Share Your America Lacks Some Simple Sharing

I may change the name of this blog to The Korean Auto Marketing Blog after the past couple weeks. Seems everything I’m covering is from Kia or Hyundai. It’s just that these two companies have been actively launching several new initiatives in the online space. This time the focus is Hyundai.

Hyundai has been running their latest $1.49 gas for a year campaign since it had promoted multiple extensions from their highly successful Hyundai Assurance campaign, that guaranteed loan payments for the laid off.

TV spots for the $1.49 gas for a year have been running for a couple months now and Hyundai is branching out online with some new media placements promoting a $149 sweepstakes.

The sweepstakes asks participants to share a photo of somewhere in America where they have a story to tell. The “Share Your America with $1.49 Gas” landing page links out to a Facebook application with a Google Map and some form fields and a place to upload a photo.

Filling out the form and uploading a photo for the contest entry was easy. What wasn’t, was trying to navigate the Google Map that showed photos uploaded by other contestants. Unfortunately, the map took several minutes to adjust between each zoom, causing me to wait and wait to see others photos. Why would I look at other photos, curiosity but really there is no reason to check them out. A better feature would’ve been letting me see my friends entries to the contest to read their Share America stories, but this was not offered.

Seems to me there is very little for the end user, except the possibility to win the contest. Looking at other’s photos and brief descriptions was rather boring and something I doubt anyone would do again.

Few entries existed as of this evening, maybe 40 or so, leaving me some hope that I could win a $149 gift card.

They are promoting the contest through a Twitter campaign account @roadtrip149. The Twitter account is your typical lame marketing execution. The account keeps searching Twitter for “road trip” and sending Tweets, to anyone using that phrase, the following message: “Our map could use your great road trip pics! post them here http://bit.ly/2ObsVM”.

Why is the Twitter execution lame? Because it is just an account that doesn’t engage in conversation or contribute anything more than noise pointing people to the campaign’s website. That said 174 people are still following the account to see if anything interesting develops.

After my entry was accepted the next morning, the post to the Facebook application did not show up in my News Feed on Facebook, thus limiting the reach of the campaign. You would think contest entry would at least ask me to “Publish” my entry so others in my social network could engage and learn about my sharing of America. Seems like a missed sharing opportunity for this Share campaign.

Now You Can Give Your Motorcycle Back Too

I think it is pretty clear that programs like Hyundai's Assurance offer are becoming ubiquitous (see my post on Ford and GM.) Now there is news out of Illinois about a Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealership offing a program using the same insurance company, Walkaway USA, that Hyundai has partnered with.

You can learn more about this at Autoblog.com. I don't really have much to add as I've covered this type of program enough. Just sharing for those who are interested in seeing how it is propagating across the industry.

I should also note that Hyundai was recognized yesterday as a brand that is "Doing It Right" according to Advertising Age magazine. More assurance programs are sure to be copied.

Hyundai Assurance Reaches Iconic Mockery

Hyundai Assurance Commercial - watch more funny videos

It is said, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So what is imitation that mocks? Is that still flattery? Probably not, but sure the hell is fun. Leave it to the website Funny or Die to flatter Hyundai with a spoof of the Hyundai Assurance offer.

Note: The end is a bit crude and offensive. It's PG-13, not R. So don't be too concerned.

What do you think? Is Hyundai's program gaining iconic status now that it is appealing to others sarcastic wit? Funny thing is I found out about this spoof from my own mother. So, it is starting to make it's viral turn around the Internet.

Get Your Rally Cap On

GM's new spot for the Total Confidence incentive plan is all American - baseball, diners, and rally caps. Rally caps? Sure why not... Why not make the rally cap the symbol for beating this recession or a way to aggressively recoup from an impending bankruptcy?

It's an ironic symbol that is associated more with bicycle enthusiasts, not cars. You start to wonder if we don't buy cars the economy will further plummet and we may go backwards as a society and have to start riding bicycles. The horror! Maybe this is a fear campaign with upbeat music, like The Smiths "Girlfriend in a Coma"?

Seriously, it's a decent spot and reminds me a lot of GM's Keep America Rolling ads they ran after 9/11. Of course, at that time, President Bush was telling all of us it was our patriotic duty to go in debt.

It's still a tough sale in a down market and with layoffs hitting over 700,000 in March it's even tougher, but that's not the point. The point is to get people to the dealerships to consider a big purchase and communicate that spending is a way to keep the country going. If we all sit back and save, well guess what... no more GM. So please get your rally caps on and save an American car company.

