Latest / Auto Collabs / Auto Shows Are Quietly Driving ROI (But Dealers Aren’t Paying Attention) with Jennifer Morand

Transcript

Auto Shows Are Quietly Driving ROI (But Dealers Aren’t Paying Attention) with Jennifer Morand · Auto Collabs

• 0:00
  Okay, I had a question for each of you. [upbeat music] This is Auto Collabs. You have to answer the question. You walk into a car show, what's the first thing you go see? Kyle. The food stand. No you don't.
• 0:17
  Michael. [laughs] I was gonna say, I'm finding the mini donuts the fastest. [laughs] Okay. Well- Isn't that two of us? I mean- We're not car guys. No.
• 0:31
  We're like car guys by defau- you know, by, by association or whatever. I don't know. Oh, we're gonna be at the El- Well, we go to car shows. Come on. That's true. I go to car shows. You know what I like to go see?
• 0:40
  I'm gonna tell you what I like to go see. I like to go see- [laughs]... the big, uh, like the mountain displays where the Jeeps drive over the mountain thing. Oh, yeah. Those are cool. Yeah, the demo stuff. Yeah.
• 0:49
  You wanna... I... That's where I would go. Wherever I can do a demo, you know? Yeah, exactly. The demo stuff. The EV test tracks were really cool.
• 0:54
  They need like an EV test tech track drag strip is what they need, not the like drive it in a circle. Yeah, just like hit go and feel it. They need the like...
• 1:01
  I think, which is really hard to navigate when you're inside a convention center. I can understand why they don't want like this- That's okay... 6,000, 6,000 pound thing. You could do a professional driver.
• 1:10
  I, I mean, the... Look, the last auto show I was at the Toronto International Auto Show, and it was there confirmed once and for all, no contest, that we all turn into our parents. Why?
• 1:21
  Because at every display I turned into the Italian car shopper, like Dad. You know, I'm like, "Open the door. Close it. Open it. I like the..." I... And I caught myself doing it. Feels nice.
• 1:32
  It's got a heavy, it's got a heavy- I'm like-... heavy feel to it... opening window frames. I'm like... And then I was like, "What am I doing?" [laughs] They're gonna think I wanna buy this thing.
• 1:40
  He was in a trance, right? [laughs] The farm guy or, or the whatever farmer's insurance guy comes out, you know. He's like- Oh, yeah... "What happened?" And the, the parent coach, like how to not be your parent.
• 1:48
  No, I'm not touching. I'm making all the facial... I'm, I'm like, "Mm. Oh. Oh." Yeah. We're not commenting- "Oh, wow"... on how heavy the door is. Yeah. We're not commenting.
• 1:55
  Well, today we are hanging out with a new friend of ours, Jennifer Morand.
• 1:59
  Uh, she is responsible for aggregating a group of dealer associations and people that throw these auto shows, and thinking about how to make the experience one that more people, more OEMs, more dealers wanna be a part of.
• 2:14
  And, and we're excited to kinda like get into her brain, get into the mentality of what it takes, uh, to do that, to make sure that Michael and I just don't go to the food stand.
• 2:23
  So, uh, we hope you enjoy this conversation with Jennimer- Jennifer Morand. [upbeat music] All right. So we love when there's a new friend on a podcast because we don't know everything about you.
• 2:37
  We don't even know a ton about you. So, um, why don't we just let you just give us the 30 to 60 second summary of what you do and why you're so passionate about it. No, absolutely.
• 2:50
  Well, thanks for letting me have the floor to do that. Well, I'm thrilled to be here.
• 2:54
  I'm the incoming chairwoman of the Automotive Experience Alliance, which is an association that, um, is driving innovation in the industry.
• 3:02
  Um, auto shows are a very powerful platform to introduce the latest products, uh, to consumers. And we always say, you know, they're, they're actually paying to come to the show and to see the latest vehicles.
• 3:11
  So what a great opportunity for manufacturers to be present. Uh, we're very passionate about what we do. Uh, the AEA is founded on two basic core principles. Uh, transparency is number one, um, and also benchmark data.
• 3:24
  So, uh, we run surveys. They're the same questions set across 28 different markets, for example, so manufacturers can really evaluate the ROI from what they receive from auto shows. So we're heading into our second year.
