why automobile marketers love social media
DESCRIPTION
How (and why) social media has emerged as one of the most powerful tools for marketing automobileTRANSCRIPT
Why Automobile Marketers Love Social Media
1
A Car is more than a car!
Social Media works best when you are marketing a passion and
not a product
Our cars and bikes for most of us are not just a product but a
passion
Research, recommendation and advocacy
What sells a car - research, recommendation and loyalty
Traditional media can provide none of the above to satisfaction
Social Media, however, engages audience across all the three
Source: Webdesignerdept
Enough time bandwidth for engagement
Car purchases are not impulse based; consumers take time to
research
Marketers need to engage customers and develop relationships
in this time. Social Media works best here
Source: aigle_dore
How auto industry is using social media?
Strategy 1 – Listen And Respond
Social Media Superstars for car brands
Auto majors are getting their
senior staff to become the
brand’s face on social media
channels
Very active presence on
networks like Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube
Source: http://twitter.com/#!/scottmonty
http://twitter.com/#!/AdamDenison
Toyota ‘diggs’ itself out of crisis
Following the massive
Toyota car recall in January
2010, Toyota created a
campaign on Digg where
audience asked Toyota
questions and the most
‘Digged’ question were
answered by the brand in a
video interview
Source:http://mashable.com/2011/09/01/
toyota-digg-recalls/
Strategy 2 – Conversations With Customers
Conversations with blogs
Brands like GM and
Volkswagen manage
customer focused blogs to
help them in their research
for cars and provide
valuable info about cars and
their passion for driving
Source: http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/
Strategy 3 – Microcampaigns
VW - Fanwagen
Volkswagen launched the
Fanwagen app on Facebook
asking users to vote among
2 VW classics – The Beetle
and the T1
The participants had a
chance of winning one of the
classic cars loaded with
various social media
features like updates that
could be printed, relationship
status near the number plate
etc
Source: www.fanwagen.com
Harley Davidson – Fan Machine
Harley Davidson Fan
Machine is a contest of H-D
fans to use their creative
muscle to come up with
innovate ideas for H-D, while
others vote their favorite
ideas
Source:http://www.facebook.com/harley-
davidson?sk=app_287271767949556
Toyota – 100 cars for good
Toyota decided to donate
100 cars to organizations
that needed them for doing
good
Many non profits
participated while others
voted for the non profits they
thought needed the cars
most
Source:
http://apps.facebook.com/carsforgood/
Honda – Super civic quest
Social Quest by Honda.
Took participants across
various clues and
challenges across different
Honda channels to win a
Honda Civic
Source:http://www.wired.com/magazine/
2011/06/dude-wheres-cesars-car-the-
super-civic-quest/
Strategy 4 – User Generated WOM
Campaigns
Chevrolet – The road we are on
Asked customers to share
their memories with
Chevrolet
The campaign also
showcases documentary
style webisodes about the
Bridgeville town and the role
Chevy has played in its
history and culture
Source: http://roadwereon.chevrolet.com
Toyota – The Camry effect
Another story sharing
campaign by Toyota
Showcases stories from
Camry users about their
experiences and memories
with the Camry
Source:
http://www.toyota.com/camryeffect/
Jeep – Have fun out there
User generated campaign
showcasing jeep customers
putting up content ( Photos/
videos) with Jeep as a
partner in their fun
Source:
http://www.jeep.com/hostb/sitlet/experie
nce/media/#/featured/0
Volkswagen – Fun Theory
In its social initiative,
Volkswagen launched a
public campaign asking
people to post ideas about
exciting and fun ways to
change people’s behaviour
In the teaser campaign, they
converted a subway
staircase into a large piano
with each step as musical
keys, to encourage people
to use stairs more than
escalators.
Source: http://thefuntheory.com/
Strategy 5 – Social Reality Shows
Ford – Fiesta Movement
Ford in order to generate
buzz about the launch of the
new Fiesta model, gave it
into the hands of 100 social
agents, who drove it across
US and completed various
missions
Success of Chapter 1 led
Ford to launch the second
chapter
Source:http://chapter1.fiestamovement.c
om/
Chevrolet – SXSW Road Trip Challenge
Chevrolet too launched a
reality contest on similar
lines
Contest was more crowd
sourced - the challenges
and mission were decided
by the crowd.
Source:
http://onstarsxsw2011.appspot.com/
Mitsubishi – Great Indian Driving Challenge
Mitsubishi Cedia launched
the social reality contest to
get car evangelists amongst
the crowd
The brand used crowd
generated and judged
contest to find the finalists,
who travelled across India in
the car and shared their
experiences with the
community
Source: team-bhp
Strategy 6 – Online Communities
BMW Mini – Creative use of space community
A community of artists and
designers
This community engages
people in projects and
initiatives around making
‘creative use of space’ – and
core value behind the BMW
mini brand
Source: www.minispace.com
Strategy 7 – Experience Apps
BMW Mini – Creative use of space community
More sales focussed and aim
at bringing the in-car
experience to a potential
customer
Source:http://itunes.apple.com/in/app/a8
-experience/id401674171?mt=8
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