According to a recent report from Automotive News (11/26/12), one in five new-car buyers did not test drive a single vehicle. I don’t know about you but I find that rather odd. When I shop for a car, I want to see how the vehicle fits me, how smooth the ride is and what blind spots there might be. The report goes on to say that more than half only test drove one vehicle. Consumers today are savvy buyers (thanks in part to the internet) but a car is not a pair of shoes or gym shorts. It is a big purchase and one that you will hang onto for many years to come. As we continue to speed on the technology super highway, that area will most likely have had the most change since buying your previous vehicle. There are so many advances each and every year that sometimes your new model becomes obsolete before your first oil change. Automakers and dealers need to encourage consumers to “experience” the new technology firsthand as the average new-car consumer is out of the market for 6 ½ years between purchases. Any new model catching your eye lately? If so, take it for a spin just for fun!
11.30.2012
11.10.2012
Dogs and Cats are here to stay.
The dogs and cats in our lives continue to get the royal treatment even during a slow economy. For example, look how the pet costumes have grown for Halloween over the past few years. According to Marketing Daily’s 11/5/12 article, the pet market in the USA is worth more than $49 billion in 2012, up 15% since 2007. Pets have many of the same needs that their human owners have with food and medical topping that list. The strong bond that is shared by the owners and their pets provide significant marketing opportunities for manufacturers, vets and retail outlets. Pet food makes up a whopping $18 billion followed by veterinary services.
In fact, 90% of pet owners pay close attention to the health and well-being of their dog/cat to keep them healthy. The bond between a dog owner and their companions appear to be stronger than those of cat owners (hate to get into a “cat fight” over that one) but that could be because as Americans, we own 43% dogs and 32% cats of the 64% of households having pets. Owners also feel that their dog understands their feelings better than most people. I have certainly heard from many friends/family members that their dog loves them each and every day no matter what has happened and is ALWAYS glad to see them.
What can learn from our pets….be a good listener and always greet your friends and family
with a smile and wagging tail.
11.09.2012
Marketing Lesson of the Election: You Can’t Polish a Turd
By Glen Gardner/marketing consultant
Billions of dollars were spent on marketing various candidates over the past several months aimed at trying to convince voters. Now that the dust has settled, the question of how effective those billions of dollars were looms large. More than $1.5-billion was spent by outside groups on both sides trying to influence the outcome of the vote. That doesn't count the billions spent by the campaigns. Most of that money was spent on television advertising.
So, what did all that spending accomplish? Before the election the Democrats held the White House and Senate. Republicans held the House of Representatives. Billions later the Democrats still hold the White House and Senate. Republicans control the House. I think you get the message. Sometimes we get so involved in polls, demographics, psychographics and the like, that we forget to look at the end result. Nothing really changed!
Much of the money spent on television ads was wasted because some of the basic rules of marketing were violated and some assumptions were made that just aren't true.
Bad assumption: If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it. In this campaign many lies were repeated very often on all sides. So often and so obvious that virtually no one believed them by the time they voted. This bad assumption is proven wrong every day when you look at your email. Have you contacted that poor soul in Nigeria that just needs a couple of thousand to access a million that you can have half of? Have you given the Euro Lotto your Social Security number because you're the grand prize winner? Those lies are repeated all the time, but they just aren't believable, like many of the ads you've been subjected to. You just hit the delete button in your head.
Just as is the case with the email scams, these political marketers believe they can steal votes by repeating lies. Just show the opponent in black-and-white and have them moving in slow motion while an ominous voice tells you that person is responsible for everything from an early winter to the NFL ref lockout. DELETE!
Broken marketing rule: Make sure the product is solid before you spend money. Herein lays a very basic marketing principle that played big in the failure of all those billions of dollars. In the case of this election, the product is the candidate. If your product isn't ready for prime-time, you can save the money. If you look at many of the candidates who lost on both sides, the common thread is they were flawed. Spend all the money you want, but the majority of people won't buy a flawed product.
The lesson for anyone selling anything is; don't lie and don't spend a cent until your product is right.
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