Karen,
Have you read Paul Weyland's article, How to Help Automotive Dealerships in 2011? Perhaps there would be some ideas there you could use.
Here are some other past discussions on promotions for car dealers that may provide you with some material:
http://www.radiosalescafe.com/forum/topics/car-dealer-promotions
http://www.radiosalescafe.com/forum/topics/looking-for-idea-for-local
http://www.radiosalescafe.com/forum/topics/difficult-car-dealer
Additionally, in a discussion last year about summer promotions, RSC member Kathie Easton wrote, "We're making a local car dealer the area's destination for fund raising, yard sales, antique car shows, kids fests, music impersonators......lots of work to plan upcoming events, but for enough money spent.....we're pulling it off so far..........Right Now........they just want warm bodies on their lot...."
Good luck!
~ Rebecca
People are monthly payment buyers when it comes to cars. You could sell Bentleys if you advertised them for $300 per month. Forget everything else. Rebates and financing and coming out on Saturday to meet a DJ or a Ball Player mean little unless the people know what they can get into for a monthly payment. And for Goodness sake, tell the dealers in your area that NOBOBY wants to drop by and buy a new $30,000 car because they hired some college kids to stand at the curb in a Fred Flintstone outfit.
By the way, I can'e believe that so many dealers are still buying full page full color ads for a shopping list of cars on the lot. (Usually with no more that 2 available at that price.) What up wit that?
Karen:
You can get past the rebates and financing by making it the highlight - show how much fun it is to get them. Here's the first in a campaign we produced at Voice Creative (wow - almost 10 years ago). I hope it sparks some thoughts.
Have a great week!
Neil
What will the car do for me? How will I look in it? What will other people think when they see me in it? Selling an emotionally charged ad to a car dealer can be done....TV does it with picture....remember, we create the picture in the mind...we can really be creative with sound....humorous or serious copy and delivery...Ask the car dealer to try something different....As Jane said in her post, they believe they know everything. That may be true, but doing the same thing over and over without getting the results you seek is just plain insane!
