Road Warriors
| Category: Database Marketing | Date: 2001-07-30 |
Automobile marketers have put the pedal to the marketing metal to rev up brand image and jump-start sales.
Some marketers have been test driving big names as diverse as Peter Rabbit and Eric Clapton to capture sales, while others have lathered consumers with personal attention and direct mail campaigns to engender loyalty.
And along the way, big money has been dropped on advertising.
Online car buying service Auto-by-Tel Corp. scored a touchdown when it spent $1.3 million to air a 30-second DRTV spot during Super Bowl XXXII. "That Monday was the biggest day we ever had," says the Irvine, CA companys senior vice president for marketing Anne Benvenuto.
Porsches attention to the tiniest detail--from educating telemarketers on how to remove a grease spot from the upholstery to dropping them into the seat of the new model 911--has paid off in customer loyalty.
Isuzu also scored when it spent $900,000 on an intensive direct mail campaign to introduce its redesigned 1998 Isuzu Rodeo. The reward? A 16% response rate with 2,100 Rodeos either purchased or leased.
"We didnt just drop something in the mail and walk away from it," says Tony Harkey, Isuzus brand development manager for light vehicles. "The response was way above what we had even anticipated. The continuity of the message came through."
The campaign consisted of four mailings within two and a half months. The first 232,000 pieces hit mailboxes in June. Isuzu identified the target audience after scrutinizing its in-house database: a thirty-something, active, style-conscious, outdoorsy type with a home PC. Most owned, or previously owned, a Rodeo. "Our philosophy has always been that we should focus on our best customer first. Marketing to them, learning everything we can about them. The next step is going outside that base to prospecting," Harkey says.
Four weeks after the initial mailing, a postcard was sent detailing new engineering features, an 800 number, the Web site (www.isuzurodeo.com), along with a reply card.
The next month, another postcard followed with a four-page launch package and an incentive: a pair of Vivitar binoculars for taking a test drive. Just over 3,000 people took the vehicle for a spin.
The mail campaign ran along with TV and print ads.
A control group that didnt receive the mailing showed Rodeo owners who received the mailing purchased at a rate double those who didnt.
But Isuzu didnt put the brakes on there. The company then profiled the 2,100 new Rodeo owners and went back to the database.
A 60,000-piece mailing--including a $500 coupon toward the purchase or lease of the vehicle--went out in February. The campaign targeted those who responded to the initial program but didnt buy, those who closely profiled the recent buyers and lessees.
Toyota launched a direct mail campaign last fall to build brand recognition, inviting 50,000 Parenting magazine subscribers to storytelling events at Borders bookstores.
What does a bookstore have to do with the 1998 Sienna minivan? Plenty when you toss in Peter Rabbit or Curious George and a bunch of kids.
"It just made sense," considering the profile of the Parenting subscriber--91% female, aged 18 to 49, 75% with children under 12--says Beth Henning, national advertising manager for Toyota Motor Sales USA.
After a sort by ZIP code from 50 participating Borders, Parenting sent the invitations to subscribers who lived within driving distance of the bookstores. The creative depicted a mother and daughter reading, surrounded by images of storybook themes like "Little Red Riding Hood" and whimsical castles and serpents. At each event, with a sparkling Sienna minivan as the backdrop, live storybook characters entertained children as local storytellers and authors recounted classic childrens tales. And, as 200 hours of tales were spun, parents learned more about the minivan and picked up a $250 coupon, redeemable at Borders, for the first 100 people who purchased the vehicle.
By February, the coupons had run out. "It was fantastic," Henning says. "It was a good combination of knowing that reading to children is important and that parents would want to bring their children to the event."
The event was complemented by spreads in two fall issues of Parenting and Baby Talk (each with a circulation of about 1.1 million), fliers distributed at Borders and an eight-page editorial supplement on family reading techniques distributed in 750,000 pre-school cubbyholes. An estimated 5.5 million people were exposed to the vehicle through the various events.
Other car manufactures have also turned to familiar faces. Lexus hopes to tune-up its image in a marketing partnership with rock star Eric Clapton, who began a U.S. concert tour last month in St. Paul, MN. "We didnt exactly have an exciting image," says Lexus spokesperson Holly Ferris. "We had a luxurious and sophisticated image and now were adding a little bit of flair."
Lexus hopes to drive traffic to the dealerships by dangling an incentive--entry into a contest for a free trip and concert tickets to see Clapton perform in Los Angeles--in a mailing going out this month to 50,000 qualified prospects. At the dealership, "Layla" fans fill out a survey and entry form attached to an added incentive, Claptons CD "Unleaded."
