Planning and Communication Increases Advertising Effectiveness
By Jim Boldebook
Advertising plans are often the best kept secrets in many dealerships. Unfortunately, this not only decreases the potential effectiveness of advertising, but it also increases the risk of employee and customer confusion, dissatisfaction and potential legal problems.
The chief culprit in lack of good internal communication of dealership ad plans is last minute planning. Often a theme or promotion is decided within hours of media deadlines. This is due primarily to the reactionary nature of retail automotive advertising. Many managers wait for last minute factory incentive announcements or proof of competitive ads before deciding on a strategy. In some cases, advertising is habitually done last minute because it's last on the list of priorities for a department head. This is a strange situation in light of the major impact advertising has on a dealership's bottom line. It is often the second highest expense on the dealership's statement.
A dealership can plan advertising well in advance of publication or broadcast and still retain the ability to make last minute changes to specific models, discounts and prices. These plans can be communicated to team members through meetings, memos, newsletters and employee pages of a dealership 'intranet'. Experience has shown a dramatic increase in advertising effectiveness when the creative concepts and expected results are well understood by most employees.
Here's how you can ensure maximum effectiveness of your advertising expenditures:
Plan Ahead!
Insist that those responsible for your dealership advertising come up with creative and media plans for the entire year now. You should know exactly what you are going to do for the remainder of January and all of February by the end of this week. March and each subsequent month should be finalized by no later than the 10th of the preceding month. Insist on a 'rough' layout of the entire year by dollar amount, ad medium and creative theme by the end of this month. Remember, you can always change themes if a better idea surfaces or as market conditions dictate.
Communicate Your Plans!
Inform all of your employees of your promotional plans at least ten days in advance of implementing them. If you are planning a promotion or advertising theme that will last for several months, make a presentation to all employees encouraging ideas that will maximize the effectiveness of your plans.
Develop a Comprehensive Marketing Plan!
If you have a good idea, milk it for all it's worth! Make sure every one of your employees and customers are aware of your theme with banners, posters, desktop signs and other point-of-purchase collateral advertising. Your receptionist might greet customers with the ad theme each time the phone is answered. Make your vendors and suppliers aware of a promotion with a letter or envelope stuffer included with each check mailed out. Your web site can feature a 'drop-down' window or 'splash page' for visitors.
Consider 13 Week Themes!
With the massive amount of information in every marketplace today, it takes a while for a good idea to sink in. Consider using 'umbrella' advertising themes for 13 weeks, with individual promotions for urgency within that time span. For instance, if your goal is to increase light truck sales, develop a theme and build on it week after week.
Analyze and Document Results!
Create a post-analysis ad calendar that documents promotions and results at a glance throughout the year. This should include weather notes, mediamix, factory incentives and generalcomments. Use this calendar as an additional source of planning for next year's advertising plans.
Several dealer clients of my agency have learned that adequate planning and preparation of advertising can make a tremendous difference in return on investment. One Northeast dealer holds a breakfast meeting prior to the kickoff of major promotions. The dealer invites not only the sales team and sales managers, but also the receptionists, service advisors, finance personnel and representatives of finance companies the dealership does business with. Prior to a week-long promotion that would require the sales team to put in extra hours, the dealer even invited spouses to the breakfast so they might understand the demands and potential rewards of the upcoming event.
Get the most out of every advertising and promotional dollar you spend by insisting on advanced preparation and better planning. You'll be able to negotiate the best deals with the media, you'll have an opportunity to fine-tune the creative and most importantly, you'll be able to get maximum buy-in by everyone in your organization.
Jim Boldebook is president of Creative Broadcast Concepts (CBC), an advertising/marketing agency working with some of America's most successful dealerships. jboldebook@dealeronline.com
