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News and Industry Features
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Digital Dining on Leftover Leads
How to squeeze more juice out of your DMS system
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Data Mining Made Easy
How to find and use customer data
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Retail sales driven sharply higher
'Clunker' program helps rev auto sales
Retail sales surged in August, with the Cash for Clunkers program giving auto sales an extra boost, the government reported Tuesday,CNNMoney reports. The Commerce Department said total retail sales jumped 2.7% last month, compared with July's revised decline of 0.2%. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com predicted August sales increased 2%.Sales excluding autos and auto parts rose 1.1%, compared to a 0.6% decrease in July. Economists expected a gain of 0.4% in August sales, excluding auto purchases."With broad-based gains, it's hard to say any sector is a standout, which is great," said Adam York, analyst at Wells Fargo Securities. "We had promising core numbers, but we don't want to call a trend out of one month." The decline in July had snapped two straight months of gains, surprising economists who expected an increase on car sales from the Cash for Clunkers trade-in program...The Clunkers benefit was clear in the auto sales index, which rose 11.9% over July. Some of the other biggest sales winners were gasoline stations, whose sales rose 5.1%, as well as clothing and department stores, which each rose 2.4%. "We expected a big jump in autos, obviously, but we got decent increases elsewhere when we expected only modest gains," said Wells Fargo's York.
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Fiat chief says Fiat-Chrysler can reach 6 million
Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said Wednesday that the new auto alliance can reach a production of 5.5 million to 6 million cars a year on its own once the economy and car markets stabilze, The Associated Press reports. "We will arrive alone at 6 million units. Between us and Chrysler, we will get there," Marchionne said on the sidelines of the Frankfurt Auto Show.Marchionne has said that threshold is critical for an automaker's survival, creating speculation about whether Fiat was still looking around for other partners. Fiat made an early bid for General Motor's European subsidiary Adam Opel GmbH, but pulled out of the talks saying funding demands were unreasonable. Marchionne gave no indication that Fiat is actively looking around at other automakers, and said in response to a question that he is not interesting in buying Volvo.
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Lutz sits as unknown GM Chairman stars in new ads...
The overriding question in Detroit auto circles is: Why isn't high-profile Bob Lutz, perhaps the Motor City's best-known "car guy," starring in General Motors' new ad campaign touting its 60-day money-back guarantee on its vehicles? GM Vice Chairman Lutz is expected to explain the thinking behind the choice for GM's surprising new pitchman when he makes himself available for questions Monday afternoon on the corporate GM FastLane blog, Edmunds.com reports. In advance of that appearance, Lutz has described the new ad campaign as "aggressive" and "effective," in a recent posting on the blog. GM Chairman Ed Whitacre, Jr., who said when he assumed that lofty position in June that he knew little about the auto industry, is the spokesman for the automaker in ads promoting the new 60-day money-back guarantee on GM vehicles. The ad campaign, dubbed "May the Best Car Win," kicked off over the weekend.
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...Lutz: Unhappy with earlier ads, GM changed course
Bob Lutz, General Motors' new marketing guru, jokingly wants to put a new ending on a much-panned ad featuring a movie director hugging a new Buick LaCrosse sedan and treating it like a model on a beach, The Associated Press reports. In Lutz's version, a tidal wave would crash over the ad set, washing everything away but the car, which is where the focus should have been, he says. Vice Chairman Lutz, formerly head of product development, says GM has spent too much time and money on advertising that hasn't changed with widespread perception that the company's vehicles aren't as good as its competitors. Speaking Tuesday at an event north of Detroit, Lutz said members of the government's auto task force and new board Chairman Edward Whitacre Jr. agreed and also pushed for change. Whitacre, who is featured in the first round of ads, as well as task force members, told GM executives that the company had made great strides in product development and manufacturing quality, "but we were seriously deficient in getting the word out," Lutz said.
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Eli Manning featured again in Toyota's New York ads
New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning heads back to the Toyota dealership for this years' "Great Time to Sign" ad campaign for the Greater New York Toyota Dealers Association. Created by ad agency Saatchi and Saatchi and directed by Simon McQuoid from production company Imperial Woodpecker, the humorous spots are built on a simple premise: How would the sales people react if Eli Manning came in to buy a Toyota?
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Chrysler to unveil product strategy in mid November
Chrysler Group LLC will unveil its new product strategy in November amid a broad internal restructuring orchestrated by Fiat SpA, Dow Jones reports. Fiat is integrating the U.S. automaker into its global design and marketing strategy after acquiring a 20% stake as part of Chrysler's emergence from bankruptcy protection. The Italian group has shaken up Chrysler's senior management, with executives clocking seven-day work weeks at its Auburn Hills, Mich., headquarters. Executives said production processes are being streamlined, and the company is also seeking to revitalize what was viewed as a tired product line-up through quick decision making. "In meetings we make more decisions that are off the agenda then we do on the agenda because we have everyone right there in the room," Michael Accavitti, chief executive of the Dodge brand said on the sidelines of the biannual Frankfurt Auto Show Tuesday.
