Look to other industries for marketing strategies

The Auto Industry should look to other industries for great digital media marketing strategies. 

written by David Andrew, aka “The Professor”

At iPitCrew.com we think The Auto Industry should look to other industries for great solutions on how to reach their target consumers. Why? Because ‘Interruption Based’ marketing hasn't been cost effective for years. I am sure in the last six months your local cable, radio, or newspaper account sales rep has stopped in your store and told you viewers, listeners, or subscriptions were improving, and they have the statistical data to support it! I don’t know about you but not one of them has been able to show me DATA that "quantifies" the retention period or effectiveness of the message.


In the most sophisticated scientific studies done to date Martin Lindstrom and his group did just that. He writes about it in his most recent book, Buy-ology released in 2008. During one testing period while comparing Coke and Ford's messaging aired on American Idol. Lindstrom’s group effectively proved that Ford’s traditional "at break interruption style messaging" had no retention effect on viewers, while Coke’s participation within the show itself, with color branding of the stage, drink props, etc. had a far greater top of mind presence among the viewers, and for longer, even though they never verbally mentioned the product.


Today, some of the team from ‘the crew’ and I were out and about, we saw a plane flying overhead with one of those banners trailing behind. Ironically it was an ad for a "Body Shop", but not one of us can remember which dealer or brand it was just four hours later. We can pretty much guarantee if that Body Shop, had spent the same money on Digital Media, like iCrewMobile, iCrewmail, or iTurboLeads they would have gotten far more measurable results, and higher ROI. Why? Because the brand message is offered as a tool to assist the consumer at the moment in time the consumer is most interested, and most in need, of the Body Shop brand’s assistance. The "Super Charger" is that it’s also the moment when the consumer is most connected to that brand. We couldn't call out to the plane and ask the questions that were most on our mind in the same manner, the paper, radio, or TV, won’t answer the questions we ask. The nitrous in all of this is that ‘online content’ last forever, when the plane was out of sight the messaging event was over, same with the paper that now lines the daughter’s rabbit cage, and the radio or TV ad that just finished playing, all are one and done, but online content is there to be seen over and over. Just food for thought the next time some fast-talking sales rep stops in. The only thing you ever need to ask is what’s the ROI.