By: Erin Miller
I often find myself torn between the eco-friendly cars that preserve our environment, and the toys and muscle cars with the speed and power of yesteryear. Finally, Honda put together a new hybrid concept called the Mugen CR-Z RR that not only gives you fantastic eco-friendly fuel mileage (50 mpg in eco-mode) and emissions, but provides that get-up-and-go with 197 bhp and 158 lb ft torque. Then…they took it away. But not before announcing to the world, making us all excited, and even having a lot of automotive marketing buzz about it, thanks to the internet.
No longer in line for production, the CR-Z RR could have started a whole new trend in the hybrid and electric car market. My first vehicle, the first I made payments on at least, was a Nissan Sentra Se-R Spec-V 6-speed stick shift with almost 200 bhp and was so much fun to drive. While it got good gas mileage, it didn’t get anywhere near 50 mpg like the CR-Z RR, and it was not considered an eco-friendly car. The CR-Z RR was a model that has an ability to blend the foreign toy cars with the continually changing green market. Not to mention creating some major changes in the auto marketing world, as this type of car would create a fun and exciting marketing campaign for anyone to design.
Many of the hybrid and electric cars share the trade off of power, speed, and overall performance for cleaner emissions, better gas mileage, or even no gas at all. The CR-Z RR was a beautiful blend of these features all wrapped into one odd looking but speedy little package. Many young adults and first time car buyers are looking to get into an eco-friendly car, but some of that group want something stylish that doesn’t force them to drive like their grandparents. Plus, the marketing strategy to go with this car would be fresh and new, utilizing search engine marketing, mobile marketing, and the newest fad, QR codes. The Mugen CR-Z RR was the answer to this gap in the hybrid/eco-friendly market, but alas for reasons unknown, we will never see it.
Never say never though. It is only a matter of time before manufacturer’s bring this idea back to the table. As technology and our understanding of how vehicles can be made to work with the environment instead of against it, there will be more changes ahead, increasing the variety and abilities of these hybrid and electric vehicles and expanding the limits of the automotive marketing industry. With that said, Honda may have dropped the ball by deciding to not continue with the CR-Z RR concept, because if they don’t put out a car like that, someone else will. It will be interesting to see over the next few years how the eco-friendly car market changes and the new choices that will be brought to the buying public and showcased in automotive marketing. I for one cannot wait until the day comes where not only can I get a fun-to-drive, super speedy car, but can also feel like I am doing my part to make the environment better.
Are you looking for a knowledgeable team that is ready and willing to evolve with your dealership and automotive marketing campaign, visit this page to see more information and contact us now.
By: Cathie Wright
Newspaper circular ads are standard practice for most dealerships, and are easily recognized by auto consumers. With Google’s recent announcement that it will be offering online circular ads for retailers such as Best Buy and Macy’s, dealers now have the opportunity to use a format they’ve dominated in print to compete in the online advertising world. Retail ads are a large source of revenue for Google who is hoping the new platform will drive online customers into stores for the holiday season and beyond. This can also drive consumers from the web to your dealership when implemented properly.
Online ads have become increasing visual, with video and graphics featuring product images taking the place of more traditional text-only listings. This new circular ad format will build on that trend by allowing for multiple images as well as multiple links, resulting in a greater chance for clicks. Clicks = $ for Google, who grabbed 74 percent of search-based ad revenue in 2010 and expects that number to be 78 percent in 2012 with help from this new platform.
While Google itself is an obvious beneficiary of this launch, the consumer will also benefit from circular-style ads through promotions based on query topic and location. The new style ad will also be available in display and banner ads, which is a benefit for businesses who already use those formats for their campaigns.
This is great news for dealerships looking for an integrated advertising plan utilizing both traditional and digital strategies. The new online circular will allow you to recreate your print ad online, further enhancing brand recognition and allowing for more synergy between campaigns.
Are you looking for a knowledgeable team that is ready and willing to evolve with your dealership and automotive marketing campaign, visit this page and contact us now.
Upon opening the Apple.com website today, you will be greeted with the words “Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will be forever the foundation of Apple.”
Steve Jobs was indeed a visionary. He was a man who constantly developed new ideas and successfully pushed the envelope time after time. The first Apple’s computer was introduced January 24, 1984 and, I feel as though I speak for many when I say they have certainly continued to influence our culture. For starters, the words iPod and iPhone are now household names.
Whenever I used to think of a Mac, I would picture myself as a 16-year-old trying to do a high school forensics assignment on an old Mac without a clue as to how to use it. But here I am years later, and the word Mac has become an integral part of my vocabulary. Today with the breaking news of the death of Steve Jobs, Apple’s former CEO and co-founder, I take a moment and look around the office here at Potratz, where Apple technology surrounds me; it is an essential part of our business.
