Automotive News - January 28, 2008 - (Page 40) 40 • JANUARY 28, 2008 Auto marketers get personal in their appeals Mary Connelly mconnelly@crain.com The marketing panel DETROIT — Automotive marketers are getting personal. That’s the goal in a marketing arena where digital venues and spending are growing. Reaching consumers with personalized appeals where they live and play — without wearing out the welcome — is one of today’s biggest challenges, a panel of marketing executives told the Automotive News World Congress here last week. “The challenge is getting the right message to people at the right place and time,” said Maureen Bickford, Cadillac national advertising manager. “People have an amazing ability to tune it all out and not pay attention to any of it.” David Schembri Title: President Company: Smart USA Main point: Consumer advocacy is a powerful tool when selling cars. Quote: “We think it is an effective way to communicate with our target audience, which is not an age or income market but an attitude and lifestyle market. Like-minded people tend to congregate together, talk to each other, have a good understanding of the vehicle, and tell others about it.” Owners’ stories Cadillac is using owners’ stories to grab the attention of young and hip buyers on YouTube, the Web site that allows people to share video clips. And a special Cadillac Web site, www.mycadillacstory.com, aims to inspire people to share fond memories of a Cadillac vehicle. For example, rocker Joan Jett recounts launching her career from the trunk of a Cadillac in the late 1970s. So far, about 800 people have shared their Cadillac memories since the site launched a year ago. After visiting the www.mycadillacstory.com site, people often go to www.cadillac.com. Those who do spend 30 percent longer on Cadillac’s site, Bickford said. An intimate knowledge of your customers and their media preferences is key to pairing a marketing plan and vehicle, said Kim McCullough, corporate manager of marketing communications at Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. Increasingly, Toyota is turning to digital media and one-on-one marketing, McCullough said. Digital and personal-engagement marketing represent 20 to 25 percent of Toyota’s overall marketing budget, she said. In about two weeks, Toyota will debut a campaign for the Matrix that will forgo traditional TV advertising, she said. The online effort will take cues from “Punk’d,” an MTV TV show that features practical jokes. “It will be an opportunity for someone to play a prank on other people, and we’re going to be providing the tools to enable that to happen,” she said. “With 17 different models competing in all those different segments, our biggest challenge is staying on top of media proliferation and people’s habits changing,” McCullough said. “The challenge is developing content that is relevant to people and relevant to the environment” in which it appears. Kim McCullough Title: Corporate manager of marketing communications Company: Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Main point: Effective marketing is about personalization, not generalization. Quote: “It’s important to know the customer and go out and do your own research. Those insights will drive media and creative decisions.” Maureen Bickford Title: National advertising manager Company: Cadillac Main point: Cadillac targets younger buyers online with owner-advocacy marketing. Quote: “Our mission is to reignite people’s love affair with Cadillac.” Scott Keogh Title: Chief marketing officer Company: Audi of America Main point: A new style is evolving in the luxury market. Quote: “New luxury is characterized by a more casual attitude, a sense of Zen and spirit and those types of things.” Photos by Joe Wilssens Digital pitfalls But auto marketers must be wary of the pitfalls of the digital proliferation, said Scott Keogh, Audi of America Inc.’s chief marketing officer. “The customer can lead you in 4 million different directions in a minute and you can lose your brand,” Keogh said. Audi works to get the most from its own Web site, Keogh says. Nearly 95 percent of the brand’s buyers visit www.audiusa.com. “This is where the brand is built,” Keogh said. The site’s 17 video podcasts offer deep-dive product information. “They focus on the seat, on the deeply embedded technology of the car,” Keogh said. “Our thinking was there would not be too much interest, only a few aficionados and a few detail-oriented customers.” To the company’s surprise, the podcasts generated 3 million downloads, Keogh said. Audi’s personalized marketing also includes test drives and “getting owners to speak for this brand,” Keogh said. Smart mouths Smart USA, a subsidiary of Penske Automotive Group, remains committed to its word-of-mouth marketing approach, Smart President David Schembri said. “Consumer advocacy is most important right now,” Schembri said. “People love to discover new things and tell people about it.” The marketing campaign for the Smart car began with the Street Smart road show in 50 cities. Within a month, the company will launch an Internet site that will al- low customers to share their experiences with the vehicle, Schembri said. “Like-minded people tend to congregate together, talk to each other, have a good understanding of the vehicle, and tell others about it.” c Jamie LaReau, Arlena Sawyers and Bernadine Williams contributed to this report http://www.mycadillacstory.com http://www.mycadillacstory.com http://www.mycadillacstory.com http://www.cadillac.com http://www.audiusa.com
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