Auto-by-Tel, meanwhile, had a stadium full of sports stars for its Super Bowl spot. The draw of the event was enough to increase Web site traffic immediately following the game, 17 times the norm (a number the company declined to disclose) and bumping purchase requests up over 100%. Residual effects continue to increase traffic 60%, the company claims. On average, Auto-by-Tel gets 100,000 requests for new cars each month.
The online car shopper demographics--60% male, aged 25 to 54 with an average household income of over $60,000--are the perfect match for bowl-game watchers, she says.
Combine those stats with figures showing that 16% of new vehicles purchased are shopped online (with conservative estimates putting that number at 34% by the year 2000), and its a winning matchup, Benvenuto says.
Auto-by-Tels commercial, which cost $350,000 to produce, showed a pajama-clad woman placing her purchase request on the Internet.
Since Auto-by-Tel reached its 1-millionth car buyer last November, the firms database is now large enough to be used for more strategic marketing efforts. "No stone will be unturned," Benvenuto notes.
Network and cable DRTV spots and print and banner ads drive Auto-by-Tel direct customers to www. autobytel.com, which launched in the summer of 1995.
"Even though the Internet has been our primary selling channel, TV has also done an outstanding job of driving the sale and selling the brand," she says. "Thats the irony of the whole thing."
Jaguar also has high-flying goals for DM. In an effort to build the brand and show off its craftsmanship, the manufacturer recently partnered with Raytheon Aircraft to promote this years Jaguar and a limited-edition Beechcraft King Air C90 Jaguar Special Edition.
The $2.65-million planes interior and exterior is modeled after the Jag --British racing green, cream-colored Connolly leather and burled walnut trim--and features the cars logo on the tail. "We felt that both the Jaguar customer and the Raytheon customer are similar in that theyre looking for best in class in whatever they buy," says Terri Nelson, dealer marketing manager for Jaguar Cars, Mahwah, NJ.
Invitations to attend one of 25 open houses held at local airports across the country were sent to previous and current aircraft and Jaguar owners. This first event, held last month in West Palm Beach, FL, drew 60 attendees from 2,000 invitations.
But for all the glitz of expensive planes, athletes, rock stars and bunnies, some marketers still coddle the customer with simple attention.
Porsches customer satisfaction program, grounded in strategic, ongoing customer contact, and an 800 help line available 24 hours a day, has increased the repurchase rate 10% to 60% since its inception in 1994. "Were trying to have the ownership experience equal the driving experience, which is a very lofty goal," says George Cabanting, Porsches manager for customer satisfaction.
The manufacturer seems to be reaching that goal with 20,000 cars sold this year in the U.S. and Canada, compared with 6,000 in 1994.
"The most vulnerable stage is right after the purchase," Cabanting says. "And the first three months are critical. Customers are evaluating the purchase, theyve got expectations about the product and service and that period really shapes their perception [over the] long term."
As the customer drives off, a welcome packet including an educational video hits the mail. Ten to 15 days later, a phone call is placed to discuss the buying and delivery experience. Was the car clean? Was the tank full? Was the car trouble-free at delivery? "Taking delivery of your car should be a happy time," he says. "It shouldnt be concentrated only on Wheres the check, heres the car."
Six months later, another contact by mail is followed by a one- year anniversary call reminding the customer of the warrantys end date. "The goal is to keep the customer focused on the relationship," notes Cabanting.
A critical element in customer satisfaction is educating the "customer relations associates" who answer the phones, says Tom Trivan, vice president of Sky Alland, the Columbia, MD customer relationship management company administering the Porsche program.
Associates spend hours in training, learning everything from how to remove those niggling grease spots from the upholstery to attending Porsches Ride and Drive product training event for the new 911, held recently in Los Angeles, to test drive the car and learn about its mechanics.
Porsche is consolidating its database of 300,000--once scattered over a number of different departments--to build contact histories for better and more targeted DM. Data is captured from phone calls, catalog order forms, surveys and service and sales information. This year, a new Porsche product catalog will be mailed to 25,000 car owners.
As for glitz, theres more to come. Warner Bros. Tasmanian Devil is set to help build Chevrolets Monte Carlo brand, while Porsche is ready to launch its first global direct mail video dubbed "Love Story," targeting 300,000 consumers. And if you want to catch a glimpse of Jaguars partnership with Raytheon, check out the New York Auto Show April 11- 19 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.
About the Author.
