Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S21

OCTOBER 21, 2013 ❙ 21

BLACK
continued from previous page

young," Wilson says. In 2007, the Carl Black
Kennesaw, Ga., store, near Atlanta, hosted a
concert by Luke Bryan, then a little-known
singer who since has become a country sensation with several songs that have hit the
top five on the country charts.
For most shows the biggest cost is for the
sound stage and production crew, and that
typically runs about $10,000, Wilson says.
Radio promotions add to the cost. The dealership partners with local vendors to provide
food and beverages. There are also plenty of
kiddie attractions: bouncy houses, face
painting, balloon artists.
It's a big hassle, Bowsher says. Setting up a
sound stage and carving out room for concertgoers can require shuffling hundreds of
cars. The store parking lot often gets clogged.
"It'll throw a hand grenade into Saturday
afternoon," Bowsher says. "But we've been
doing this for so long, we've got it down to a
science. We've got detail guys jockeying cars.
Everyone knows their role."

"

"

Big Kenny of the
country duo Big &
Rich performs
at Carl Black's
Orlando store.

"We've developed that
reputation. Country music
fans are a loyal bunch, and
they're big truck buyers.
When they go to buy a
vehicle, they think of us."
Mike Bowsher

Everything is free for concertgoers. So what
does Bowsher get out of it?
Ⅲ Reputation. So many residents in his markets associate Carl Black with country music,
Bowsher says, that his stores get calls about
concerts that have nothing to do with the
dealerships.
"People habitually come back to us for
these concerts because it's such a blast,"
says Bowsher, a first-generation dealer who
grew up in the mountains of Virginia and is
self-deprecating about his "redneck" drawl.
"We've developed that reputation," he
says. "Country music fans are a loyal bunch,
and they're big truck buyers. When they go
to buy a vehicle, they think of us."
Ⅲ An appealing demographic. The crowds
skew toward 20- and 30-somethings, a demographic that dealerships struggle to
court.
The recent Florida Georgia Line show at his
Orlando store was jammed with students
from the University of Central Florida a few
miles away. Professionally shot photos and

video clips from the shows are uploaded to
each store's Facebook and Twitter pages,
which are filled with concert listings and
links to other local country performances.
Ⅲ Customer data. Store employees roam the
lot with wireless devices to sign up attendees
for service deals and giveaways. Their information gets rolled into the store's customer
relationship management system for followup.
Bowsher plans to install a software system
that can document how many concertgoers
become buyers or service customers. For
now, though, he has faith that the events pay
off.
For Bowsher, an amateur banjo player, the

main event of the year - and a personal favorite - comes each November, when he
buys tickets for 450 of his best customers to
attend the Country Music Awards in
Nashville. He also hosts the lucky 450 at a
Carl Black-sponsored afterparty, and artists
drop in and perform. Bowsher estimates that
he spends $100,000 on his CMA festivities.
"These customers are so loyal and send us
so much damn business, I won't let them
buy one drink when they're down there,"
Bowsher says. "You wouldn't believe the
number of customers throughout the year
who'll tell me, 'I want to go to the CMAs
again this year. Tell me when I need to
trade.'" c



Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement

Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - Intro
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S1
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S2
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S3
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S4
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S5
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S6
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S7
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S8
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S9
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S10
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S11
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S12
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S13
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S14
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S15
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S16
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S17
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S18
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S19
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S20
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S21
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S22
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S23
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S24
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S25
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S26
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S27
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S28
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S29
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S30
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S31
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S32
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S33
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S34
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S35
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S36
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S37
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S38
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S39
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S40
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S41
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S42
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S43
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S44
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S45
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S46
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S47
Automotive News - October 21, 2013 - Supplement - S48
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