George Isaacs sold his Chrysler / Plymouth / GMC dealership to Ertley MotorWorld in Wilkes-Barre, PA several years ago and now works with them in several capacities, one of which is to help promote the 13-point auto mall using motorsports as a marketing tool.
Q: With motorsports being so multi-faceted today and reaching into nearly every demographic group, how can a dealership effectively keep its name in the press and the public's mind?
George We have found several ways to promote our dealership name to nearly every demographic group by creating a multitude of promotional opportunities. After all, as much as we love racing and cars, it's the PR, media and community exposure that are key to our success. In our market, we analyze probably a dozen motorsports-related events and promotional opportunities a year. And what we have settled in on are six different things that work effectively to establish and maintain a solid name awareness in the community as a whole and the motorsports enthusiasts more specifically.
Number one is our sponsorship of the Pocono International Speedway as a Pontiac/GMC Ad Association and manufacturer joint venture. As a GMC dealer, we get a lot of track side signage and space at the track to display a vehicle or two. We also receive a full two-page ad in the race program, race tickets to use as promotional prizes, VIP passes, etc.
Number two is owning, sponsoring and driving my own SCCA Plymouth Neon in local and regional road races. With the dealership name and logo all over the car and trailer, this makes for a rolling billboard and conversation piece. We have used the car at dealership events as a tool to attract attention and help build traffic. We have also won a lot of races and the series championship, so that allowed for a good deal of local media coverage.
Number three is a minor sponsorship of a NASCAR Craftsman Truck owned and operated by a local team and driven by Ryan McGlynn, also a local. Although this series does not even race in our area, we have used the sponsorship, the truck and the driver as a tool for traffic building and media coverage during our events.
Number four is a sponsorship position of the famous "Giants Despair Hill Climb." This is a big event in the region and affords a lot of media opportunities. We use our dealership as a staging area before the race, so we generate a good deal of traffic as well.
Number five is our creation and hosting of an annual "Race Fan Appreciation Day". This is a very interactive event for the public and the media alike. With all the local race teams and drivers of nearly every series and class converging in one place at one time, for the sole purpose of meeting the public and the press, shaking hands and signing autographs, it creates a media feeding frenzy.
Number six is our involvement with the Arthritis Foundation "Mini Grand Prix Race". This is a real "feel good" fund-raiser that allows our staff to get involved and provides for a lot of onsite name awareness building. We are also the official place where all the drivers go for qualification and training. This naturally creates traffic.
Q. That sounds like of a lot work and time, how do you keep it all together?
George. It takes a fair amount of time and coordination to pull it all together, but you typically get out what you put in. We get a great deal of community exposure, for example, by way of banners at the various events, published press releases and photographs in the newspaper, TV and radio news coverage and interviews, exposure in the race programs and other race promotional materials, and depending on the event, a lot of foot traffic at the dealership.
Q. What other benefits do you receive for your efforts?
George. We have many opportunities to speak in front of all kinds of civic groups, schools, automotive and race-related clubs, etc. This gives the opportunity to establish our dealership as a part of the community in a positive way that is difficult to do with advertising alone. And let me say, much of what we do in relation to motorsports has a charity fund-raising angle to it and if you want to get a lot of free positive press and feel great about what you are doing, I can't think of a better and more exciting way than blending motorsports with charity fund-raising.
Q. Can you give me an example?
George. We hosted a "Race Fan Appreciation Day" in June, where we had nearly 20 local racecars on display from several types of series and classes, with about a dozen local drivers signing autographs. We had a race for young kids in electric-powered mini Indy-style cars, with trophies for the winners. We also collected autographed racing collectibles from top drivers across the country. These items were auctioned off, with 100% of the proceeds going to a children's charity. As a result, we received front page coverage in one newspaper and a full-color two-page center spread in another, as well as TV and radio coverage, a half dozen other newspaper articles and hundreds of visitors of all demographics to the dealership.
Q. One of the big questions that dealers have regarding involvement with any type or level of motorsports is, How do we get our money's worth?
George. Well, that question can be attached to nearly any investment, advertising campaign, or any other promotion. But to shed some light on this valid concern, I would say that if you are looking at motorsports as a valid promotional tool, which it can and should be, you should only consider it if you have somebody available to you that really knows and understands how to leverage the media for coverage from a news standpoint.
There are so many different angles that can be put on most any motorsports event that will make it newsworthy. If there isn't a newsworthy angle, you can always create one. The more emotional, charitable and community-oriented the angle, the more local media coverage you are likely to obtain. Proper and advance planning, good media relations and a solid understanding of what they are looking for and cross-promotions with other companies are all important elements of success.
Q. What other benefits can a dealership receive from motorsports promotions and marketing?
George. We have seen that involvement in a race car of nearly any type can be an excellent team- building tool. We have involved in some capacity, staff members from administration, management, sales, parts, body shop and service. It can be a lot of fun and there is a lot of room for participation. We run a dealership-wide annual contest for the best color and paint scheme for our Arthritis Foundation Mini-Grand-Prix car.
Q. Would you recommend motorsports as a valid marketing tool to other dealers?
George. Yes, but I would also say that to be successful in this area, you must be extremely organized and prepared, you must research the PR opportunities and pursue them diligently, and you must make sure that you have the time to plan ahead to leverage your media coverage and community opportunities.
Duane Sprague is President of Sprague-Fanady Marketing, which researches and develops unique and improved methods for dealers to promote and advertise. He wrote the booklet "35 Tips for Successful Direct Mail Marketing." If you have specific questions or require more information about this subject, please check the appropriate box on the reader response form on page 3.