• 3:35
  We just concluded our inaugural, uh, our inaugural year, and uh, first time at a conference out in Montreal a couple weeks ago. So we have momentum, and we're excited as we head into this next year.
• 3:47
  What got you interested in this level of like experiential understanding for auto shows? Where, where has that like passion come from? Yeah.
• 3:57
  So, you know, auto shows, they truly serve as such a dynamic platform to, uh, introduce latest products to consumers.
• 4:05
  And I run a sh- show in Chicago, uh, the Chicago Auto Show, and really it's a like-minded organization of, uh, show producers really coming together to drive innovation for the industry.
• 4:15
  And, you know, we see it and live it, breathe it every day. We're on our show floors. We see the consumers there.
• 4:21
  They're touching, they're sitting, they're, um, test driving, you know, and ride-alongs as well, and they're experiencing these vehicles.
• 4:28
  And that truly, uh, translates to influence when they're considering purchasing vehicles. And what's happened in the past, you know, five or to 10 years even, is manufacturer support is starting to dwindle.
• 4:40
  It has dwindled really from auto shows. Sure. They're investing in different platforms. Maybe they're looking to do car unveilings, um, on YouTube, for example. It's different than at an auto show.
• 4:49
  Um, but, but truly where the rubber meets the road is at the shows. Like I said, we breathe it. We see it every single day, uh, when we're producing our show.
• 4:56
  And it's just, it's amazing to see that, you know, when the data's coming back to us.
• 5:01
  So it's not just what we believe and observe on the show floor, but when we're actually running these studies, um, we heard from 20,000 different consumers across the country, across all those 28 markets, and it's nice to be able to have that validation when the, the data's coming back in support of auto shows.
• 5:17
  You know, um, a big part of our audience is auto dealers. So they're- Of course... on the front lines every day. Um, they, they would love it if someone paid them to come look at the cars. Right.
• 5:27
  Wouldn't that be amazing? [laughs] Um, but, but we really, you- you've crafted an experience, right, where people are paying to come look at cars, have experience, learn a lot, and have some fun.
• 5:36
  What, from a dealer involvement, uh, you know, angle, do you...
• 5:41
  Have you seen that increase, decrease, and what would you say to the dealers out there who maybe like don't wanna dedicate resources to a car show- Mm-hmm... because maybe they don't see value in it?
• 5:50
  I think that's, that's a big part of, of how we can kinda solve this customer experience challenge. Because we, I know I asked you a question, now I'm gonna talk. But, um- Yeah...
• 6:00
  we're, we're just such big proponents of delivering and bridging the gap-Between what the customers are thinking- Yep...
• 6:06
  and where they're at in their life, and interaction with the dealership, and showing the dealers and the dealership team as an advocate for them, as someone who- who- they're real people.
• 6:16
  And, uh, we feel like car shows are an amazing way to do that, where you aggregate the people. So what, back to the question, is- Yep... what would you say or what do you see as far as dealer involvement in shows?
• 6:26
  Yeah, absolutely. Well, we both share a passion for the car business, but also for car dealers. Um, I work for car dealers. I run an association of 400 new car dealers, and my counterparts at- Right...
• 6:36
  the AEA all run car dealer associations as well. So I think that is important to note. Um, it is a group of individuals who work for car dealers. So the ultimate goal, right, is to- to sell the vehicles.
• 6:46
  So, you know, we produce auto shows to be able to do that and to serve our dealers. Um, but anecdotally, the dealers want the show to happen because they know it's going to drive customers to their showrooms.
• 6:56
  So of course, you know, we're all a- advocating for that tier one support from the, uh, OEM level. However, there are local marketing associations that have stepped in, LMA has stepped in.
• 7:07
  Um, also in many cases in some smaller markets, the dealers are the ones who are, uh, actually producing the event in terms of providing the vehicles, and the shows helping with signage, that type of thing.
• 7:16
  So, you know, across the AEA shows, we really do see a range of participation from tier one, tier two, to tier three support. And, you know, I have a great story.
• 7:24
  Mazda has been out of auto shows, and they're trying different experiential, uh, you know, tactics to get their products in front of consumers.
• 7:32
  And in recent years, and so finally our- our, one of our largest dealers here in Chicago, um, the Napleton Auto Group, they said, "We, we have to be in the Chicago Auto Show.
• 7:40
  People that come to the show think that Mazda's going out of business." And I hear that from so many other markets. Ooh, wow.