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Radio seen leading muted ad recovery
Wells Fargo Securities analyst Marci Ryvicker reports that her channel checks suggest that “a muted ad recovery is under way," reports Radio Business Report. "She sees the greatest sequential improvement for radio, although pricing is still down a lot, followed by TV and outdoor. “We have spoken with several private and public local media groups (outdoor, radio and television) as well as various media buyers. Most have confirmed that September is showing some incremental improvement but the overall tone remains cautious. Radio is experiencing the greatest sequential improvement, followed by television (networks more than stations) and lastly outdoor,” Ryvicker said in a note to clients. Cash for Clunkers brought in some increment cash, Ryvicker said, but had the most impact in larger markets. She noted that the majority of her contacts said auto advertisers were mostly repeat customers who just changed ad copy for the promotion, rather than spending more money, although there were notable exceptions. “Given the steep declines in auto advertising over the past few years, it sounds like this ad category has hit bottom,” she said.
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McClatchy to unveil 'Sunday Select' pre-print advertising
The McClatchy Company announced that it will introduce a new, pre-print advertising program to four of its premium growth markets, matching national retailers with shoppers who want to receive their advertising information. Sunday Select offers national retailers an opportunity to reach more shoppers on Sunday by delivering pre-printed advertising to non-subscribers in targeted ZIP codes most valued by advertisers. The inserts are wrapped in a broadsheet editorial package called "Yes! Your Essential Shopper" and delivered only to those households that request it.
[FULL STORY]
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PointRoll: Auto advertisers need rich media
Auto makers and automotive dealers have been some of the hardest hit during the recession in the US and around the world, writes bizreport.com. A new report from PointRoll could be a help to advertisers still struggling to engage and convert consumers. The report finds that rich media could be auto advertising's saving grace. The report, compiled from learnings and data collected throughout PointRoll's 2008 auto ad campaigns, shows that tier one rich media auto campaigns outperformed Flash (more than 37%) and GIF/JPEG ads (more than 900%) in click through rates. Researchers further found that the rich media formats allowed deeper consumer/brand interaction.
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Get in Shape, be Fit and Stay Ahead of the Curve – The One-hour a Day Social Media Workout Plan
Following the training plan for 60 minutes daily will get you into the desired ‘web 2.0 shape’
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Relating, Not Translating: How to Reach the Hispanic Market Online, Today and Mañana
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Dealer Advocate
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Emerging reality
by Jim Ziegler
.jpg?i=091609122912) Do you feel it? It’s coming back strong. Are you ready for it? Like a runaway freight train, you can go with it…get out of the way…or be run over by it. We’re all facing a series of difficult choices and they’re coming at you fast. Here we are – so many of us have been hunkering down, laying low, storing up our acorns, and waiting for the storm to pass. Cut to the bone, running lean and mean, we’ve become masters of expense control; we’ve all seen our friends fall…there are weeds growing through the asphalt of dead empires as the retail landscape changed and then changed again. There’s been nowhere to turn, and no safe haven in a perfect storm. Take no risks, circle the wagons…for most of us the goal has simply been to survive and still be standing on the other side of the crisis.Well, excuse me! There’s a rainbow in the sky if you’ll just stick your head out and take a peek. Or, some of you will just sit it out and not participate just in case there’s another storm coming up. Let’s wait and see? I haven’t time for those who elect non-action as their course of action…whether it’s out of fear and lack of confidence. Maybe you don’t know it yet, but if you’ve got that losing attitude, you’re road kill anyway. There’s new day dawning and it’s all about attitude. Are you winning? Or are you still wimping and whining about what was and now isn’t? So what…get over it already, we’ve got business to do. Read more
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ARCHIVE
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Issue 5
September 9, 2009
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September 2, 2009
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Issue 3
August 26, 2009
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Issue 2
August 19, 2009
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August 12, 2009
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August 5, 2009
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Issue 51
July 29, 2009
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July 22, 2009
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Issue 49
July 15, 2009
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Issue 48
July 8, 2009
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July 1, 2009
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Issue 46
June 24, 2009
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Issue 45
June 17, 2009
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June 10, 2009
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Issue 43
June 3, 2009
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Issue 42
May 27, 2009
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Issue 41
May 20, 2009
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Issue 40
May 13, 2009
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Issue 39
May 6, 2009
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Issue 38
April 29, 2009
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