Used car dealerships are businesses that survive and thrive on folks walking through the front doors and purchasing a car. It's an ultra competitive market out there, and used car dealers understand that consumers have their choice of where to buy a car. As such, it's in their best interest to do what they can to make their name and cars stand out above the rest. As the old saying goes, "You got to spend money to make money," and car dealerships competing for business shouldn't be afraid to invest a little money in advertising along the way, especially if it's fun and compelling.
If a dealership is lucky enough to have unlimited amounts of cash-flow to spend on advertising, then a kitschy television commercial with a catchy tune is definitely the way to go. A great example of this is the Cal Worhthington's southern California TV commercials turned cult classics. The "Go See Cal" jingles feature a simple tune and are practically impossible to get out of your head, making them pretty effective pieces of advertising. Luckily for the viewer, some of those kooky commercials even feature a circus animal or two - lions and tigers and bears, oh my! In the 1993 film "Made in America" starring Ted Danson as the slick used car salesman 'Hal Jackson,' there's a hysterical scene that depicts Hal filming a commercial for his dealership while his co-star, a circus elephant, isn't quite camera-ready. With an elephant on the loose, it's no wonder that scene was one of the funniest in the film.
Another way used car dealers get customers in the door and ready to buy is by offering promotional deals that can be beneficial and fun for the buyer. Purchase a used car from a certain dealer, and they might offer you anything from a chance to win an all-expense-paid trip to months off of your car payments. Promotional deals in the name of giving the customer added incentive to purchase a car have certainly been known to work.
Maybe the simplest and most immediate method of advertising used car dealers can use to get customers through the door are the popular inflatable "dancing men" and colored flags often found out front pointing you in the right direction. If you ever find yourself cruising down the street in the market for a used vehicle, look no further than the dealership with the colorful inflatables gyrating on the sidewalk in front of it. They may not be as entertaining to look at as a crazy commercial, but it's still a fun and cost effective way for dealers to advertise their business and their cars. The world of used cars dealers, with all it's wheeling and dealing, can be a funny thing, and it's only fitting that many salesmen opt for the more fun wacky ways of promoting it.