:To contact see details below.
DBMarkets@aol.com
http://www.msdbm.com
Some marketers have been test driving big names as diverse as Peter Rabbit and Eric Clapton to capture sales, while others have lathered consumers with personal attention and direct mail campaigns to engender loyalty.
And along the way, big money has been dropped on advertising.
Online car buying service Auto-by-Tel Corp. scored a touchdown when it spent $1.3 million to air a 30-second DRTV spot during Super Bowl XXXII. "That Monday was the biggest day we ever had," says the Irvine, CA companys senior vice president for marketing Anne Benvenuto.
Porsches attention to the tiniest detail--from educating telemarketers on how to remove a grease spot from the upholstery to dropping them into the seat of the new model 911--has paid off in customer loyalty.
Isuzu also scored when it spent $900,000 on an intensive direct mail campaign to introduce its redesigned 1998 Isuzu Rodeo. The reward? A 16% response rate with 2,100 Rodeos either purchased or leased.
"We didnt just drop something in the mail and walk away from it," says Tony Harkey, Isuzus brand development manager for light vehicles. "The response was way above what we had even anticipated. The continuity of the message came through."
The campaign consisted of four mailings within two and a half months. The first 232,000 pieces hit mailboxes in June. Isuzu identified the target audience after scrutinizing its in-house database: a thirty-something, active, style-conscious, outdoorsy type with a home PC. Most owned, or previously owned, a Rodeo. "Our philosophy has always been that we should focus on our best customer first. Marketing to them, learning everything we can about them. The next step is going outside that base to prospecting," Harkey says.
Four weeks after the initial mailing, a postcard was sent detailing new engineering features, an 800 number, the Web site (www.isuzurodeo.com), along with a reply card.
The next month, another postcard followed with a four-page launch package and an incentive: a pair of Vivitar binoculars for taking a test drive. Just over 3,000 people took the vehicle for a spin.
The mail campaign ran along with TV and print ads.
A control group that didnt receive the mailing showed Rodeo owners who received the mailing purchased at a rate double those who didnt.
But Isuzu didnt put the brakes on there. The company then profiled the 2,100 new Rodeo owners and went back to the database.
A 60,000-piece mailing--including a $500 coupon toward the purchase or lease of the vehicle--went out in February. The campaign targeted those who responded to the initial program but didnt buy, those who closely profiled the recent buyers and lessees.
Toyota launched a direct mail campaign last fall to build brand recognition, inviting 50,000 Parenting magazine subscribers to storytelling events at Borders bookstores.
What does a bookstore have to do with the 1998 Sienna minivan? Plenty when you toss in Peter Rabbit or Curious George and a bunch of kids.
"It just made sense," considering the profile of the Parenting subscriber--91% female, aged 18 to 49, 75% with children under 12--says Beth Henning, national advertising manager for Toyota Motor Sales USA.
After a sort by ZIP code from 50 participating Borders, Parenting sent the invitations to subscribers who lived within driving distance of the bookstores. The creative depicted a mother and daughter reading, surrounded by images of storybook themes like "Little Red Riding Hood" and whimsical castles and serpents. At each event, with a sparkling Sienna minivan as the backdrop, live storybook characters entertained children as local storytellers and authors recounted classic childrens tales. And, as 200 hours of tales were spun, parents learned more about the minivan and picked up a $250 coupon, redeemable at Borders, for the first 100 people who purchased the vehicle.
By February, the coupons had run out. "It was fantastic," Henning says. "It was a good combination of knowing that reading to children is important and that parents would want to bring their children to the event."
The event was complemented by spreads in two fall issues of Parenting and Baby Talk (each with a circulation of about 1.1 million), fliers distributed at Borders and an eight-page editorial supplement on family reading techniques distributed in 750,000 pre-school cubbyholes. An estimated 5.5 million people were exposed to the vehicle through the various events.
Other car manufactures have also turned to familiar faces. Lexus hopes to tune-up its image in a marketing partnership with rock star Eric Clapton, who began a U.S. concert tour last month in St. Paul, MN. "We didnt exactly have an exciting image," says Lexus spokesperson Holly Ferris. "We had a luxurious and sophisticated image and now were adding a little bit of flair."
Lexus hopes to drive traffic to the dealerships by dangling an incentive--entry into a contest for a free trip and concert tickets to see Clapton perform in Los Angeles--in a mailing going out this month to 50,000 qualified prospects. At the dealership, "Layla" fans fill out a survey and entry form attached to an added incentive, Claptons CD "Unleaded."