Here at Potratz we use Apple technology to offer your dealership the best of our traditional and full service advertising programs. Our graphics department isn’t the only group that depends on the reliability of Apple products; they are embraced by every employee. Our video department uses Final Cut Pro, an Apple software package, for developing television advertising to help promote your dealership.
Many of Steve Jobs’ inventions affect the way we do business today. Even if you don’t own a Macbook , iPod or an iPad, there is no doubt something in your professional and personal life that has been touched by the genius of Steve Jobs. If you’ve ever received a phone call from Potratz, it was probably made from an iPhone.
Potratz prides itself in following the same innovative and forward thinking philosophy as Steve Jobs and thanks him for his many years of inspiration.
The average American is exposed to 3,000 commercial messages each day. I know what you’re thinking: How can someone possibly see that many commercials in a day? Well it’s easy; ads are everywhere. We normally think of advertising in the simplest sense of TV or radio commercials, but the truth is they are much more prominent in our daily lives than we realize.
Picture this, you’re walking down the street for ten minutes and, whether you notice it or not, you’ve probably already seen at least a dozen advertisements. They can be on local business’ windows, bus stops, and gas pumps. They are even posted on the sides of a buses or cars driving by. In addition you also see ads while checking your email, going on Facebook and searching the Internet.
So as an advertiser how do you make your advertisement memorable? With the excess amount of commercial messages an individual is exposed to each day, you need to make sure yours will stand out.
There are some very simple ways to do just that, I think first and foremost it’s important to come up with something both unique and fun that people will want to talk about. One great example of this is the mayhem commercials for Allstate; these commercials are humorous and entertaining so that people associate them with Allstate. In the mayhem commercial series even though the general idea remains the same — mayhem happens — each commercial takes a different plausible situation and puts a humorous spin on it to make the spot memorable.
Another way to establish your company’s presence and ensure audience recall is to develop a slogan. Right off the top of my head I can think of various slogans that stick out in my mind; Just Do It, Breakfast Of Champions, You Never Know, and Have It Your Way. I would be willing to bet that most people can name which businesses those slogans belong to without having to give it too much thought. A slogan is a specific way to differentiate your organization and to tell the consumer something memorable about your product.
Sometimes, a commercial can lead a consumer to make a purchase. The information given, or the memorable impression made can stand out for an individual and bring them to your product.
Are there any advertisements that stick out in your mind? Are you willing to take that step to help ensure your commercial messages are memorable?
If you are looking for a knowledgeable team that is ready and willing to evolve with your dealership and automotive marketing campaign, visit this page to see more information and contact us now.
Facebook? It’s this generation’s Atari, which isn’t a surprising revelation given the fact that currently there are over 800 million users.
But, that’s not all; Facebook is now a staple on most phones with the simple free download of an app. I take a look around and I see Facebook users everywhere, checking their walls and updating their status’ at restaurants, movies and even while walking down the street. Not too mention spending hours of free time exploring the world of Facebook from home and even while at work.
When you have a product or platform that is in such high demand, there is always a way to capitalize on it. For example, Facebook is available through TV’s, DVD players, eReaders and now, it will even be available in a car. Mercedes-Benz USA is bringing a special version of the online social media site to its cars.
Understandably this new adaptation of Facebook will be different from the regular application you can access via computers, phones and various other electronic devices due to the importance of safe driving. However, it will still allow drivers the ability to communicate to their friends by sharing pre-written postings that a driver can publish with the tap of a finger or a turn of a knob. In addition drivers will also be able to track their friend’s locations or find places of business within the car’s vicinity that their friends have “liked”.
“Now that cars have screens that are intelligent, you would expect that more and more car manufacturers will want to make those screens capable of allowing people to connect with their friends and take advantage of the social context that comes along with that,” said Facebook Vice President of Partnerships and Platform Marketing Dan Rose in an interview.
So, I ask you, what do you think about Mercedes-Benz’s idea to create a car with Facebook? Would you want your car to have this new ability, and would you use it?
If you are looking for a knowledgeable team that is ready and willing to evolve with your dealership and automotive marketing campaign, visit this page to see more information and contact us now.
The polaroid camera is not something that I would have used for inspiration in trying to develop a new mobile photo-sharing platform. But that’s exactly what Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, the makers of Instagram, did. Polaroid cameras were big and bulky, and the overall design and feel was anything but sleek. I personally loved the eight exposures per pack. But, what was cool about polaroid cameras, and what Instagram has capitalized on, is the instant gratification factor.
