Being new to the business I have a car dealership that wants to advertise. But where do you put them? Regular rotation, specialized programming? is the there are particular area that does better for them? Thanks for any insight.
Stephen,
Everybody drives a car, so the issue of where to put them isn't nearly as important as 1) what you say about them; and 2) repetition/consistency.
Writing/producing engaging commercials (branding spots) for the dealership is no mean feat. Too many car dealer spots sound all the same: a list of left-brain factoids (mileage, safety ratings, towing capacity, etc.) coupled with artificial urgency ("absolutely ends Monday"), hyperbole ("lowest price ever") and cliché ("held over by popular demand"). Apart from the manufacturer or model, there's a fill-in-the-blank sameness to so much of it.
One of the hurdles we face is that car dealers will tell you theirs is a "today" business - they're preoccupied with moving metal today and their advertising reflects this. Sure, they'd like to be the dealer of choice in the mind of the prospect well before the need for a new car arises, but few invest in advertising designed to achieve this.
As far as where to put your dealer's ads, one idea that some dealerships have used with good success is doing daily phone-in spots with their stations' morning show host(s). They become, in effect, a regular part of the morning show line-up. It's especially well suited to a dealer who has a colorful, gregarious personality and enjoys conversation. I'll see if I can find an example or two to share here.
I'd love to hear from other members on what's working for their car dealers.
Wow that was awesome! Thanks for that, and yes you are right on with the cliche slogans like " come in today because the sale ends soon" all crap! Cheers, Steve and thanks for you advice.. feel free to give it anytime!
Steve,
If you haven't already read this article by Paul Weyland (a radio advertising genius!), you might like to check it out: How to Help Automotive Dealerships in 2011. Still a lot of pertinent info there, I think.
Rebecca
and thank you.. by the way I added you to my Twitter account today! Cheers, Steve
Thank you! Following you now, too.
Nice to connect!
Rod has some great information in his post.I have a package that uses two voices ,one a comedy voice that I am going to put together for a car dealer in the Triad Metro area of North carolina.One beautiful aspect of radio is you can paint a picture in the listeners mind with some sound effects and some voices.As to placement,most stations have three different time slots.
(AMD) AM DRIVE
(PMD) PM Drive and
(BTA) BEST TIME AVAILABLE
You obviously reach more listeners in AMD and PMD
Stations that I have worked for charged more for AMD and PMD then BTA which may run at 2AM in the morning.
Your package can include AMD,PMD,or all three with the BTA's being thrown in the deal at a cheap rate.
The idea is to make your spot stand out from all the rest.I have found that comedy can make a spot stand out from all the rest if used properly and it doesn't effect the integraty of your client
Please try to get the dealer to forget about using the stock # in the ad. What a waste of oxygen.
A car is something everyone will be in the market for at some point. So I have my clients market to everyone. We have ads equally distributed in all dayparts.
Weather sponsorships are a good part of the plan to help with frequency.
People definitely do not just buy cars on weekends.
