Name: Intermark Automotive
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From the 1929 stock market crash to the 2020 pandemic lockdowns, we’ve seen our share of economic downturns. And although things seem to be looking up now, we know that strange things can happen at any time, like a microchip shortage that hinders auto production or a ship blocking the Suez Canal that cuts off the global supply chain. When economic uncertainty hits, it’s completely understandable why most car dealerships tend to halt all automotive advertising.

However, aside from the many reasons why you should keep advertising when everyone else is canceling, there’s almost a hundred years of evidence that actually proves it. Advertising executive Roland S. Vaile tracked 200 companies through the recession of 1923. He reported in the April, 1927 issue of the Harvard Business Review that companies that had continued to advertise during the economic downturn were 20% ahead of where they had been before the recession, while companies that reduced advertising were still in the recession, 7% below their 1920 levels.

McGraw-Hill Research analyzed 600 B2B companies and found that those who maintained or increased advertising grew significantly, both during the recession and the following three years. In fact, by 1985, sales of companies that advertised aggressively had grown 275% over those that didn’t.

Brands that continue advertising and marketing efforts during an economic downturn do better than their competitors in the long run. But, even if we took advertising and economic downturns out of your business model’s equation, one thing remains: consistency and persistence matter! According to Lucidpress, consistent presentation of a brand has seen to increase revenue by 33%. One way to achieve consistent brand presentation for your dealership is to find the right automotive advertising agency that’s in it for the long haul. An effective ad team will not only garner trust with your store’s image and marketing budget but will ensure consistency and continuity of your brand across all mediums.

There aren’t many success stories about businesses that impulsively pull the plug every few months on campaigns, taglines, media buys, managers and even ad agencies. That’s because these frequent disruptions negatively affect the public perception and stability of their brand. The keys to long-term brand success and market-share growth are consistency and persistence. The perfect example is the Vann York Auto Group in High Point, North Carolina, now celebrating their 50^th Anniversary. They’ve remained consistent with their “Building Relationships That Last” tagline, continued to advertise through economic downturns, retained employees for over 35 years, and worked with the same advertising account team for over 30 years. As a result of their relationships and continuity, they saw comparatively little negative change in business during the recent lockdowns and continue to dominate market share in The Triad. Click on the video now to see more.

At Intermark Automotive, we value the client-agency relationship above all else. We see it more as a partnership than a business relationship and we continually strive to foster that partnership through loyalty, communication, “concierge” service, trust, and transparency. Our 30-year relationship with Vann York Auto Group is just one example of how Intermark Automotive’s creativity and management capabilities help build rock-solid relationships that last.

For more information on growing your market share through consistency and persistence, and to learn more about us, contact Intermark Automotive today!

by Shea Posey, Senior Account Executive/Blog Writer/Compliance & Co-op Specialist and Rick Blevins, Creative Director

Grow Long-Term Market Share Through Consistency and Persistence