Menu

Auto Industry in the News

Auto Industry in the News

Key Questions Every Struggling Dealer Should Ask

Key Questions Every Struggling Dealer Should Ask

/ , , , /

If your dealership isn’t performing at the level you expect, it’s time to look in the mirror and ask yourself some difficult key questions – ones just like the eight listed below. If you do not have a satisfactory answer for each of them, it may very well be time for you to contact us.

 

(1)    Why are my current advertising strategies not producing a sufficient amount of sales?

 

(2)    Why are other dealerships getting so many customers while I am getting less than my fair share?

 

(3)    Have I properly evolved along with the changing automotive landscape?

 

(4)    What is the #1 guy in my market doing, and why?

 

(5)    Is my advertising budget appropriate for the kind of results I expect?

 

(6)    Am I getting the most “bang” for my advertising bucks?

 

(7)    Is my advertising message being delivered to the right people/in the right manner?

 

(8)   Do I know with 100% certainty I’m receiving all the advertising I purchase each month?

 

A capable automotive advertising agency like JKR is the key to bringing more business to an automobile dealership. If you are ready to kick your sales and foot traffic into high gear, call Richard Brauns at (321) 397-0777 or reach out to him via e-mail at rbrauns@jkrads.com today. He’ll give you all the details on how you can go from struggling to thriving in practically no time. It’s not unheard of for our new clients to see significant sales upticks in less than two weeks.

 

JKR Automotive Advertising: The car dealer ad agency.

What to Make of the Recent SAAR Reports

What to Make of the Recent SAAR Reports

/ , /

Recent SAAR reports indicate this year’s brutal 2019 winter brought sales numbers down a bit from initial projections. This has prompted some dealers to begin re-evaluating their advertising plans for the rest of the year.

 

One school of thought has dealers contemplating major advertising cutbacks. But the savvy, experienced dealers realize there are still thousands of people looking for cars every month. They understand now is not the time to cut their ad budgets; instead, it’s actually time to go on the attack, seizing the opportunity to gain a greater market share.

 

The best defense is a good offense.

This famous quote is heard frequently when describing how high-powered sports teams win their games. Military leaders have also been known to adopt it for their strategy on the field of battle. The general premise is when you’re on the attack, it puts the enemy in a defensive position.

 

Dealers using this strategy when fewer customers are purchasing vehicles tilt the proverbial playing field in their favor, getting more than their fair share of sales while their competition cuts back on their advertising or, worse yet, goes completely dark. There is no reason to settle for being “a little below average” when you can continue being great!

 

This formula has worked well before – in tougher times than what we’re currently experiencing. During the 2007-2008 recession, dealers who “stayed the course” reaped the benefits, not only during those lean years but immediately afterward when things began to get back to normal. How? By continuing to advertise during the recession, they remained top-of-mind to everyone in their markets after it was over.

 

Don’t let the SAAR Reports deter you from advertising. The dealer who sends a consistent message: this is who we are, this is what we offer and this is why you should buy from us … is the one who wins during less-than-ideal times.

 

JKR Automotive Advertising: The car dealer ad agency.

Rolling Stone: Radio Still Matters … a LOT

Rolling Stone: Radio Still Matters … a LOT

/ , , /

In a recent article found on Rolling Stone‘s Website entitled “Rap’s New Generation Took Over, Rock Ruled the Road and Radio Still Mattered”, the iconic publication discussed many of the current music trends of 2018.

 

In the section discussing radio, it says the following: 228.5 million Americans still turn on a radio each week, far more than the 68.5 million who use streaming audio, and 49 percent of respondents to a listener survey said they found new music on the radio, easily outpacing the 27 percent who found music through “online music services.”

 

For car dealers, this means radio is just as it’s always been … a cost-effective way to reach people of all ages with your dealership’s message. If you’d like to know more about how your dealership can benefit from automotive radio advertising, give Jenny Gray a call today at (225) 603-5915.

 

JKR Automotive Advertising: The car dealer ad agency.

 

More Discontinued Cars: Sedans Continue to Disappear

More Discontinued Cars: Sedans Continue to Disappear

/ /

It’s time to announce more discontinued cars and say goodbye to another cluster of vehicles that won’t live to see the 2020 model year. Once again, the vast majority of them are sedans, as SUVs and crossovers are what most customers want these days.

 

Buick Lacrosse: Plans were already in place for a redesign in the 2020 model year – and spy photos had even been captured. But sometime in 2019, the Lacrosse will no longer be available in the United States despite being a very popular car in China.

 

Cadillac ATS: First introduced in 2013, the ATS never really posed much of a threat to its intended competitors such as the Mercedes-Benz C-Class or the BMW 3-Series.

