cheers" TV show theme song and print out the lyrics. You should be able to build a whole campaign around this.
Rick
 
Posted by: burch* Member Response
1/2/2007 3:11 PM (CST)
NoStressXpress and Rick have it right on. Why would i go all the way out of town to buy something that i can get in town, for the same amount of money? I wouldn't - unless there is a USP. That's the bottom line. And this USP, probably, is unique top quality service that they won't get anywhere else.

Who HATES going into a car dealership? Everyone, that's who. Why? not because of the product, but because of the workers. What is wrong with that picture??? So, any campaign must be about the people. Rick speaks of the Cheers theme. As this may sound cheesy, it's bang-on. It doesn't need to reflect the sound/style exactly, just have the same toneality.

Selling cars is a tough thing for any advertiser to do - especially when the client just wants big bold letters, with ugly star bursts and poorly-positioned vehicles. It's our job as advertisers to push them out of this box, and to make them try something new; something that the competition isn't doing.
 


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