Articles for Advertising & Marketing Dealer Stories
Thursday, February 09, 2012
At Charlotte Honda VW in Port Charlotte, Fla., the dealership received a complete overhaul and a new marketing strategy, and it has since tripled sales.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Gibson Truck World, a 14-acre dealership in Sanford, Fla., sells about 150 vehicles per month. The dealership relies on social media, radio, television, magazines, the Internet, billboards and good old word-of-mouth to advertise the dealership.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Five dealers explain how they used Groupon to drive service and fixed operations traffic.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
While constructing his independent dealership Autoline, Dealer Ryan Corey said the idea was for it to be “completely opposite a traditional car dealership.” From the interior decoration and logo to the dealership’s advertising, it’s easy to see his store is unique, and it’s attracting and retaining customers. Since it opened, sales have increased about 400 percent.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Jennifer Murphy - For a store that’s only two years old, Hyundai of St. Augustine in Florida has made some major headway in its market. General Manager Andrew DiFeo said, “I opened the dealership in May of 2008. Hyundai didn’t exist in the St. Augustine market before that.”
Monday, June 28, 2010
Jennifer Murphy - For 2009, national Toyota sales were down more than 20 percent, while Jeff Wyler Toyota was up 28.6 percent. When the Toyota dealership originally opened 25 years ago, it was named Green Tree Toyota after a new, nearby mall, Green Tree Mall.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Too many dealers have had to learn how to pick up and move on with their lives after getting a “Dear John” letter from their manufacturer(s) to which they had been loyal for decades. At first glance, it would seem the disenfranchised dealer has three options: close the doors, acquire another vehicle franchise or go it alone as an independent.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Harlene Doane - It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and Steven Sodikoff, dealer principal of Steven Toyota Scion in Harrisonburg, Va., believes it applies to his inventory. Recently, Sodikoff invested heavily in his dealership’s online presence in a rather unusual way. He took an empty service facility and transformed it into a high-tech photography studio.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Kimberly Long - The name Sonic Automotive is well-known to anyone in the industry, and with good reason. It is the third-largest automotive group in the country with 153 dealerships and more than 30 collision centers and a Fortune 300 company. Carrying more than 30 different vehicle brands, its reach stretches literally across the country, from California to the Carolinas.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Kimberly Long - While most businesses have acknowledged the influence of the Internet on modern-day commerce and have embraced it as a powerful advertising medium, it’s still difficult for some auto dealers to imagine not keeping more conventional methods of television, radio and print as part of their advertising and marketing strategies.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Jennifer Murphy - While some dealers have had a Web presence for years, CarSmart in Kansas City, Mo., didn’t have one until April 2009. Co-Owner Ted Heater, Jr. said, “We were in business for 11 years and didn’t have … any kind of Internet presence … Business was always so good by our direct mail, TV and radio campaigns, nobody would have had time to do a Web site. Now, [with] a 40 to 50 percent decrease in business, well, I have a lot of time now.” ...
Sunday, November 16, 2008
John Carroll - About 15 years ago, said Trenary, who runs three dealerships in the St. Louis area, Ben Turec screened a television spot he put together from several years’ worth of bloopers swept up from his ad agency’s cutting room floor. Blown lines, pratfalls, ornery animals; it all ...
Monday, January 07, 2008
John Carroll - It's all part of reaching out, letting the Hispanic community know, in a myriad of small and large ways, they'll be welcome when it comes time to buy a vehicle.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Jennifer Murphy - Recalling the first mass deployment his dealership survived through, Thomas said, “The sales numbers dried up literally overnight, and we weren’t prepared … We didn’t know what to expect; it was devastating.
Monday, January 08, 2007
All dealers recognize the importance of retaining customers. However, most dealers simply do not have the metrics in place to know how many are lost.
Friday, September 01, 2006
One of key ingredients to the Dimmitt success is the menu of accessories customers are given to enhance their new purchase.