 

Cadillac CT6: Production of the CT6 will actually continue through the middle of 2019. There are whispers that the GM Detroit-Hamtramck plant will soon be shuttered – the facility in which the CT6 is made. As a result, auto experts surmise the car may be a casualty of the rumored closing. (Somewhat ironically, this is also where the Lacrosse is currently being made.)

 

Cadillac XTS: The full-size four-door sedan that debuted in 2012 has experienced a drop in sales recently, mirroring the similar plight of other cars in its segment.

 

Nissan Juke: While sales of the unique and diminutive Juke will continue in Europe, it has been dropped from the American lineup. This decision means the new Kicks now becomes the smallest Nissan crossover.

 

Chevrolet Cruze: The solid but unspectacular Cruze was Chevy’s offering in the compact car class. In recent years, sales of the Cruze have fallen off; last year alone, Cruze sales fell 26.5 percent.

 

Chevrolet Impala: Chevrolet is following Ford’s lead, getting away from passenger cars and leaning more toward SUVs and crossovers. Its final production of the legendary Impala will occur in March.

 

Chevrolet Volt: Once considered an industry trend-setter, General Motors decided to pull the plug on the Volt (sorry … bad joke but we couldn’t help ourselves) despite its innovative Voltec gas-electric powertrain.

 

Volkswagen Beetle: Production of the Beetle – now in its third generation – will end in July with what the automaker is calling a “Final Edition” … which is expected to elicit memories of the original rear-engine Beetle.

 

JKR Automotive Advertising: The car dealer ad agency.

 

Eliminating Co-Op Horror Stories

Eliminating Co-Op Horror Stories

/ , , /

In honor of Halloween, we bring you Co-Op Horror Stories – and discuss how to get rid of them forever!

 

Brand compliance is of utmost importance in the world of automotive advertising – specifically, the monthly co-op process involving an auto dealer and its corporate entity. Even in the best of circumstances it’s an arduous process but it’s also a very necessary one, because the dealer depends on these dollars for day-to-day operations and future advertising.

 

How Co-Op Horror Stories Happen

At JKR, we hear no shortage of co-op horror stories from clients who have been burned by the process because they either attempted to handle co-op themselves or let an unqualified agency “handle” it for them. Some recent ones that come to mind include a dealer literally coming up $100 short on submitted co-op-able advertisements to get their quarterly funds; and another who got no co-op money because he was unaware how much he had to spend each quarter … and ended up short as a result.

 

Why is the co-op process so confusing? While a small handful of automotive brands don’t offer co-op funds, the vast majority do – and each has its own set of rules to be followed before they will disseminate any advertising dollars to the dealer. Some offer 100% reimbursement; some a 100%-50% split; and some exclusively 50%. Some require different terminology in ads depending upon model year. Some have brand-specific language that must be included in every ad. Some need third-party pre-approval in addition to corporate pre-approval. Most won’t allow “distress” language, except during certain holidays when it’s OK.

 

Get the picture? We could go on and on with the regulations!

 

For those not as familiar with co-op, here’s how it works in generalities: Before anything else, a script is sent to corporate for pre-approval. Why? Because if it’s rejected by corporate, it’s too late to make any changes after the fact … and a simple error like that could cost a dealer a significant amount of money!

 

After the pre-approval is obtained and the advertisement runs for the entire month on radio or TV – that’s when the real legwork begins. This includes acquiring every invoice from the selected radio and/or television stations … making sure the dates are correct … ensuring the dollar figures are correct … getting every script with the proper station stamps … making pdfs of video productions … and then sending all this to the corporate entity for reimbursement. If there are discrepancies, it requires phone calls and e-mails to station reps to find out why they occurred. There will also be times when numbers are over budget or significantly short, which requires additional investigation.

 

Every once in a while, the corporate entity will even approve an ad, only to change their minds later on after it’s been submitted.

 

As you can imagine, the co-op process takes a great deal of time and attention to detail … but our clients are worth it.

 

JKR’s account executives and billing experts make it their business to stay up-to-date on the latest co-op details for each client’s brand(s) – and we have clients in nearly all of them! We take the time necessary to make sure our clients understand what’s happening with their co-op funds and receive every penny they should.

 

Better still, even though we work within co-op guidelines, it doesn’t destroy our creativity! Despite these stringent rules and restrictions put in place by the corporate entities, JKR still produces topical, attention-getting advertisements featuring all the hooks that make people buy cars.

 

So if you want co-op treats without the corporate tricks, you owe it to yourself to take a close look at JKR. We’ll handle all the dirty work and let you focus on what you do best – sell cars! Give us a call today at (321) 397-0777 and find out how to make Co-Op Horror Stories a thing of the past.

 

JKR Automotive Advertising: The Car Dealer Ad Agency.

Load More