Automakers are having difficulty recovering right now. That’s what GM Vice President of Marketing Ewanick recently told Automotive News in an interview. GM has waded via bankruptcy and tremendous turnover, which might seem for making any deals designed simply to move product fast attractive. Ewanick hopes to change things to GM is more focused on making quality cars instead of cutting offers.
Brand recognition is essential
Focus on design and quality is slowly beginning to re-emerge out of the dust of the auto bailout, says Ewanick. For instance, brands such as Cadillac have had a unique sense of style for years, and customers appreciate this. Automotive brands that have been merely trying to sale need to start working on product recognition instead. Brands really need to try and become public and significant again. Ewanick feels like “people buy brands, not necessarily products”. Chevrolet has the idea with advertising under Americana always, says Ewanick. He thinks that a company needs to have a soul that drives sells.
Still seeing the factory incentives
Factory and dealer incentives are far from dead, Ewanick says. Really he expects them to be unimportant compared to brand story. Discounts simply garnish the sales although sales really depend on style, quality, efficiency, dependability and other things that is a reminder of a vehicle type. Focusing on brand strength will require that automakers rekindle a dialogue with customers. In the past, automotive marketing dealt from a position of strength, using stories to create a bond with customers. Many of the very same elements of classic brands like Chevrolet’s Corvette SS and Stingray are waiting to be introduced to younger generations of auto buyers. Targeting with brands nevertheless works. It shouldn’t be stopped.
Customers nevertheless respond to understanding, so don’t use discounts
Everyone enjoys a good sale, but regularly rolling out the shiny banner does not build strong relationships with customers. Too numerous automakers which were “too big to fail” took advantage of the auto bailout. The reputations of these corporations were hurt when feeding off taxpayer’s dollars. The price has now become too low to ignore on many different vehicles. Sadly this ends up hurting America’s automotive industry that used to have lifetime buyers. The focus of each automaker should be simple. Focus on what Americans want in their vehicles.
Additional reading
Auto News
autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100906/RETAIL03/309069996/1018
linkedin.com/pub/joel-ewanick/5/42b/30a
Even dealers suffer from a mysterious lack of marketing
youtube.com/watch?v=EALK_LZ_Zgo
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