• 7:46
  It's the same, it's the same thing with, you know, other shows that are missing the luxury brands. You know, we've, a lot of the German automakers have pulled out of auto shows.
• 7:54
  And, you know, but the dealers- Well, let's stay with, let's stay with Mazda just for a second if we could. Yeah. Right before we blow past that, because Mazda is a brand. Kyle worked at a Mazda store for a long time.
• 8:04
  Yep. Uh, we work with a lot of Mazda dealers, and Mazda is a brand that is on the biggest upswing it's ever seen in its history. Yeah. Uh, the product is amazing. Yes.
• 8:13
  They've crafted- They're so intentional about their experience and their marketing and what the store experience is. It's really surprising that they're not involved in the shows.
• 8:22
  And, and, you know, your friends at Napleton, for them to say that consumers think it's going out of business, it couldn't be further from the truth. That's wild. 100%.
• 8:31
  Yeah, it's just the perception that when a brand's missing from the auto show, people wonder what's happening to it. W- is it not around anymore?
• 8:38
  Um, we heard the same thing with Buick, you know, when Buick pulled out of- of some auto shows, um, across the country.
• 8:44
  So, you know, it's- it's unfortunate because those manufacturers kind of stand to lose, es- especially when it comes to customer shopping.
• 8:52
  Um, but, but, you know, the dealers know firsthand that auto shows move the needle.
• 8:57
  Because, uh, you know, in markets like mine and others across the country, there's an uptick once the show's happening, as well as after the show, that there's more consumers that are being driven to the dealerships.
• 9:07
  And the AEA is working on trying to figure out how to quantify that. It's not as easy as one would think, and we always say that's the holy grail- Sure...
• 9:14
  in terms of the metrics and the ROI that we're, um, trying to prove. So we're trying to dig into that. That'll be in our, in our next year, in our phase two.
• 9:23
  Well, and I, when I think about this, you know, what we've been tracking over the last three to four years, ever since kind of COVID began waning- Right...
• 9:31
  is there is an intentional focus for retail, for any, any industry in providing great experience in person because people are craving that. They're craving those touchpoints. Yeah.
• 9:45
  Even though, like, digital is blowing up, but people are headed back to malls. People are headed back to showrooms.
• 9:51
  People are headed back to retail because we un- uh, they're understanding, like, that experience, that touch feel, is so visceral, it's so important to our, like, human reality.
• 10:01
  And so I think there's, there is something to that auto show, um, you know, and figuring out what's the experience that people want.
• 10:09
  Because, I mean, we had one of our video editors was just at, at, uh, at a massive video conference, video and social conference- VidCon. Yeah... VidCon. And, like, it's all Gen Z, right? Yeah.
• 10:22
  And so it's not, it- it- it's not like these people don't go- The places... to shows- Right Right... to find more about the thing that they're most interested in.
• 10:31
  It's not like this is, like, an old, you know, "Oh, auto shows are for older people that have been going forever." No, it's experiential. It's, it's- It's experiential. Yeah... super in vogue, right?
• 10:38
  They're like, we're not, we're not trying to go cross-cultural. Right. And, and, like- Right... or countercultural. We're not trying to get them to do something that they don't already do- Exactly...
• 10:47
  or enjoy doing or like doing. Um, we might just have a branding issue, right? Like, I don't know what it is. Like- Yeah.
• 10:53
  And that's exactly what the AEA is trying to overcome, is that, that branding issue, that the auto shows are, you know, have been around forever. But that's, there's probably good reason for that, right?
• 11:03
  Because they do move the needle [laughs] and they are relevant, and people want that experience.
• 11:07
  And I can share, too, you know, we're seeing across the board just more experiential type of activations taking place at auto shows. So the ride and drives are becoming huge and continuing to become huge.
• 11:17
  Because we know when people get behind the wheel, they're more likely to purchase that vehicle. Um, education- Mm-hmm... is, is big, especially with electrification.
• 11:24
  You know, we, um, developed our own, uh, brand of, we call it Chicago Drives Electric. And in Chicago, many shows are doing their own EV tracks.
• 11:31
  And so, you know, it's a way to educate the consumers, to get them behind the wheel and experience those vehicles. Um, but also, you know, it's interesting you said kind of what was old is new again.