Instagram is a free photo sharing application that allows iPhone users to take a photo, apply a filter, and share it on the service or a variety of other social networking services, including Facebook and Twitter. Instagram has indeed captured an audience with almost 10 million total users and an average of 14 photos uploaded per second.
I know what you’re thinking. “Dan, what does Instagram have to offer my dealership?” Most dealers that I talk to are weary of getting involved with a platform that is not specifically focused on price points and sales events. Volkswagen is a prime example of how the automotive industry and Instagram can work for your dealership.
Recently, Volkswagen Canada launched a campaign called ‘Art Heist’ to expose the Jetta as a work of art. Limited edition framed photographs of the Jetta started to appear all across Canada. These pieces of art were left for people to take down and bring home. Volkswagen encouraged those who took the pictures to share their experience online through Volkswagen Canada’s Facebook and Twitter pages under the #VWArtHeist hashtag.
So if Volkswagen launched a very successful campaign based on displaying “artsy” photographs of vehicles, then why would taking interesting photos of cars and your staff not gain interest as well? Here are a few rules to live by when using Instagram at your dealership.
Tip #1 Post interesting images of the vehicles: Don’t just take straight on photos of the vehicles but look for interesting angles, a close up of the rims, dashboard, headlights. Apply a filter to it, use the blur feature, and presto, an artistic shot that any car enthusiast or a loyal customer will surely like.
Tip #2 Post interesting images of your staff: What will make your Instagram gallery stand out is to start taking fun and interesting photos of your staff. Visually appealing lifestyle photos thrive on Instagram. Your staff is a subject matter that will always give you plenty of ideas. Do this with your service, sales, customers, and with everyone involved at the dealership.
Tip #3 Post consistently: A pet peeve of mine on Instagram is when someone will not post anything for weeks and weeks and then in one day post 20 photos in a row. To me this comes across as spam. Even if the photos are good, it’s overload and might result in people unfollowing you.
Tip #4 Get social with your posts: Like anything else, when a conversation gets going, more and more people want to chime in. By utilizing the @replies and hashtags you will see more and more activity that will give exposure to your profile. Using these features can open doors for social contest both internal and external. Do a photo contest within your dealership between the employees and choose a winner. Or have followers submit photos with a particular hashtag. You can be the judge and give them a prize. Make sure you’re supporting any contest on Instagram with other social sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Follow us on Instagram @potratz, and also follow my personal stream @dannallen. So enough reading! Grab your iPhone and go look for interesting angles and subject matter. Have fun with it, and I look forward to seeing your photos!
I think we all know what is coming up this weekend, and I’m sure you are just as excited as I am. The Super Bowl is on, and by this of course, I mean the commercials! To me, there is nothing like the advertisements that run during the big game, aiming for memory recall by providing completely out-of-the-box entertainment.
It’s not surprising that companies put extra effort into these commercials given the fact that the time slot is extremely expensive. In 1979 a 30-second ad cost $72,000; today, a 30-second spot costs over $5,000,000.
The question: is it worth spending that much money on just one advertisement? Yes. The reason for this is not only because companies can reach over 1,000,000, viewers, but also there is an opportunity to promote brand awareness and increase excitement.
One excellent way of promoting a brand is involving the public before the big reveal. Many companies are doing this by releasing teaser commercials: It gives people something to talk about, and when people are previously interested about a specific topic they are more willing to not only look for that specific ad, but to remember it after it’s aired.
In addition to releasing teasers, another great way to increase excitement about a company is to involve the public. Doritos is a company that always practices this; they allow the public to play a role in selecting the next Super Bowl commercial. Voters will specifically pay attention to the Doritos commercials to find out if their vote won. Chevrolet has also run a campaign in which commercials were submitted and viewers voted on a winner. Using the public is a great way to support a campaign, since the public is in fact the viewer and there is nothing like word-of-mouth to help promote knowledge and stimulate excitement.
So what do you think, are Super Bowl commercials worth it?
By: Rob Morton
There’s no customer as valuable as a loyal customer. Bring them in to your dealership’s service, parts and collision departments, and they are certain to stay with you when it’s time for their next vehicle purchases.
Search Engine Marketing is a great way to reach the casual customer, and get them in the door. Promote your fixed operations department at a cost that is far more competitive than broadcast and cable, using a Video Pre-Roll Campaign.
Video Pre-Roll is a great way to promote your dealership’s latest special on oil changes to customers in your market. While potential customers are watching video content on YouTube, reading the news on their local paper’s site, or checking the weather, your 15-second video ad can be playing as a part of their online experience. A creative video pre-roll with a good call to action and a competitive offer can help your dealership’s SEM campaign convert the unsuspecting YouTube viewer into a valued customer. You will be encouraging click-throughs to gain access to information on tires specials, while continuing to promote your brand to a qualified audience through measurable impressions.
