We appreciate your hard work and all you do for us! Your dedication and incredible work ethic truly help us continue surpassing our overall business goals.
We want you to know we feel incredibly fortunate to have you with us and everyone on the team is proud to call you their colleague.
That’s why you’re our featured team player this month! Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do for JKR! Please accept this token of appreciation as our sincere gratitude for helping to make our company what it is today.
Automotive Advertising Tips From “The Car Guys” at JKR
Three tips to increase traffic:
Over 50 years of combined success in the automotive advertising world allows us to share our indisputable knowledge with dealers out there, who are just getting started or still figuring it out. Follow our lead. We make market leaders.
Whenever possible, retain an outside perspective of your current advertising strategy. We offer a free, no-obligation comprehensive analysis of your current situation, and our highly skilled Account Executives offer suggestions for immediate improvement.
Question everything! Whatever you do, if you can’t clearly see it working, it’s not. Stop wasting your money, energy, and time on it.
Take the JKR digital challenge! Here’s the third and probably the most valuable tip we can offer in today’s e-newsletter. The JKR digital challenge: You could be receiving better service for less, and much higher ROI.
People still listen to radio! Nielsen has released its March radio listenership statistics, marking the first time real numbers from the COVID-19 period have been compiled and published. The results are encouraging. Whether working in the office or at home, radio’s numbers remain solid across the board. Among the highlights:
AM/FM Radio retained 96% of its reach and 90% of its average quarter-hour audience
When compared to February, March maintained nearly all its audience
Listening is up across digital platforms, including Web and SmartSpeaker consumption
In addition, recent stats from the Nielsen Scarborough USA+ database show that 90.1% of persons who always or mostly work from home are reached by AM/FM radio each week … which is actually a higher number than the total population. According to the study, “The American worker is continuing to listen to AM/FM radio, especially those who work in their homes. In the challenging days ahead, this will more likely become a stronger bond.”
A stronger bond? No question about it. Nielsen research indicates 60% of Americans depend upon radio as a primary source for timely information. And during trying times, companionship and the human connection are more important than ever! AM/FM radio provides these things and more.
UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITY AWAITS
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade is a famous quote often attributed to Dale Carnegie. It’s also very apropos to today’s automobile dealers. While a good percentage of our nation’s dealers have decided to go dark during the pandemic, others are seeing this time as an opportunity and are taking full advantage of the options available to them.
Dealers who continue aggressively advertising are getting incredibly low ad rates in today’s climate, as radio stations are willing to give deep discounts – and throw in other complimentary perks – in order to sell unclaimed ad time. This allows dealers to dominate their market for a fraction of the usual cost.
If your competition has drastically cut or eliminated his advertising altogether, you have been given a golden opportunity. What will you do with it?
For the past several years, we’ve brought you a list of discontinued vehicles that have ceased (or will soon cease) production for good. The cars on this year’s ledger do nothing but reinforce the notion that today’s car buyers are far more interested in SUVs than cars.
This Year’s Discontinued Vehicles
Buick Cascada: The Cascada actually did what General Motors wanted when it first debuted, conquering convertible lovers from other brands. But because today’s automotive marketplace is so different, GM believes it’s no longer prudent to make the Cascada. Production ended in mid-2019.
Cadillac CT6: The CT6 was on the ropes last year but received what ended up being only a temporary stay of execution. A new engine and Cadillac Super Cruise (hands-free driving system) were not enough to save it. What was once Cadillac’s flagship sedan will no longer be produced as of January 2020.
Chevrolet Impala: Once a shining example of the post-bankruptcy GM recovery, the Impala is now another in a long line of large sedans being eschewed in favor of SUVs. Much like the CT6, production of the Impala will cease at the end of January.
Fiat 500: The diminutive 500 made its debut in 2012 and as time has passed, sales have not been as robust as hoped. Consequently, it has been discontinued in the North American market – and at this point, the future of the entire brand in our country could be in question soon.
Ford Flex: The big, boxy Flex was originally marketed as an alternative to the stereotypical minivan when it debuted 11 years ago. Ford sold just 20,308 of the seven-seat crossover in 2018, and stopped production for good last November.
Infiniti QX30: Since entering the market in 2017, the small crossover has, according to Infiniti, “incurred disappointing sales globally, and we concluded that there is no longer a viable business case for it to be offered in our lineup.” Not much else left to say here.
Jaguar XJ Sedan: Since 1968, there has always been a Jaguar XJ sedan as part of the brand’s lineup – until now. The last XJ rolled off the production line last July. Note: Jaguar has already hinted it may bring back the XJ name as early as next year in another platform.
Lincoln MKC: The compact crossover SUV produced since 2014 for the 2015 model year isn’t really going away as much as it is being completely redesigned and given a different name. The new Corsair is expected to go on sale this year for the 2021 model year.
Toyota Prius C: In 2012 when the first Prius C showed up at Toyota dealerships, gas prices were near $4 per gallon. Today, however, with prices closer to $2.50, demand for the fuel-sipping Prius C had dwindled greatly.
JKR Automotive Advertising: The car dealer ad agency.
Yesterday, I stopped at the foot of my driveway to get the mail. When I got back in the car, I buckled my seat belt…and drove to the garage. Why? Was I expecting a head-on collision in the eight yards it took to reach the front door? No, but driving any distance without a seat belt feels really weird, and old habits die hard.
And as habits go, buckling your seat belt everywhere you go is a pretty good one to have.
A birthday to celebrate
In 1959, when Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin invented the three-point seat belt, some, but by no means all, cars featured two-point harnesses. Unfortunately, they didn’t work too well and weren’t especially comfortable. Even if they had some life-saving potential, drivers just didn’t want to wear them.
With a few design improvements, Bohlin created the technology that was effective, comfortable, and simple to operate.
This August, that simple bundle of fabric and metal turns 60 years old. In its relatively short lifetime, it’s delivered outsized results. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concurs:
Seat belts are the single most effective safety technology in the history of the automobile. A NHTSA study of lives saved by vehicle technologies found that, between 1960 and 2012, seat belts saved more lives—329,715, to be exact—than all other vehicle technologies combined, including air bags, energy-absorbing steering assemblies, and electronic stability control.
What you can do
Still there’s more to be done. Consumer Reports estimates that, in spite of the seat belt’s incredible safety record, almost 25 million drivers and passengers don’t use one.
But you can do your part to get America to buckle up. Next time you take a customer for a test drive, be sure to point out the car’s best feature – the simple but mighty seat belt.
JKR Automotive Advertising: The car dealer ad agency.
For the past several years, we’ve brought you a list of discontinued vehicles that have ceased (or will soon cease) production for good. The cars on this year’s ledger do nothing but reinforce the notion that today’s car buyers are far more interested in SUVs than cars.
Yesterday, I stopped at the foot of my driveway to get the mail. When I got back in the car, I buckled my seat belt…and drove to the garage. Why? Was I expecting a head-on collision in the eight yards it took to reach the front door? No, but driving any distance without a seat belt feels really weird, and old habits die hard.