• 11:40
  And this new, you know, crop of, um, you know, the Gen Zs-But we have to give them a reason to come. And so something that AEA is, is passionate about is trying to provide different experiences.
• 11:50
  So it's not just, "Okay, the show's in town. Come on out." Um, but maybe looking at different experiences within the auto show, for example. Maybe it's a craft beer sampling event one evening or whatever it may be.
• 12:01
  But to give people a reason- [laughs]... to come to the show, um, that might not a- already consider coming to the show. Um, I know, you know, for example, we, we also do a run. We, it's called Miles Per Hour.
• 12:10
  That's how many miles you can run inside our auto show. And so we are able to tap into- That's fun... this fabulous running community. That's awesome. So you have to find ways to, um, to bring people together.
• 12:20
  And if they're, they don't consider or self-identify as car people, you know, they're not car enthusiasts, maybe they're not in the market. Why would I go to the auto show?
• 12:27
  Well, if you can provide that unique experience for them and give them a reason to come, you know, we're confident once they do, they, they'll come back. You know, that's, when people say they're not in the market,
• 12:39
  a lot of the time that's just because they don't have a compelling reason to be in the market. Yes. That's right. Right? Exactly. And, and w- we once had a conversation with, uh, Ernie Garcia, the CEO of Carvana. Yeah.
• 12:49
  And his whole thesis behind making the b- car buying experience what it is, saying like, you realize, especially, I mean, we're talking about new cars here, but, like, people trade in used cars and buy new cars.
• 12:58
  But he was saying if we make it easier and more fun and more engaging to buy a car, we can actually speed up the timeline- Absolutely... by which people buy a car.
• 13:07
  And I think a car show is a great, like, someone comes in because there's a concert or there's food- Mm... or there's a run. And we get them in.
• 13:14
  All of a sudden, you know, like which Kyle just traded in his Sienna to get a new Sienna, right? Yeah. Because it has a... Vacuum. Because it has a vacuum. I love that. Right? Of course. And that, and, and- Yes...
• 13:23
  and that's something that you see when you're at a, right?
• 13:26
  You see someone demoing the vacuum and you're like, "You mean all those Cheerios could be gone, like, without me having to-" And all of a sudden you're in the market again. Yeah. Yeah.
• 13:34
  So, and so I like the idea of courting all of these kind of subcultures- Mm-hmm... that the market has already told us are effective. People like to gather around sports. They like to gather around food.
• 13:44
  They like to gather around entertainment. Absolutely. And even though they're not car people, like, they're all driving cars. Right. Yeah. Right? They are car people. Listen, Kyle and I aren't even car people.
• 13:54
  Everybody names their first car. Well, that- Everybody's a car person. [laughs] Are you kidding me? Absolutely. Absolutely. And you mentioned those other touch points. Like, what, what's your take on overlanding?
• 14:03
  I mean, that's, I mean, overlanding has been, become such a huge, um- Oh, it sure has. Been a trend... subculture, right? Yeah. And so we built our own overlanding area.
• 14:10
  And other shows are doing the same thing to, to be able to appeal to that, that subculture of folks. And we heard it, you know, firsthand that they saw it on the news or they saw it on social media.
• 14:19
  And they're like, "Wow, we didn't realize that that, that was at the show." So it's, again, those, finding those different areas and those, those pockets, right, of interest that drive people out to shows.
• 14:29
  What do you think's holding back, um, more dealers from being heavier, more heavily involved in car shows? Like, now, and, now, granted, maybe there's not a big resistance to it.
• 14:40
  But from your perspective, like, what, what is the, the biggest, the biggest pushback that you hear? Why they don't s- send more people, spend more money on being involved in the shows?
• 14:50
  Because even though there's, like, OEM money, like, a lot of these dealers have pretty substantial marketing budgets- Right... that they could invest more in an activation. Yeah.
• 14:59
  But maybe they don't because- Or, or like the Napleton group. I mean, the, they're, they're, they're a great example, right? Yeah. Have
• 15:05
  probably, you know, a ton of the manufacturers that are already gonna be there, right? They, they could, like, almost take over the show. They could. Right? Right. They could, they could hire an influencer. Right.
• 15:13
  They could be, do an activation to highlight their group.
• 15:15
  What do you think are the biggest, you know, perceptions or mindsets that are keeping dealers from investing more of their already existing marketing budget into a show? Yeah. So interesting. Yeah.
