Smart Car, Smart Relationship Marketing

[DavidV]

Smart car, smart relationship marketing | The Tendo View

"Relationship marketing done well should build brand affinity. The goal is to facilitate both word-of-mouth evangelism and a propensity for repurchase. But like Maui’s scenic Road to Hana, the journey is often more interesting than the destination. Take the Smart car, for example...."



-- DavidV

[forestacademy]

Nissan acknowledged my purchase with a cheap brochure highlighting other Nissans I might be interested in (hey, didn’t I just buy one?) and some great financing terms for new buyers, a deal that would have been great to know about at the time of purchase but no longer applied to me as a new owner.

I hear that, Get info from Nissan all the time in my e-mail and snail mail.

And I know I would not want anything to do with the "Lexus Lifestyle"

[carolthompson323]

Originally Posted by DavidV

Smart car, smart relationship marketing | The Tendo View

"Relationship marketing done well should build brand affinity. The goal is to facilitate both word-of-mouth evangelism and a propensity for repurchase. But like Maui’s scenic Road to Hana, the journey is often more interesting than the destination. Take the Smart car, for example...."



-- DavidV

That's a great letter. Many thanks. When everyone is concerned about: where smart is going,;is it going to succeed in the US: it's terrific to read something like this.

[carolthompson323]

Originally Posted by DavidV

Smart car, smart relationship marketing | The Tendo View

"Relationship marketing done well should build brand affinity. The goal is to facilitate both word-of-mouth evangelism and a propensity for repurchase. But like Maui’s scenic Road to Hana, the journey is often more interesting than the destination. Take the Smart car, for example...."



-- DavidV

Forgot to mention, that I totally cracked up re: the road to Hana. I remember when I first was on the road from Maui to Hana -- the drive was so spectacular I thought I had been transported to another realm -- but when I reached Hana, I thought "Huh"?!?!

[smartmike]

Being a gregarious sort of fellow, I have welcomed and tried to answer all questions from passersby regarding my Smart. I have even pointed folks toward the nearest Smart dealer. While there's no way I can know what happened after that, I'm not convinced that my "advertising" has resulted in any sales for Smart.

I can agree however that the road to Hana is a spectacular drive, well worth the day spent. Hana is by far the least interesting part of the trip, though I'm sure it's a nice place to live.

[Kermit]

Originally Posted by smartmike

Being a gregarious sort of fellow, I have welcomed and tried to answer all questions from passersby regarding my Smart. I have even pointed folks toward the nearest Smart dealer. While there's no way I can know what happened after that, I'm not convinced that my "advertising" has resulted in any sales for Smart.

My daughter told my wife today that she let someone look at the interior of the car and they started rooting though the glovebox when she told them to get out. Next up some guy insisted that he see inside the car (tinted windows) and she refused because of the prior incident. Apparently the guy left angry. I applaud her for that, now for myself I will pretty much show anyone the car and if they get nosey I will take car of that but most likely won't be quite as nice by telling them to get out.

Good read. Mark me down as an enthusiastic owner.

[DavidV]

For those that are interested, here is the follow-up companion piece:

Bigger isn’t always better | The Tendo View

-- DavidV

[DavidV]

Just a quick update to note that the other day I received letter from Jill Lajdziak, President of Smart USA, acknowledging my blog entry above.

I mention this not just because I'm flattered (I am) and appreciate the gift she included (thanks!) but because it reinforces the core message of my article - Smart listens to what it's owners have to say and is a stronger brand for it.

More to the point, this listening takes place not as some outsourced function that reports no higher than middle management, but clearly goes all the way up the chain of command.

Now, I have met some extraordinarily passionate and enthusiastic folks at Smart, including Doug Gould, Director of Northwest Operations, who came out for a driving event I organized for the San Francisco regional owners club, as well as the dealer principals at Smart Center San Francisco, Smart Center San Jose, and Smart Center Sacramento, each of who helped organize customer caravans to attend our technical workshop and autocross.

The fact that these folks take the time to get to know, and interact with, their customers as more than mere sales prospects speaks volumes about Smart's viability as a nascent U.S. brand.

I would like to publicly thank Jill, and to the rest of team Smart. I look forward to our paths crossing again soon.

-- DavidV

[cmc-nick]

DavidV - Excellent post. Refreshing to hear about a car company actually having an interest in their customers. Interesting blog too. I also have a DigiKey catalog, but in my office, for reference.