Driving your marketing downfield
Recently I took on a very unique client. Former Super Bowl winning NY Giant’s offensive lineman #60, Brad Benson. On a personal level this was big for me as I’m a huge NY Giants fan (still on a high from the big win this year) and remember watching Brad Benson in Super Bowl XXI.
On the marketing side I am just as big a fan. It’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of the way car dealers handle marketing (if you can call what they do marketing). Their websites are among the worst I’ve ever seen, filled with useless information wrapped in a flashy hard to use design. Their commercials are even worse. Whether radio or television they all use the same lines, “we’ll beat any price”, “drag it in, pull it in and we’ll give you top dollar!”. These terrible, non-believable marketing messages are always followed up by a disclaimer that is played at such high speeds that you can’t understand it. My opinion on what is said in these disclaimers is, “everything said before this disclaimer does not pertain to anyone listening to this disclaimer”.
Brad Benson radio commercials have developed a cult following of sorts. Brad’s commercials have no fast talking disclaimers or beat any price promises, instead, he uses his larger than life personality to make you either love him or hate him. He stirs up controversy by taking on topics such as celebrity gossip, pop culture and politics and from time to time recruits football legend and former team-mate Lawrence Taylor to get in on the action and discuss, “sacking a customer or two”.
Love him or hate him Brad Benson has turned car dealership marketing on its ear. He has gotten people to talk about him and this has made his marketing the stuff of legend. He steps outside the box and then sets the box aflame and this has made him the top Hyundai car dealer in NJ and the 5th largest Hyundai dealer in the nation.
Stepping outside of your industries norms when it comes to marketing is something I implore all of my clients to do and is often the subject of my writing. If you want your marketing to stand out from your competitors take a cue from Brad Benson and you’ll sack the competition every time!
February 16th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Good article Larry.
It’s very interesting how Brad bucked the norms of traditional marketing in his industry and emerged a leader. In today’s crowded marketplace, unique wins every time. That is, if you can be unique in a genuine way, which is a pretty tough challenge
Great job picking up these high profile clients!
February 16th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Good article Larry.
It’s very interesting how Brad bucked the norms of traditional marketing in his industry and emerged a leader. In today’s crowded marketplace, unique wins every time. That is, if you can be unique in a genuine way, which is a pretty tough challenge
Great job picking up these high profile clients! Looks like you’re the man to go to!