Driving Sales

EVERY FEBRUARY, 110 million Americans gather around their televisions to watch this little event called the Super Bowl. Maybe you've heard of it? It's a series of commercials, many of which cost upwards of $3.5 million, interrupted every few minutes by something called "football." It's very exciting.

An overwhelming number of those expensive commercials are for cars, and there's a good reason so many auto manufacturers are willing to shell out all that cash: Pretty much everybody drives—90 percent of American travelers, according to a 2005 ABC News report.

And what do all those drivers need? Anger management classes for coping with road rage, yes, but also tire gauges, sun shades, trunk organizers and more. We can't help with that first part, but we can give you some tips and promotion ideas for selling automotive products.

Safety First
If we've learned anything from the Ford Pinto, it's that safety is a big deal in the car industry. That lesson filters all the way down to automotive products. "The most powerful category of automotive products is the one that offers safety to its occupants," said Michael Gisser, executive vice president for Toronto-based Superex. "There is clout behind a message that provides safety and preparedness-assurance."

He noted that even simple products such as tire pressure gauges are enjoying a surge in popularity thanks to the consumer focus on safety and economy. "With proper inflation, tires wear longer, handle better and help save fuel," Gisser said. "The promotional effectiveness of tire gauges is assured because tires lose pressure daily and require routine checking."

Economy of Sale
Fuel economy is another hot-button issue with consumers these days, not just among the environmentally conscious crowd, but also among those looking to save some extra cash. "A successful automotive product promotion that is often overlooked is oil conservation programs," explained Ryan Hung, president of Handy Industries Inc., City of Industry, Calif. "Automobiles are among the largest consumers of oil/gasoline, so tire gauges and sun shades are a natural fit as they both promote energy conservation."