"One size fits all" might be okay for socks and tube tops, but definitely not for cars. Soccer moms like SUVs, but a divorced guy would probably prefer a convertible. When it comes to automotive industry events, the same wisdom applies; the event must be tailored to appeal to its constituency, whether that constituency be experts, the community at large, or a mix of both.
One universal law holds true for all audiences, however: "The era when you simply told people about your product is over," one longtime event planner observes. "Now, you have to show them." With this in mind, Successful Meetings examined three unique events in the automotive industry to see how car makers promote themselves -- without seeming to do so -- to the media, car enthusiasts, and the general public.
At Their Service
Each year, more than 1,600 automotive journalists from around the globe attend the North American International Auto Show, commonly known as the Detroit Auto Show, where the world's major auto manufacturers unveil their latest products. Not surprisingly, the sky's the limit when it comes to how event producers attempt to capture these jaded journalists' attention. "They've used everything from smoke bombs to bungee jumpers to gymnasts," notes Chuck Fortinberry, senior co-chair of the show. Even so, he adds, "the writers don't necessarily like" the bells-and-whistles approach: "They'd rather spend a few minutes getting the hard facts, then get the heck out of there."
That's why DaimlerChrysler wanted to do something different two years ago for its off-site party. With the January 2002 show coming on the heels of 9/11, the company decided to honor firefighters with a fundraiser/media party at a decommissioned fire station across the street from the Cobo Conference/Exhibition Center, where the auto show takes place. The company converted the station into a bar where journalists could relax, listen to live jazz, and enjoy a drink or some firehouse-style fare (burgers, chili, onion rings) free of charge while recovering from a stressful day dashing from launch to launch.
To add to the low-key appeal, the party, now in its third year, is not brand specific; no signs advertise it as a DaimlerChrysler event. And in a unique twist, the heads of the firm are the ones tending bar, giving journalists a chance to interact with corporate executives in a low-pressure environment. Even the fundraising element is modest -- a fire boot by the door where people can leave cash (DaimlerChrysler also donates equipment and funds to Motor City's fire department).
The three-night firehouse fiesta has proved immensely popular with the media, says Rick Deneau, spokesperson for DaimlerChrysler. "On any given night over five hundred people show up," he notes, adding, "Our executives love it. Usually the journalists are the ones coming to them -- this is their chance to come to the media."
The Road to Nashville
Hard to believe, but the all-American symbol of youth, sex, and freedom just turned 50 this past June. No, not Madonna -- the Corvette, the li'l hot rod immortalized in songs by everyone from the Beach Boys to Vanilla Ice. And when Minneapolis-based Carlson Marketing Group was submitting a proposal for the sports car's golden-anniversary celebration, event marketing manager Brian Kelley knew his team would have to come up with something special to beat out the competition from household-name companies like Dick Clark Productions and Chevrolet's own ad agency.
How did Carlson win the bid? By tapping into the fierce loyalty of the car's fans, some of whom own upwards of 10 'Vettes (as they are affectionately dubbed). The company surveyed hundreds of Corvette "ambassadors" -- representatives from enthusiast clubs across the country -- about their ideas for observing the 50th anniversary. Carlson then incorporated these suggestions into its winning bid: a year-long celebration that kicked off with an Anniversary Road Tour, which built enthusiasm and word-of-mouth via a 12-month excursion to 12 car-focused events across the country, with the entire affair culminating in a huge weekend party in Nashville, TN.
Over 20,000 owners and enthusiasts came to the June 27-28 shindig, whose $50 entry fee granted entree to car shows, restoration clinics, concerts by the Temptations and ZZ Top, tours of the Corvette factory and National Corvette Museum in nearby Bowling Green, KY -- and a caravan of over 10,000 vintage 'Vettes that paraded into downtown Music City USA accompanied by Boy Scouts, Elvis look-alikes, and the U.S. Army marching band. But the auto buffs were most thrilled by the standing-room-only talks given by engineers and designers intimately involved in the creation of America's first sports car. Surprised? So was Corvette. "The company didn't think very many people would be interested [in these lectures]," admits Kelley, "but we convinced Chevy to look at our surveys. It was the number-one thing people said they wanted to see."
Marketing campaigns that draw on the passion of fans (the word, after all, is short for "fanatic") have become popular in the auto industry of late, according to analyst Brett Smith of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, MI: "In recent years, auto makers have come to see car-enthusiast groups, whether for Corvettes, Civics, or Camaros, as a great vehicle for creating a sense of family and building brand loyalty," he notes. Carlson certainly took advantage of this loyalty with its communication system, which used the existing memberships of Corvette owners' clubs and Web sites to build an e-mail database of 26,000 people. Via a central Web site it created, www.corvette50th.com, Carlson further promoted the event with virtual tours of Nashville, promotional giveaways, and "e-shots" fans could take of themselves with the 50th-anniversary vehicle: "We converted a ton of people who downloaded e-shots into ticket buyers for the Nashville event," notes Kelley.
A Driving Concern
An eighth-grader in Texas saves a mother and her son from drowning. A longtime skinhead abandons the neo-Nazi movement to work for the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. Hardly the most likely spokespeople for selling cars -- unless the cars in question happen to be made by Volvo.
"It's the most unique program I've ever been involved in," says John Fitzgerald about the Volvo for Life Awards, which his event production firm, New York City-based FBI Productions, conceived of and now produces for the auto maker. The idea of the program is simple: to celebrate ordinary people who perform heroic deeds in their communities in areas related to safety, quality of life, and the environment. These everyday heroes are nominated via a special Web site that, in the program's first year alone, received over 2,000 submissions. ("People can nominate themselves," Fitzgerald admits, "but it hasn't happened.") After FBI Productions selects 100 semifinalists, a panel of celebrity judges decides on the top nine, six of whom receive a $10,000 donation to the charity of their choice, while the top three win a $50,000 charity donation and an all-expenses-paid trip to the gala awards ceremony in Times Square in April, hosted by Jim Belushi. The grand-prize winner, meanwhile, receives a Volvo for life.
What makes the program so unusual, Fitzgerald points out, is that it showcases the winners for who they are: "They don't work for the company or even own a Volvo" -- some, like the aforementioned 13-year-old nominee, aren't even old enough to drive -- "they just share the company's values." The program's uniqueness almost speaks for itself: In 2002 FBI Productions launched the program with a single press conference, which resulted in over 650 newspaper articles; more than 400 people, mostly print, radio, and television journalists, attended the first awards ceremony last year.
Fitzgerald, who's spent the last 30 years working with auto makers and the last 25 on the event side, notes that marketing events today "have to be very creative to break through the clutter" of competition from the Internet, cable TV, direct marketing, and other advertising. He also believes that, in a post-Enron world, people are more concerned with companies' values. "That's why Volvo's program is so far ahead of the curve -- it reaches into the heart of what the company is about. To me, it's the true celebration of the brand."