While you will generate clicks over to your website and conversion page, it is best to place bids for Video Pre-Roll campaigns per thousand impressions. What this does is guarantees that a larger majority of the audience will see your message even when they are not actively researching where to buy a new set of tires.
Video pre-roll should be a part of your overall search engine marketing approach. SEM campaigns are effective because of their ability to target an audience based on relevancy by using keywords specific to your video pre-roll campaigns.
Video Pre-Roll is just one portion of a multi-faceted approach to internet marketing. If you’re looking into ways to incorporate an SEM strategy at your dealership, then I invite you chat with us on our website.
By: Erin Miller
I often find myself torn between the eco-friendly cars that preserve our environment, and the toys and muscle cars with the speed and power of yesteryear. Finally, Honda put together a new hybrid concept called the Mugen CR-Z RR that not only gives you fantastic eco-friendly fuel mileage (50 mpg in eco-mode) and emissions, but provides that get-up-and-go with 197 bhp and 158 lb ft torque. Then…they took it away. But not before announcing to the world, making us all excited, and even having a lot of automotive marketing buzz about it, thanks to the internet.
No longer in line for production, the CR-Z RR could have started a whole new trend in the hybrid and electric car market. My first vehicle, the first I made payments on at least, was a Nissan Sentra Se-R Spec-V 6-speed stick shift with almost 200 bhp and was so much fun to drive. While it got good gas mileage, it didn’t get anywhere near 50 mpg like the CR-Z RR, and it was not considered an eco-friendly car. The CR-Z RR was a model that has an ability to blend the foreign toy cars with the continually changing green market. Not to mention creating some major changes in the auto marketing world, as this type of car would create a fun and exciting marketing campaign for anyone to design.
Many of the hybrid and electric cars share the trade off of power, speed, and overall performance for cleaner emissions, better gas mileage, or even no gas at all. The CR-Z RR was a beautiful blend of these features all wrapped into one odd looking but speedy little package. Many young adults and first time car buyers are looking to get into an eco-friendly car, but some of that group want something stylish that doesn’t force them to drive like their grandparents. Plus, the marketing strategy to go with this car would be fresh and new, utilizing search engine marketing, mobile marketing, and the newest fad, QR codes. The Mugen CR-Z RR was the answer to this gap in the hybrid/eco-friendly market, but alas for reasons unknown, we will never see it.
Never say never though. It is only a matter of time before manufacturer’s bring this idea back to the table. As technology and our understanding of how vehicles can be made to work with the environment instead of against it, there will be more changes ahead, increasing the variety and abilities of these hybrid and electric vehicles and expanding the limits of the automotive marketing industry. With that said, Honda may have dropped the ball by deciding to not continue with the CR-Z RR concept, because if they don’t put out a car like that, someone else will. It will be interesting to see over the next few years how the eco-friendly car market changes and the new choices that will be brought to the buying public and showcased in automotive marketing. I for one cannot wait until the day comes where not only can I get a fun-to-drive, super speedy car, but can also feel like I am doing my part to make the environment better.
Are you looking for a knowledgeable team that is ready and willing to evolve with your dealership and automotive marketing campaign, visit this page to see more information and contact us now.
By: Cathie Wright
Newspaper circular ads are standard practice for most dealerships, and are easily recognized by auto consumers. With Google’s recent announcement that it will be offering online circular ads for retailers such as Best Buy and Macy’s, dealers now have the opportunity to use a format they’ve dominated in print to compete in the online advertising world. Retail ads are a large source of revenue for Google who is hoping the new platform will drive online customers into stores for the holiday season and beyond. This can also drive consumers from the web to your dealership when implemented properly.
Online ads have become increasing visual, with video and graphics featuring product images taking the place of more traditional text-only listings. This new circular ad format will build on that trend by allowing for multiple images as well as multiple links, resulting in a greater chance for clicks. Clicks = $ for Google, who grabbed 74 percent of search-based ad revenue in 2010 and expects that number to be 78 percent in 2012 with help from this new platform.
While Google itself is an obvious beneficiary of this launch, the consumer will also benefit from circular-style ads through promotions based on query topic and location. The new style ad will also be available in display and banner ads, which is a benefit for businesses who already use those formats for their campaigns.
This is great news for dealerships looking for an integrated advertising plan utilizing both traditional and digital strategies. The new online circular will allow you to recreate your print ad online, further enhancing brand recognition and allowing for more synergy between campaigns.
Are you looking for a knowledgeable team that is ready and willing to evolve with your dealership and automotive marketing campaign, visit this page and contact us now.
