Category Archives: Automobile Industry

Who’s this one for?

Posted on May 25, 2011 by

I an a fan of Hyundai‘s innovative marketing and have posted before about their consumer-focused ideas. Their breakthrough program that if you got laid off you could return your car with no further obligation lead to a 28% increase in sales when most … Continue reading →

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Following up

Posted on April 21, 2011 by

We continue to be impressed with Hyundai and their innovations in products and marketing. In a post a couple of years ago (you remember when the world was coming to an end), we talked about Hyundai’s innovative programs to help people … Continue reading →

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Never seen this before

Posted on January 4, 2011 by

I ran into what appears to be a stunningly good idea over the New Year’s weekend. Rocklin Mercedes-Benz has a bistro restaurant on-site at their dealership. This is a high-end bistro restaurant that attracts its own customers, not just an “amenity” for … Continue reading →

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Possibly the greatest long-format ad ever

Posted on August 30, 2010 by

Long format ads are generally longer than one-minute and often associated with direct-order television. However, there can be many other uses of long-format ads, especially in today’s Internet society. My friends Abe Walking Bear Sanchez and John Younker recently shared … Continue reading →

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If you get the product right, “marketing” is a lot easier

Posted on August 16, 2010 by

It’s no secret that Buick car sales and the Buick brand have been on a downward slide for over two decades. This performance notwithstanding, Buick was selected as one of the surviving brands in the GM portfolio. In a post … Continue reading →

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Re-learning to listen … maybe

Posted on July 21, 2010 by

USA Today had an interesting article in the July 20th issue that suggests “Buick wants to know how they really feel.” A reporter followed a Buick research team as they did in-depth interviews with potential customers about features of interest … Continue reading →

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Toyota and Apple:Two peas in a pod

Posted on July 17, 2010 by

Toyota and Apple have both been facing some bad publicity recently. Toyota for unintended acceleration and other issues with their cars, and Apple for the “death grip” issues around the iPhone 4. Both companies seem to have taken the same … Continue reading →

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Old dogs and new tricks

Posted on July 13, 2010 by

Who says old dogs can’t learn new tricks and that big companies can’t serve narrow niches? The new General Motors is trying something that seems quite amazing. Will it work? Who knows, but it is daring. What are they up … Continue reading →

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Channel abuse continues unabated

Posted on July 8, 2010 by

If you wonder why the distribution channel (retail or wholesale) gets even when they can, you only have to watch the abuse they take most of the time from the manufacturers who supply them. Sure, you can point to reverse … Continue reading →

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Denial gets to the best of them

Posted on July 7, 2010 by

Toyota, famous for management innovation in manufacturing, marketing and people, appears to have succumbed to that most fatal of human disease … denial. At least weekly it seems they are announcing another problem recently discovered … only to find it … Continue reading →

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