coronavirus

In light of current events, should an automobile dealer continue full-speed ahead with his advertising … or should he “cut his losses”, resigning himself to the fact that things are going to slow down in the next month or two?

 

The popular story of Chicken Little comes to mind. You remember it … she’s having an otherwise normal day when she is struck on the head by a falling acorn. Immediately sensing the worst, she runs around with all the fervor of Paul Revere telling everyone she sees that the sky is falling. Each friend she tells believes her … and before you know it, all the animals in the forest are stressed out over something that wasn’t true.

 

We believe that to be the case here, too. While we are not in any way discounting the seriousness of the Coronavirus, you shouldn’t let it paralyze your business because sooner rather than later, things will return to normal.

 

All one has to do is hearken back to the last global health pandemic for proof. You remember it, right? To be honest we didn’t either until reminded of it recently in the news. The H1N1 virus, otherwise known as the Swine Flu, spread to more than 70 countries in early 2009. What happened next? By the time a vaccine was developed and became widely available later in the year, the virus was already on the decline – and most people who were affected by it rebounded quickly.

 

Guess what else happened? Many of our clients had their best months ever during and just after that time period … in large part because they continued their advertising campaigns.

 

Things returned to normal in relatively short order then and the same will happen again in 2020. If you continue advertising, you will see benefits both now and in the future. You’ll benefit in the long run because your dealership will continue being top-of-mind to potential customers. You’ll benefit in the short run, too, because when your competition stops advertising you’re presented with a unique opportunity to maximize your Share of Voice.

 

No matter your final March numbers, don’t panic and think the sky is falling – because it isn’t. This is just a short-term bump in the road. In the near future, the Coronavirus will no longer be headline news and things will return to business as usual. Anytime you are open for business, you should be advertising. Anytime … every time.

 

And when you do, you may very well find yourself in a better position than ever before when the dust settles – all because you weren’t a chicken. It really is up to you.