iMedia Connection generates a weekly newsletter dedicated to the Auto industry. It has plenty of interesting stuff for all professionals involved in marketing online for this industry. In the 9th July newsletter, there is a very interesting article: How Marketing Monotony Can Be Conquered, by Uwe Hook, Director for Interactive Marketing Strategy at Genex.
Uwe is reflecting on collecting consumer car experience. While we strongly reccomend reading in full his article, please let us highlight some excerpts:
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Most people leave the dealer lot with a smile on their face. Yes, the dealer experience is still lacking, the paperwork drags on and the final price is a bit higher than the customer had hoped for. But, in the end, most car buyers leave happy. They invested a lot of time and effort to find the right car and found the perfect match for their wallet and lifestyle.
While automotive advertising used to focus on features (210 hp, 0-60 in 5.3 seconds, et cetera), online has enhanced automotive marketing by offering immersive product experiences, such as the Interactive Showroom that my company, Genex built for Acura.
These experiences make it easier for consumers to get familiar with the car and all its features, saving a lot of time on the dealer lot. Most OEM sites feature extensive photo libraries, showcasing the car in any imaginable environment and lifestyle situation. And, on the horizon are more immersive experiences, more photos and more opportunities to allow the consumer to imagine ownership.
That part of the marketing equation is vibrant and evolving. But, more and more I feel we're in a rut.
There are many happy buyers, but marketers have not yet found a way to tap into this pool of happiness.
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The industry is waiting for an entrepreneur to take this opportunity and the existing pool of happy buyers by the horn and develop a social network discussing car, dealership and service experiences.
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At the minimum, you could add owner reviews to your site. But, please, allow owners to write the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It's not enough to display movie quotes like, "…innovative…" You have to let the owner talk and really share their feelings. But that's just the start: How about a minisite marketing your model in its third year by featuring typical owners of that vehicle. Show how they use the car, how they emotionally connect with the car or how their life changed because of that one feature. Love and authenticity is in the details. Allow owners to upload videos, share stories and connect with each other.>>>
Well, here we are. Ebuga will try to fill this gap.
We really look forward to explaining our ebuga project to Uwe asap as we think it fits into this new paradigm. It also demonstrates that human minds are not (yet) physically connected, but thinking of a new way of doing things can lead to similar conclusions.
Yes, this is like reading our minds... ;-))
