michael brown
Queens, NY | 760.846.2337
CASE STUDY: Mazda of Erie
I was contracted to turn around a low volume dealership in a tough market for imports. Mazda of Erie is part of a dealership group with seven makes and provided the opportunity to grow with the ownership company. We needed an immediate impact while building long-term solutions for growing the dealership. Our process is outlined below.
BRANDING
I began by creating a mark to represent the style of Mazda's "Kudo" design, while creating a brand to reflect the Mazda of Erie culture. Mazda of Erie is widely considered as one of the premier classic car restoration shops in Pennsylvania; "Kudo" design is based on hand crafted solutions with an emphasis on design, Mazda of Erie is a fixture in the Erie classic car community but had a disconnect with presenting a niche import as a viable alternative to makes with a much larger market share.
WEBSITE
Michael's credo is transparency and working well with others. Mazda requires website providers to be compliant with co-op standards for reimbursement and provided us with a list list of approved providers. We met with each company and provided a detailed report of each option while presenting our preferred solution, MoE agreed with our choice and we began the site building process. Michael provided the vendor with the design and assets and managed the project.
We worked with all second party vendors including the CRM provider, pricing tools, manufacturer and various API's to create a seamless transition to an updated and relevant solution.
ADVERTISING
Our objective was to create a consistent message through all channels while creating a signature Mazda of Erie look and feel . Our strategy focused on targeting specific demographics with repetition while focusing on the features of Mazda vehicles - education about a manufacturer who offers a superior product without brand recognition or a strong market presence. Isolating key features important to the Erie market while advertising strong interest rates and lease payments.
All production was done in-house including video, animation, voiceover, sound design, jingle, graphic design, script writing
Placed Advertising Channels:
> AdWords: Display and paid search
> Broadcast: Network and cable placement, radio
> Youtube: :10-:15 bookend spots
> Social Media: Facebook, Twitter
> Email Blasts
The placed strategy increased monthly leads by >100% while defining a clear path to the sale for all salespeople. Year over year sales increased by over 100% and made the dealership profitable.
Michael takes the hassle out of marketing/advertising by working with all vendors and your sales staff. We work closely with manufacturers to always remain compliant and co-op eligible while creating completely transparent solutions. You will always have access to all accounts and get constant communication. Monthly and weekly reports tailored to your dealership with easy to digest analytics including successes and failures so we can work together to create solutions with measurable results.
OPERATIONS
Creating best practices documents along with a full overview of vendors and company policies created a clear path to increase sales and improve communication. Complete job descriptions, daily/weekly/monthly checklists, sales processes, company policies were created with easy access for staff to reference. Many of the processes were developed by Rod over 30 years of owning and managing auto dealerships while working with current management to create elegant solutions relevant to Mazda of Erie.
The results were immediate while identifying problem areas. Michael brought accounting and operations problems to the forefront and saved the dealership thousands of dollars in operation costs - including compliance issues which were rectified immediately.