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News and Industry Features
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Speakers Announced for the 7th Digital Dealer Conference!
"How to Get Ahead Today And Stay Ahead Tomorrow" is the theme of the 7th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition held at the Nashville Convention Center November 1st-3rd. The first round of speakers have been selected and are posted on the conference Web site: Click here
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GM to spend big to market brands...
General Motors Co. thinks it has the products Americans want to buy, and now it plans to spend big to get consumers into showrooms, The Detroit News reports. Officials from the Detroit automaker said Tuesday that it will boost spending on advertising its four remaining brands that emerged after bankruptcy and will more tightly focus on each one. "People think with cost cutting we won't be advertising as much," said Chief Financial Officer Ray Young. "It's the exact opposite" he said, and the total budget will in fact "go up materially." Leading the charge will be Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, who took over marketing after GM emerged from bankruptcy in July. He said the new advertising campaign, launching in the fourth quarter, will challenge the public to try GM products and test them against the competition. It will be reminiscent of the famous Chrysler ads that told buyers if they can find a better car, they should buy it. GM would not comment on how much will be invested in the campaign. The company spent more than $424 million during the first quarter of 2009, according to TNS Media Intelligence, which tracks ad spending.
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...Volt provides a jolt: 230 mpg in city driving
The Chevrolet Volt's eye-popping 230 miles per gallon city fuel economy estimate will bring a lot of people into showrooms, The Detroit News reports. But what does it mean behind the wheel? General Motors Co. says its extended-range vehicle will free most drivers from hardly ever using gasoline, given the car's ability to travel up to 40 miles on battery power alone. It doesn't mean, however, that the Volt -- which goes on sale next year -- will literally make a 230-mile trip on a single gallon of gasoline. GM, which has a lot riding on the success of its first plug-in car, says the 230 mpg figure means that during 100 miles of city driving, the Volt would use less than a half-gallon of gasoline and 25 kilowatts of electricity. To get to that figure, the testing procedure assumes more than one full battery charge, and that city drivers are traveling significantly fewer than 100 miles a day.
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GM to lease across U.S. once again
General Motors Co., which saw its leasing dramatically curtailed last year and lost sales as a result, can again sell select cars and trucks to consumers nationwide with lease deals -- a move that could boost sales, the Detroit Free Press reports. That news follows GMAC Financial Services' announcement Monday that it would begin offering new leasing programs for select GM vehicles in 45 states. Last week, GM announced a deal with U.S. Bank to lease in five other states. GM, which holds a small take in financing company GMAC, and other automakers saw lease programs curtailed last summer as the global credit market contracted, a move that hurt new vehicle sales but was necessary as automakers tried to stem big losses on vehicles returned at the end of leases. Many of those vehicles were worth less than the automakers had previously estimated. "While we do not expect leasing to return to its heyday levels across all models, it remains an attractive financing tool for certain segments, particularly new launch vehicles and select models in the luxury market," said Bill Muir, GMAC president, in a statement.
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Cuomo junks some dealer 'clunker' ads
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo yesterday announced a crackdown on auto dealers he says are misleading car buyers about Uncle Sam's "cash for clunkers" program, the New York Post reports. Cuomo said his office issued letters to 40 dealerships across the state ordering them to stop churning out advertisements that either mislead or don't fully explain how the federal Car Allowance Rebate System, more commonly known as cash for clunkers, works. Locally, Cuomo's letter went to city dealerships Plaza Hyundai, City World Toyota and City World Hyundai. In Westchester, Smith Cairns Ford in White Plains and Central Avenue Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Yonkers got letters. According to Cuomo's office, all 40 dealers ran ads that did not mention important requirements that must be met in order to be eligible for the cash.
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Ford wants to change view of flagship Taurus
Ford Motor Co. was seeking to change consumers views of the Ford Taurus when it launched its marketing campaign for the all-new 2010 Ford Taurus in late July, the Detroit Free Press reports. “The great news is we have a transformational product,” said Matt VanDyke, Ford’s marketing manager. “It’s the most innovative full-size sedan in America.” With the Ford Taurus, Ford faces both a blessing and a curse. First introduced in 1985, the Taurus was one of the most popular cars of the 1980s and 1990s, and 87% of consumers recognize the name. But in recent years, the design languished, and the car was viewed as capable, but dull and boring, and more popular in care rental lots than in suburban driveways. Now, VanDyke said more than 50% of consumers have an unfavorable view of the current Taurus. Ford wants to change that and this year, the automaker has completely redesigned its former flagship sedan and is counting on the revamped styling to prove to consumers that Ford takes cars as seriously as pickups and SUVs.
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Local ad spending gets pumped by 'Cash for clunkers'
Media executives say one of the recession's earliest casualties - the local ad market - is showing new signs of life, thanks in part to an uptick in auto advertising spurred by the federal government's so-called "Cash For Clunkers" program, Dow Jones reports. Local advertising has been particularly weak this recession, hurt by the struggles in the automotive, retail and financial industries. Major U.S. automakers, for example, have slashed their dealerships across the country amid the specter of bankruptcy, and marketers have found cheaper and more effective alternatives on the Internet. Investors, however, hope recent upbeat comments from media mavens mark the first signs of an economic recovery for the nation's depressed ad markets, though some media companies face tough comparisons to last year's third quarter, when the deepening recession was offset by a burst of spending on the Olympics and the presidential election. "Local businesses were the first to be hit by the recession, and it appears they're the first to come out of it as well," CBS Chief Executive Les Moonves said last week. "Let me stress that they're not back at the levels we want them to be, but they're clearly on the rise."
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Shrewd marketing gets Hyundai respect in America
As U.S. auto manufacturers whither, Hyundai--which once struggled to overcome a reputation for cheesy, entry-level cars--is on a roll, Forbes.com reports. The Korean automaker spent the last decade preaching a necessary, if not boring, message of quality. Today it's taking bold moves with its marketing. Hyundai's U.S. arm, representing nearly one-fifth of total sales, is trying to convince shoppers that, recession be damned, they shouldn't be afraid to buy a Hyundai. Two things have helped: a weaker Korean won against the greenback, and the Cash-for-Clunkers program. In July, Hyundai reported a 21% U.S. sales increase over June, and a 12% rise over the previous year. That has translated into market-share gains: 4.3% of auto sales in the U.S. over the first seven months of 2009, compared with 3.1% during the same period last year. By contrast, U.S. sales of Toyota dropped 38% over those months; Honda's and Nissan's were down 34% and 33%, respectively.
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In Dealer magazine
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Advertising nudge
by Jim Boldebook
There are millions of potential car buyers waiting pensively for a sign that this is the right time to buy. They’re.jpg?i=081209111207) waiting for someone to say, “It’s okay!” They’re waiting for a nudge in the direction they are willingly headed. They are watching the movement of the pack. Have you ever watched a herd of anything being herded? Cattle, sheep, horses, crowds of people? They seem to know which way they’ll be going but put their heads and ears up to detect confirmation. They look for signs of movement. Then suddenly a barking dog, or horse rider or a boy with a stick appears at the flank and nudges them in the desired direction. Then a few in the lead start moving, taking those behind along with them, and those behind them, and suddenly all the crowd follows. Read more
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ARCHIVE
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Issue 52
August 5, 2009
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July 29, 2009
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Issue 49
July 15, 2009
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June 24, 2009
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May 27, 2009
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May 20, 2009
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May 13, 2009
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Issue 39
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April 29, 2009
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April 22, 2009
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Issue 36
April 15, 2009
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Issue 35
April 8, 2009
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Issue 34
April 1, 2009
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Issue 33
March 25, 2009
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