Have you ever
wondered why there are so many car advertisements on television? Or why car
manufacturers so readily put their name on everything they can, as well as at
least five times on their own products? There is no question that the
automotive industry in the United States is an ever-growing business. With over
10 major brands being produced here, it is a small wonder that advertising has
gone crazy over cars. But what is behind that advertising though? The answer is
public relations, and it plays a significant role in the automotive industry.
Many people have
the common misconception that the only way to sell cars is through advertising.
While advertising is a large part of selling cars, public relations play an
even bigger role in the process. The most important thing that an automaker
needs to consider when designing a car is what the customer wants and what they
will actually buy. This can consist of anything from conducting focus groups to
sending out surveys and even as simple as asking what people want.
Recently, Vauxhall, a British manufacturer of cars, held a
campaign where people came in and specifically made suggestions about what they
wanted to see in their new Astra, one of the company’s best selling cars. Aside
from all the silly examples, including an option to turn the car into a submarine,
the engineers designed a car that they thought would please the majority of
these requests. Happily enough, their plan worked and their new car is having
record sales as well as receiving great reviews from automotive journalists.
I recently took
part in a focus group for Volkswagen. I had been the owner of one of their
Rabbit models, from 2007, and in 2009 I was asked if I would like to give my
opinion about the new model. I happily agreed and spent a day talking about
what I liked about my car and what could be improved. At the end of this day, Volkswagen showcased some prototypes of their new
model for my fellow focus group members to sit in. Funnily enough, two years
later I purchased one of these models because I was so impressed with their
efforts and their new design.
While any public
relations firm may have been able to pull off this event, there are many firms
that specialize in the transportation aspect public relations. The top ten
ranked in the country are as follows: (http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/8/prweb11062281.htm)
1- Kurman Communications, Inc.
2- Eisbrenner Public Relations
3- Global Communicators, LLC
4- CooperKatz & Company, Inc.
5- Edelman
6- Bianchi Public Relations, Inc.
7- JMPR Public Relations, Inc.
8- Citizen Paine
9- Jackson Spalding
10- The Harrell Group
Automotive
public relations, while exciting, can sometimes be unexpected. Unless one’s
public relations firm is on retainer for a particular car manufacturer, the
chance to work with cars may be few and far between. While this may be the
case, the field of automobile manufacturing is expanding and growing every so
who knows what will be possible in five years. The only thing left to do is to
keep driving and to hope that one will be able to represent such manufacturers
in the future.
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