Modern Vespa

Hi guys and gals, we have been working hard trying to find some ideas outside the box for scooter/motorcycle dealers here in Western North Carolina and we have come up with a possible TV ad idea. No other dealers in our area advertise on TV and we would like to get the best bang for our $$$. Also being such a new dealer we want to increase floor traffic and get the business and our location known to all motorcyclist. Do you all think TV advertising is a good idea? Will it work? Any past or present experience seeing motorcycle dealer ads on TV? Thanks in advance, I hope all is well.


Justin
Moto-Nexus.com
828-693-0115

I'm not in the US but sounds like a good idea to me specially if other dealers in your area don't.

Justin, just some prelim ideas/things to consider.


I"m sure the cost to produce the spot and airtime won't be cheap.( a major consideration).

So....things to consider...

Which will get the most eyeballs/views and have a stronger "call to action" and "shelf life"....TV spot vs say a billboard.

Depending on when the spot airs, I think the tv spot will appeal to a good segment of your target market/consumer.

On the other hand, a strategically placed billboard on a major street could have a strong impact.

More thoughts to come...

as i haven't watched television in alsmot 10 years, eh no, would be my vote.

i can't speak for everybody, but i know my cousins, etc who are in their 20's hardly ever watch tv. it's all internet for them.

I say not worth the money for the number of people you reach.

Wayne B

Scooter Super Store in Atlanta runs local tv ads. Just making a relevant observation.

We have some local restaurants out by me (northshore country places) that get special rates so they have thrown together a cheap but nice ads. Our networks give them a discount and we see them regularly. If that could be done where you are and it wouldn't break the bank go for it. I assume you can write the cost of the ad on your taxes. If it could be done without creating a financial hardship why not try it. You never know. Good luck

This is the add that should be put on TV, catchy tune.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Rm-eLM3opw
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Thanks guys/gals for your input, surprising for us to hear, the TV time is not too much more expensive than print ads. It maybe the area we are in but the TV time seems to be a good bang for the buck. We have been working to get our name out as a good Vespa/Piaggio/Aprilia shop for a few months now and we are ready to take it to another level. I am with you all though that we need to find the best bang for the buck--most eyes seeing our ad is best.

Justin
Moto-Nexus.com
828-693-0115

Justin,

Our company offers co-marketing dollars. It would be worth pinging Piaggio to see if they offer the same type of program to help off set the costs.

It can't hurt to try TV , especially if the costs are reasonable.

As far as the content of the advert goes - my suggestion would be to concentrate more on the product rather than the dealership if you want to appeal to the widest market.

If you do an advert for your dealership , with the scooters & bikes as an incidental part of the spot then you are just going after existing riders who may be using some of your competitors and trying to get them to switch to you.

If you concentrate more on the scooters and their benefits , and then end with "available at....." then you may find yourself attracting quite a few entirely new customers through your doors , as well as promoting yourself to the existing riders.

Just a thought....

Having spent my life in advertising/marketing/sales, I would say that TV ads for your type of business are really not worth the expense. You need "targeted" viewers.

Local scooter clubs are a good source to get your name out there. Even park bench advertising in areas where scooterists are likely pass will become a more effective advertising vehicle than TV advertising. You might also try bus stop and "in bus" advertising. You'd be surprised how effective that kind of advertising can be.

Just think of ways to target your customers. TV provides blanket coverage and works best for things like food, clothing and general necessities really well. Everyone eats!

You may get one in 20,000 out of a TV ad whereas you may get one in 500 out of bus stop advertising. Pay for the hits ... not the misses! Go after YOUR market ... not "every" market!

Good luck!

<Added>

Bus stop ad:

Photo taken in traffic near a well known local landmark that bus riders can identify:

Young (executive type) woman and a middle aged guy riding their scooters to work. She has a brief case strapped to her rear rack. He has his tennis racket strapped to his.

Caption:

Tired of riding the bus? For what it costs you to ride the bus for a year, you could own one of these! Visit us at ... your location, phone number, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8nBIU5ZC64

Advertising in any medium may or may not work. It all depends on what you run, where you run it, and what you hope to get out of it. It's all a waste of money if your ads don't work.

A TV spot might work but only if you can produce an effective ad and buy sufficient time on the right networks. Repetition is important for tv unless you're buying local time during a big programming event.

TV may actually be effective for your shop because of the local demos: Hendersonville has a population of 13,000 with low population density and a relatively low median income (compared to national average). I'm guessing you have to pull in customers from the surrounding area, which may make outdoor advertising difficult unless you can get prime, high-traffic locations.

A better use of electronic media for you may be radio. Cheaper than TV and easier to buy space during prime hours. Also, radio stations do tons of events and promotions. Having Vespas at big local events, concerts, festivals or whatever would probably go a long way. Or have an event at your shop ("The K101 Rock Bus is stopping at Moto Nexus!!!"). Free omn-air advertising!

One of the best (and only) scooter ad placements I've seen in this area was in the placards on top of gas pumps. If you could target stations in the more affluent areas of the county, that could be really cool.

Hope you don't mind my saying, but... You could also be making more effective use of your web site. There's almost no scooter content at all. The blog/news is all motorcycle and racing. Consider a totally separate site for you scooter business. I really like what Vespa Lexington does: nothing fancy, a straight up blog, but fun to read and helps build community through contests, posting pics of new owners and their rides, communicating with the local riders via Twitter, etc. Also, having a dedicated site with frequent posts will help with your search engine ranks. Google "vespa north carolina" and your site doesn't show up in the first 4 pages. Some of your competition in other cities-which aren't that far-do.