The Dealerist's Blog helping dealers get the most out of social media

2009 LA Auto Show Observations and Opinions

As Press Days wind down at the LA Auto Show I thought I would stop and share some of my observations and opinions.  I attended to the show to see how each of the OEMs are approaching Social Media and what their future strategy might be. 

From a purely Social Media point of view Ford was the clear winner of the show.  Their use of Social Media savvy “Agents” was brilliant and with more than 80,000 people expressing interest in a car that has yet to be shown to the public, they have proved that Social Media Marketing can be wildly successful when done right.

While Ford clearly “get’s it” several OEMs still have a lot to learn.  We asked each manufacturer’s representatives who was the point of contact or who was in charge of their Social Media initiatives.  Far too many times we had to explain in greater detail what we meant by Social Media.  Many of the OEMs don’t have anyone that specifically handles their Social Media activities.  In the coming weeks I am setting out on a mission to profile each OEM vision for Social Media usage in 2010.  So stay tuned to my blog.

It was also very interesting to see how the OEM’s presented their press information at a show where “Green” was definitely a theme.  Some had kits that were very slick and contained CD’s with photos and documents.  Others used high tech USB devices that contained the materials.  I thought that the most creative and eco-friendly were the ones that simply presented you with a card that had a URL with a username and password. 

Speaking of eco-friendly Hybrids were the stars at nearly every display.  The Chevy Volt had a big introduction and will make its entry in the California market in 2010.  Chevy will distribute 100 Volts to the electric companies and will get their assistance in building hundreds of charging stations throughout the state. 

Overall I really enjoyed the press days at the LA Auto Show.  I am looking forward to discussing Social Media plans for 2010 with each of the OEMs and profiling each on my blog.   As always if you have any questions feel free to call me at 502-689-5370 or contact me at Twitter, I am @dealerist.