• 15:24
  I have a, I do have a perspective on that. I, I, I believe that, you know, there's this push and pull, this, this tug of war, if you will, between the retailers and their manufacturers.
• 15:34
  And, you know, the hope is that the manufacturers see the value in auto shows and that they're going to foot the bill. Um, you know, it's, it's always that push and pull. And this, this happens. It's not just auto shows.
• 15:43
  It's for everything, about the back and forth about who's paying for what. So I think that in many markets if, if we can hold onto the tier one support, um, that's preferred.
• 15:52
  Of course, you know, dealers would rather the manufacturers spend the money and- Sure... really market their products. Mm-hmm. And, you know, the retailer's job is to sell them the vehicles.
• 16:00
  But, you know, at that high level, you know, the hope is that the manufacturers would see enough value in auto shows, um, and that they really move the needle to be able to invest in them and to send their, their displays, their properties.
• 16:11
  And believe it or not, in some, uh, cases, manufacturers will not let the dealer participate because of the perception that if, if, say, for example, you're gonna get- Unfair advantage. Yeah...
• 16:22
  a complete kit from Ford, right? You're, say you're a global auto show. You're identified. You get all of their bells and whistles. You get the test track. You get the beautiful displays.
• 16:29
  You know, the, the different levels, you know, the, the finishes that they put in their exhibits. And then you have same Mazda dealer that sets up right next to them with, like, one car and, like, a backdrop, right?
• 16:39
  And so it's just- [laughs] It's like, wait, what? You know, and, and when you're at, when the consumer's at the show, you know, you're kind of looking, "Okay, where, where do I spend my time? Where do I spend my focus?"
• 16:48
  And, um, you know, Ford looks bigger and more interesting, so I'm gonna head there. And so in most cases, a lot of cases rather, O- OEMs do not let the dealers participate.
• 16:56
  They literally force them to sit out because of the perception that it would provide- Would they-... despite the fact that they wouldn't participate. So one thing that I'm thinking about as you say that.
• 17:06
  Are dealers not allowed to be involved at all other than the, the actual, you know, OEM display?
• 17:13
  Because thinking, like, the Napleton Auto Group could open, like, a barbecue stand as an activation and use that as a connection point person to person, even though they're not, they don't have any cars there.
• 17:22
  Is that something they would be able to do? Or does the OEM say, like, "You can't be involved in any way"?You know, that's a great question. I, I don't think it's ever come up.
• 17:30
  Uh, but I will say that I- maybe because it's a different type of activation, it would be okay to sponsor something like that.
• 17:36
  Um, but that said, I'm not sure that the dealer would see much value in, in not, not having the product there or not getting the people in- into the vehicles.
• 17:43
  Um, I think that, you know, if they're gonna invest in the auto show, it would really be to showcase their product. So, it's a great question. I, I don't think it's come up in the past.
• 17:51
  Um, but, you know, I do think that, you know, it is unfortunate, especially in some of the smaller markets where they don't have the tier one support that some markets do have, that the manufacturer would force the dealers out.
• 18:01
  You know? It, it just, it to me- Yeah... it just seems... And I don't know how that, how that comes together or what that conversation looks like. I would s- I'm kind of, I'm not involved directly within that.
• 18:09
  But I just- Yeah... I just find that to be very interesting, uh, thought- You tell them to come to us. We'll help them figure it out. We'll talk you through it. There you go. All right?
• 18:16
  The reality is, like, tier one at its best, right, like, they do a lot of national advertising to bring awareness- Right... to the brand overall.
• 18:22
  But just by the nature of it, tier one is reaching down into tier three world when- Mm-hmm... it's literally holding an activation in your backyard. Right.
• 18:31
  Like, if there was ever a point where it was like, "Let's connect these dots," because, like, people buy from people they like.
• 18:37
  They might see a product they like, but they might meet someone they really like who can be like- Yeah... "Actually, I don't know that you need the Ford. You can get a lot more value from this Mazda."
• 18:45
  And if you build the trust, right, like, you can take, like, tier three can take a product out of tier one's hands if they were a Ford person- Yep... and now they're gonna be a, whatever, Chevy person or- Yep. Yep...
