1. Dealer Uses Halloween Spirit to Draw Attention to Store
Written by Ted Craig
Monday, 25 October 2010 08:19
North Carolina car dealer Tracy Myers played Orson Welles this Halloween in a very successful
online stunt.
Myers started with a press release describing a “strange thing” found in the trunk of a trade-in
with an accompanying letter mentioning a “Trunk Monster.” He also posted cryptic comments
about the discovery on his Facebook page and Twitter feed and posted videos on Youtube.
Dozens of people started contacting Myers, asking what he had found.
What Myers had found was a great way to create buzz.
“It was Halloween, so we decided to have some fun,” Myers said.
A big fan of science fiction, Myers had the idea of adapting Orson Welles’ “Was of the Worlds”
hoax for the new social media.
The revealed “Trunk Monster” looks like an unformed yellow blob. Myers’ press release
describes it as everything from an evil mermaid to an elephant made out of earwax.
Visitors to the store through the Halloween weekend could view it for themselves.
Myers plans on another event to draw attention, but said this idea only works once.
Regardless of the type of event, Myers said the most important factor is engaging consumers.
“That’s what being a business owner is – building relationships,” he said.
Doing that through social media only takes an investment of time, Myers said. Still, many other
dealers misunderstand the value of these new tools.
They just treat it like a traditional medium for listing inventory.
“There’s nothing social about putting your inventory on your Facebook wall,” Myers said.
He understands not all dealers have a flair for the unusual like he does. That’s why Myers
recommends hiring somebody to handle social media marketing if necessary.
Myers predicts such a position will become an expected part of marketing departments in the
near future.
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