About Tracy

"What is internet, anyway? Can someone explain what internet is?"

Those words were spoken in 1994 by Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel on the Today Show, in wonderment of a crazy new....way of communication? They didn't even know what they were trying to describe. It was entertaining to watch last Sunday in a Super Bowl commercial, as they were able to poke fun at their former, unenlightened selves. Fast forward to the present, and they found themselves in exactly the same boat, stumbling over how to describe the new BMW electric car. "Can someone please explain what an i3 is...?"

Car commercials are everywhere. They reach out and grab you from your television, radio, computer, tablet, phone, and even wristwatches. Today's car buyer walks into the showroom with many hours of internet research already logged in. Mr. and Mrs. Smartypants know exactly what they want and how much they are willing to pay, right down to having chosen the shift knob that best matches their smartphone cases. Car makers have to be marketing their cars during every step of the "buying journey", from the very beginning.

Aside from the online information and reviews available to consumers, car ads have been appearing as short films....clever, poignant, at times heart- wrenching works of art, appearing on the internet ahead of their TV release dates. They can be such tear-jerkers that I am halfway through a box of Kleenex before I even realize that it's a Dodge truck commercial. They go right for the gut. And they go absolutely viral. Remember that Volkswagen Passat commercial with the little kid in a Darth Vader costume, who uses "The Force" to start dad's car in the driveway? As I am writing this, it has 61,380,198 views on YouTube.

Make that 199.

If you are a car maker, you've got to grab people's interest. Quickly. People are short on time and attention spans. And of course, money. Dodge came up with a plan for buying a new Dart, targeting perhaps the younger buyer who is a tad strapped in the financial department. Startup businesses use crowdfunding to raise money, so let's make that happen for new grads who need a car. Why not? Simply put, your desired Doge Dart is presented like a gift registry, complete with a list of parts and prices. Your friends and relatives sign up and buy the car for you, piece by piece. For example, grandpa can sponsor your tires. Aunt Millie can contribute with buying your muffler pipe. And so on...

I've read varying accounts of its success, but it did generate some buzz for the Doge Dart. Hyundai later followed with a program like that of their own.

Nissan thought it would be cool to get a rock band together with some actors, and spend 12 hours making improvised music videos shown live on the Pathfinder Facebook page. It was called an "Improv-tastic Road Trip". Using ideas submitted by viewers, the group of 10 acted out and made up songs about road trips and other wacky Nissan Pathfinder adventures. Each song highlighted a feature of the car. It sounds kinda nutty, right? It was. Staying on pace with the digital age requires some significant thinking outside the ol' tool box.

To commemorate the Mustang's 50th birthday last year, Ford decided to re-enact something fun that they had done in 1964. So, they put a 2015 Mustang up on the observation deck of the Empire State Building. The freight elevator was a little snug for the whole car, so it was taken apart, brought up 86 floors, and reassembled. Boom! Who wouldn't want to enjoy the view from the top, standing next to a yellow Mustang? I thought it was a great mix of the new and the nostalgic. There were critics, but at least Ford wasn't afraid to put it out there. Er, up there.

When it comes to marketing in the auto business, originality is key, just like it always has been. However, it is now imperative that car companies make their digital presence known throughout the buying process. Customer participation through social media has become the new normal. For me, I still like the old fashioned car commercial on TV that tugs at your heart strings. Bring on the Kleenex.