By Duane Sprague
George Isaacs sold his Chrysler/Plymouth/GMC dealership
to Ertley MotorWorld in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania several
years ago, and now works with them in several capacities,
one of which is to help promote the 13 point auto mall using
motor sports as a tool.
Q: With motor sports being so multi-faceted today, and
reaching into nearly every demographic group, how can a
dealership effectively keep their name in the press and
the public’s mind?
A: We have found several ways to promote our dealership
name to nearly every demographic group by creating a multitude
of promotional opportunities. After all, as much as we love
racing and cars, it’s the PR, media and community
exposure that are a central focus. In our market, we analyze
probably a dozen motor sports related events and promotional
opportunities a year. And what we have settled in on are
six different things that work effectively to establish
and maintain a solid name awareness in the community as
a whole, and the motor sports enthusiasts more specifically
.
Number one is our sponsorship of the Pocono International
Speedway as a Pontiac/GMC Ad Association and manufacturer
joint venture. As a GMC dealer, we get a lot of track side
signage, and display space at the track. As well as an ad
in the race program, tickets, and lots of other benefits.
Number two is owning, sponsoring, and driving my own SCCA
Plymouth Neon in local and regional road races. With the
dealership name and logo all over the car and trailer, this
makes for a rolling billboard and conversation piece. We
have used the car at the dealership events as a show and
tell tool to help build traffic. We have also won a lot
of races, and the series championship, so that allowed for
a good deal of local media coverage.
Number three is a minor sponsorship of a NASCAR Craftsman
Truck owned and operated by a local team, and driven by
Ryan McGlynn, also a local. Although this series does not
even race in our area, we have used the sponsorship, the
truck and the driver as a tool for traffic building and
media coverage during our events.
Number four is a sponsorship position for the famous “Giants
Despair Hill Climb.” This is a big event in the area,
and affords a lot of media opportunities. We use our dealership
as a staging area before the race, so we generate a good
deal of traffic as well.
Number five is our creation and hosting of an annual “Race
Fan Appreciation Day.” This is a very interactive
event for the public of all ages, and the media alike. With
all the local race teams and drivers of nearly every series
and class converging in one place at one time, for the sole
purpose of meeting the public and the press, shaking hands
and signing autographs, it creates a media feeding frenzy.
And number six is our involvement with the Arthritis Foundation
“Mini Grand Prix Race.” This is a real “feel
good” fund-raiser that allows our staff to get involved,
and provides for a lot of on-sight name awareness building.
We are also the official place where all the drivers go
for qualification and training. This naturally creates traffic.
Q: That sounds like of a lot work and time, how do you keep
it all together?
A: It takes a fair amount of time and coordination to pull
it all together, but you typically get out what you put
in. We get a great deal of community exposure for example,
by way of banners at the various events, published press
releases and photographs in the newspaper, TV and radio
news coverage and interviews, exposure in the race programs
and other race promotional materials, and depending on the
event, a lot of foot traffic at the dealership.
Q: What other benefits do you receive for your efforts?
A: We have many opportunities to speak in front of all
kinds of civic groups, schools, automotive and race related
clubs, etc. This gives the opportunity to establish our
dealership as a part of the community in a positive way
that is difficult to do with advertising alone. And let
me say, much of what we do in relation to motor sports has
a charity fund-raising angle to it, and if you want to get
a lot of free positive press and feel great about what you
are doing, I can’t think of a better, and more exciting
way than blending motor sports with fund-raising.
Q: Can you give me an example?
A: Sure. We hosted a “Race Fan Appreciation Day”
in June, where we had nearly 20 local race cars on display
from several types of series and classes, with about a dozen
local drivers signing autographs. We had a race for young
kids in electric powered mini Indy-style cars, with trophy’s
for the winners. And we also collected autographed racing
collectibles from top drivers across the country. These
items were auctioned off, with 100% of the proceeds going
to a children’s charity. As a result, we received
front page coverage in one newspaper, and a full color 2-page
center spread in another, as well TV and radio coverage,
a half dozen other newspaper articles, and hundreds of visitors
of all demographics to the dealership.
Q: One of the big questions that dealers have regarding
involvement with any type or level of motor sports, is “how
do we get our monies worth?”
A: Well, that question can be attached to nearly any investment,
advertising campaign, or any other promotion. But to shed
some light on this valid concern, I would say that if you
are looking at motor sports as a valid promotional tool,
which it can and should be, you should only consider it
if you have somebody available to you that really knows
and understands how to leverage the media for coverage from
a news standpoint.
There are so many different angles that can be put on most
any motor sports event that will make it newsworthy. If
there really isn’t a newsworthy angle, you can always
create one. The more emotional, charitable, and community
oriented the angle, the more local media coverage you are
likely to obtain. Proper and advance planning, good media
relations and a solid understanding of what they are looking
for, and cross-promotions with other companies are also
important elements of success.
Q: What other benefits can a dealership receive from motor
sports?
A: We have seen that involvement in a race car of nearly
any type can be a excellent team building tool. We have
involved in some capacity, staff members from administration,
management, sales, parts, body shop and service. It can
be a lot of fun, and there is a lot of room for participation.
We run a dealership-wide annual contest for the best color
and paint scheme for our Arthritis Foundation Mini-Grand-Prix
car.
Q: Would you recommend motor sports as a valid marketing
tool to other dealers?
A: Yes. But I would also say that to be successful in this
area, you must be extra prepared, you must research the
PR opportunities and pursue them diligently, and you must
make sure that you have the time to plan ahead to leverage
your media coverage and community