Auto-by-Tel, meanwhile, had a stadium full of sports stars for its Super Bowl spot. The draw of the event was enough to increase Web site traffic immediately following the game, 17 times the norm (a number the company declined to disclose) and bumping purchase requests up over 100%. Residual effects continue to increase traffic 60%, the company claims. On average, Auto-by-Tel gets 100,000 requests for new cars each month.
The online car shopper demographics--60% male, aged 25 to 54 with an average household income of over $60,000--are the perfect match for bowl-game watchers, she says.
Combine those stats with figures showing that 16% of new vehicles purchased are shopped online (with conservative estimates putting that number at 34% by the year 2000), and its a winning matchup, Benvenuto says.
Auto-by-Tels commercial, which cost $350,000 to produce, showed a pajama-clad woman placing her purchase request on the Internet.
Since Auto-by-Tel reached its 1-millionth car buyer last November, the firms database is now large enough to be used for more strategic marketing efforts. "No stone will be unturned," Benvenuto notes.
Network and cable DRTV spots and print and banner ads drive Auto-by-Tel direct customers to www. autobytel.com, which launched in the summer of 1995.
"Even though the Internet has been our primary selling channel, TV has also done an outstanding job of driving the sale and selling the brand," she says. "Thats the irony of the whole thing."
Jaguar also has high-flying goals for DM. In an effort to build the brand and show off its craftsmanship, the manufacturer recently partnered with Raytheon Aircraft to promote this years Jaguar and a limited-edition Beechcraft King Air C90 Jaguar Special Edition.
The $2.65-million planes interior and exterior is modeled after the Jag --British racing green, cream-colored Connolly leather and burled walnut trim--and features the cars logo on the tail. "We felt that both the Jaguar customer and the Raytheon customer are similar in that theyre looking for best in class in whatever they buy," says Terri Nelson, dealer marketing manager for Jaguar Cars, Mahwah, NJ.
Invitations to attend one of 25 open houses held at local airports across the country were sent to previous and current aircraft and Jaguar owners. This first event, held last month in West Palm Beach, FL, drew 60 attendees from 2,000 invitations.
But for all the glitz of expensive planes, athletes, rock stars and bunnies, some marketers still coddle the customer with simple attention.
Porsches customer satisfaction program, grounded in strategic, ongoing customer contact, and an 800 help line available 24 hours a day, has increased the repurchase rate 10% to 60% since its inception in 1994. "Were trying to have the ownership experience equal the driving experience, which is a very lofty goal," says George Cabanting, Porsches manager for customer satisfaction.
The manufacturer seems to be reaching that goal with 20,000 cars sold this year in the U.S. and Canada, compared with 6,000 in 1994.
"The most vulnerable stage is right after the purchase," Cabanting says. "And the first three months are critical. Customers are evaluating the purchase, theyve got expectations about the product and service and that period really shapes their perception [over the] long term."
As the customer drives off, a welcome packet including an educational video hits the mail. Ten to 15 days later, a phone call is placed to discuss the buying and delivery experience. Was the car clean? Was the tank full? Was the car trouble-free at delivery? "Taking delivery of your car should be a happy time," he says. "It shouldnt be concentrated only on Wheres the check, heres the car."
Six months later, another contact by mail is followed by a one- year anniversary call reminding the customer of the warrantys end date. "The goal is to keep the customer focused on the relationship," notes Cabanting.
A critical element in customer satisfaction is educating the "customer relations associates" who answer the phones, says Tom Trivan, vice president of Sky Alland, the Columbia, MD customer relationship management company administering the Porsche program.
Associates spend hours in training, learning everything from how to remove those niggling grease spots from the upholstery to attending Porsches Ride and Drive product training event for the new 911, held recently in Los Angeles, to test drive the car and learn about its mechanics.
Porsche is consolidating its database of 300,000--once scattered over a number of different departments--to build contact histories for better and more targeted DM. Data is captured from phone calls, catalog order forms, surveys and service and sales information. This year, a new Porsche product catalog will be mailed to 25,000 car owners.
As for glitz, theres more to come. Warner Bros. Tasmanian Devil is set to help build Chevrolets Monte Carlo brand, while Porsche is ready to launch its first global direct mail video dubbed "Love Story," targeting 300,000 consumers. And if you want to catch a glimpse of Jaguars partnership with Raytheon, check out the New York Auto Show April 11- 19 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.
About the Author.
:To contact see details below.
DBMarkets@aol.com
http://www.msdbm.com
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