GM and Ford Copy Hyundai, with Minor Edits

No surprise today that GM and Ford followed Hyundai's Assurance program by making payments for new car buyers who may lose their job within 12 or 24 months of purchase. The one big difference is that Hyundai's program lets you return the car to the manufacturer without impacting your credit rating. Fortunately for Hyundai no one has had to use the program yet.

GM even created a whole new website for their campaign - GM Total Confidence. I'm really holding back on ripping on the 'total confidence' language from the company suffering a major lack of confidence, because I really like GM.

Ford did their own site too; though, the Ford Advantage Plan doesn't have the same absurd appeal of the GM program name.

To see a full breakdown of the three programs checkout Autoblog's coverage.

Mega Used Car Dealership Offers Financing to Potentially Unemployeed

The nation’s largest used car dealer, AutoNation, is adopting a Hyundai Assurance like program that alleviates some of the uncertainty people are having about their jobs. Hyundai pioneered a program that would let laid off consumers to return a car back to the manufacturer within the first 12 months of ownership, provided three months of payments were made first and a maximum of $7,500 in losses were covered.

The AutoNation program will do something similar. Under their program, monthly car payments up to $500 will be covered for six months if the buyer becomes unemployed. The buyer must at least make the first three payments; the offer expires within 12 months of purchase, and the insurance only covers up to $3,000 in losses. The other big difference is that the Hyundai program doesn’t hurt one’s credit. The AutoNation program can negatively affect one’s credit if, after six months, the person still cannot make payments.

What’s interesting about all of this is that even used car dealers are realizing the impact the original idea from Hyundai is having on the American psyche. So, why not help used car shoppers by easing their confidence issues?

I’m beginning to wonder if this isn’t the new way to buy any car? Also, the bigger question is does this type of program bring more buyers into market? Or is it just helping usurp buyers from other brands in the existing market? My guess is that it is bringing more buyers into the market, as there are probably a lot of potential sales sitting on the sidelines as people assess how severe the downturn will be.

The good news is that the stock market is thinking it may have hit bottom last week and Ben Bernanke’s recent interview on 60 Minutes gave the nation a relief when he said the recession would end in 2009. All of this is helping to build confidence and programs like Hyundai’s and AutoNations’s are just helping bringing people back into market earlier as they are able to worry less about job security in the near term.

Nothing's Shocking

General Motors is considering a Hyundai-like Assurance program. After watching Hyundai keep their sales from falling through the floor, GM is the first automaker to smartly follow Hyundai’s lead.

I’ve been a big fan of Hyundai’s Assurance program from day one. To me, it was a compelling, unique idea that squarely deals with the elephant in the room – confidence.

The problem with the program is that it will attract copycats which will eventually lessen the benefit for Hyundai as other automakers follow suit. It is a classic temporary first mover advantage, because the concept is easily replicable by competitors. GM is the first to announce their copycat strategy. I’m sure others are not far behind.

Hyundai will eventually stop bucking the trend of drastically down sales, as they are currently acquiring customers from brands currently not doing an assurance program. But once others do the same program, the impact of the program lessens for all brands, since fewer people will defect to competitors for the reason Hyundai is now getting conquests. It no longer becomes a competitive advantage for anyone if all automakers end up doing an assurance insurance.

For example, if Chevrolet is willing to pay my payments, if I'm worried about losing my job and I wanted a Chevrolet to begin with, I won’t consider Hyundai as the only alternative. Eventually the conquests Hyundai is getting today from a very nervous, confidence-stricken auto buyers will decrease the huge boost Hyundai is getting from the assurance program.

The great news is that Hyundai Assurance is working. The bad news is that everyone else in the industry can copy the idea with little effort.

One Marketing Campaign that Is Actually Working

When I saw Hyundai's Assurance campaign debut in late 2008, I knew Hyundai was going to hit a cord with the current economic climate. Several automakers were throwing more money and more money and yes... you guessed it, more money to entice new auto shoppers. Meanwhile, Hyundai started a program to put consumers at ease by letting them return their new lease within 12 months of purchase if they are laid off (some restrictions apply.)

No surprise auto sales were down significantly in January 2009, but one company shined with a 14.3% gain in a month where most automakers were taking a 30-60% decline in sales. Hyundai was the leader (Kia and Subaru did okay too) and after looking at the sales by model it is clear the sales jump wasn't isolated to the sales of their all new North American Car of the Year Genesis sedan.

The Hyundai Accent, Sonata, and Santa Fe all saw significant jumps in sales year-over-year. Since nothing is really pushing these sales other than Hyundai's Assurance campaign, it is clear this program is getting some great traction for budget minded consumers.

The next question is who will copy Hyundai's lead after seeing their January 2009 surge in a down economy. It definitely proves that saving thousands of dollars is not the impetus automakers expect it to be; it's taking on the elephant in the room - consumer confidence.