Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Corvette Club Promotion

Posted by ormancreative on 5/14/2008 at 11:47 AM ET 125 Points
I'm looking for a promotion to offer to a Corvette Club that would help a Chevy Dealer in my area attract that business. Looking for something that would be be fun for the club, but also ultimately maybe bring a sale or two to the dealership-Any ideas would be appreciated.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Gail@PUBLISIDE on 5/14/2008 at 11:52 AM Accepted
    Consider a car show that features all years of the Corvette. There are a lot of 'Vette fans who have either owned one or wanted to own one through the years.
  • Posted by Levon on 5/14/2008 at 12:02 PM Accepted
    I always thought of Corvettes as a red-neck man's car -- but then I recently rode in one a couple of weeks back and found sitting that low to the ground with a massive engine - well it felt like being in a spaceship - which was a pretty cool feeling.

    I think if people actually had a chance to learn more about the car, like I did through interaction - they may be convinced of its appeal.

    Apart from the car show at the dealer with the usual sponsors (radio, food, entertainment) - you could do some prizes and raffles and maybe give-away a Corvette.
  • Posted by Jessica_Castro on 5/14/2008 at 12:53 PM Accepted
    Just for clarification purposes, are you trying to sell Corvettes to a Corvette club?
  • Posted by ormancreative on 5/14/2008 at 4:17 PM Author
    Yes, ultimately the goal would be to sale a car or two, but also do some good will with the club.
  • Posted by Jessica_Castro on 5/14/2008 at 5:14 PM Member
    I think something like this might work for you....

    I would have a competition car show. You could invite all the corvette guys from neighboring cities out, and offer free car washes. (this might also help if you have girls doing the car washes). You'll of course have food, music, and beer to keep things going. Everyone attending will get to vote on their favorite car, and you can set the criteria. The car owner that gets voted most favorite can ride around in a Z06 for a day or something like that. If they happen to have one already then maybe you offer free maintenance for a year. I would suggest you have the dealer show his nicest cars on the lot there and give the attendees a certain percentage or dollar amount off if they purchase one within the same week they were are the car meet.

    If you're looking to do some good with the club you could say all the profits go their club or try to get a local radio station out there to cover the event, the publicity would be a plus for them....

    Hope it all works out for you!

    P.S. I'm a vet fan too...
  • Posted by Tracey on 5/14/2008 at 8:04 PM Accepted
    Lieca's idea is really good, because you can target club members & the community at large. It would be easy to get free PR - just send the info to all your local papers to get an event listing. You could even have co-sponsors for the event to off-set costs if you wanted (for example, providers of car care products). You may be able to advertise the event at auto maintenance stores, too.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 5/15/2008 at 9:55 AM Accepted
    How about simply asking the club how you can help them? Perhaps sponsoring an event/show that they're in, or bringing in experts to talk about maintenance or preserving their cars, etc.?
  • Posted on 5/20/2008 at 9:53 AM Accepted
    The car show is a great idea. But it has been done in the past, many times.

    How about hosting the club's monthly meetings at your dealership? Setup some tables, have dinner catered or better yet have your sales staff cook and serve it at the dealership during the meeting! Clear a highly visible area in the parking lot where the members can all park together (they like that). Make them feel welcome...hang some banners, etc. Have your sales manager give a brief presentation at the start of the meeting welcoming them, and throw in a few lines about your company.

    Another idea would be to host an information session for the owners. Have a new Corvette on the lift in your (clean) shop. Have the service manager go over the car with the members, giving them tips on maintenance, cleaning, problem areas, etc. Do a Q&A session where they can ask your service manager questions about their own cars. Give them all a free oil change and tire rotation.

    Depending on how large of a dealership you are, try to get Chevy to bring out a new ZR1 Corvette. The owners in the club will be there in a heartbeat to drool over that car!

    If you don't have an in-house dyno, work with a local performance shop and host a "Dyno Day" for the club. Let the owners see just how much power their cars are making, and then let your sales staff tell them how your dealership can help them make more...or how much more the newest 'Vette has!

    If you have a marketing department. Have them help the club with their newsletter. Put it together for them and make sure your logo is bright and bold in a prime position!

    The key is going to be continued involvement with the club. A single event will not do it. Maybe host a summer car show for the club and all of their monthly meetings. Not only will you be the "go to" dealership for the guys wanting to upgrade to the newest 'Vette, but when his wife needs a new Trailblazer they will think of you first!

    Hope this help,
    Zack Pike
  • Posted by Jessica_Castro on 5/20/2008 at 3:58 PM Member
    I agree with Zack. You need continuous involvement to see any real ROI. However; I don't think hosting a meeting at the car dealership and trying to toss in a few words about your company will do the trick. It reminds me of the Time Share meetings people go to in order to receive their free "whatever". Not only do they not listen, but they don't take you seriously either....
  • Posted on 5/21/2008 at 9:15 AM Member
    Let me clarify. Nearly every car club has a monthly meeting/get together. They are usually hosted at a restaurants where the members must pay for their own dinner. How about you host that meeting at your dealership. At the beginning of the first meeting just introduce the dealership and why you are excited about them holding their meetings there. (ie. "we are Corvette enthusiasts here at the dealership which is why we are excited to have you here, etc.")
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