• 18:56
  interesting. Well, that, that's an interesting dynamic. 100%, yeah. Yeah. Because it's tier one- Yeah, we've seen it. Yeah... literally in your backyard. Yeah. That's such an interesting- Right, tier one world...
• 19:05
  like, total, yeah.
• 19:06
  And, and I think, you know, for larger shows like a Chicago or a DC or an LA or, or something like or, it, that or a Detroit, you know, it's, it's a bit different than maybe some of the smaller shows, like I think of the Nashville show, right, um, the, the, where, where I'm from.
• 19:21
  It's, it's a bit smaller of a show. Th- you know, some manufacturers show up, like decently sized, but, but there's no one, like, really blowing it out of the water, like with huge sets or anything like that.
• 19:31
  But it's a, it's a real opportunity for potentially that pairing- Mm-hmm...
• 19:34
  of the dealer and the OEM to drive a bit more market awareness on something like that in a market that maybe isn't tuned up for an auto show because it's not, you know, carrying the weight of a, um, um, a major, major metro.
• 19:47
  That's a great point. Yeah.
• 19:48
  And I, I believe, too, and what was unfortunate is back in the heyday, um, when, when auto shows were, were, you know, huge and everyone, they had, it had everyone's attention, um, really was the media side.
• 20:00
  So what manufacturers would do is they would produce these elaborate, uh, press debuts. And, you know, they'd- Right... spend millions of dollars for not even an hou- 20 minutes, right?
• 20:10
  And, and so that, to me, that's, that, that's ludicrous. And some shows expected that. And, you know, you mentioned Detroit. I mean, Detroit had huge media preview. I think many people remember visiting that show.
• 20:20
  But unfortunately, what, what happened was the perception that auto shows are expensive, and manufacturers are trying to figure out where to spend their, their money, um, you know, for the biggest, you know, bang for their buck.
• 20:30
  And they're just looking at their budgets, and it was costing them so much money to do these press debuts at the auto show. Um, so of course it's a lot cheaper to do it on, on digital.
• 20:39
  And of course came, COVID and, and, and all that. And so that just, um, you know, e- e- exponentially just set that, you know, set that on a totally different track.
• 20:49
  So I think, though, that, you know, really man- m- I hope manufacturers understand is, like, you don't need to do that.
• 20:54
  You know, you, um, you know, if, if you're going to be at the shows, you do have the ability to influence the people who are there to get into your product, and that's really the opportunity.
• 21:02
  It's, it's not really around, it's kinda two separate things. Of course, you know, we do pitch media, all the shows do, on the manufacturer's and dealer's behalf.
• 21:10
  And, you know, you're gonna get that media coverage and then of course the digital c- um, combination as well. But you just kinda have to car- compartmentalize it a little bit differently. Yep. Yeah.
• 21:19
  Th- really thinking activations. I, I love, I love that thought thread. I think that activation and experience are not dead.
• 21:25
  So I love what you're doing and, and bringing together organizations to solve a common problem is really cool. Jennifer, it's been, uh, really fun talking to you. It's got our wheels turning.
• 21:34
  Uh, we're gonna have some conversations and I'm sure, uh, us in the future as well. But, but kudos to what you're building, and thanks for joining us here on the show. Thanks so much. Really enjoyed it. Thanks.
• 21:45
  [upbeat music] I just realized something. We forgot to ask about the mini donuts. Forgot.
• 21:54
  [laughs] I think the most valuable takeaway, though, from this whole thing is the fact that there is a measurable difference in showroom traffic after an auto show is in town. And- Yeah...
• 22:05
  not, the, I didn't, I just, I wasn't thinking of the complexity between that whole conversation. We're like, well, auto, the manufacturers typically want the dealers to stay away from the brand,
• 22:16
  but dealers need to be involved if you're gonna like, say people like, "This is why you should buy it at my Ford Store over that Ford Store," right? That's in their best interest. So there, there's- Yeah...
• 22:26
  a lot more complexity in this little ecosystem than I knew going into this conversation. Well, it's, it's such a tier one play to be at an auto show, but the auto show's in a backyard. It's in a space.
• 22:37
  It's, it's not digital. It's not a, you know, a Super Bowl ad or anything like that. It's very tier three in nature, right? Because it's, it's that interpersonal connection that people are getting with a brand.
• 22:49
  And, and I think that dealers and OEMs would be good, would do good to figure out how to activate at that level. We, we actually, uh, we, we have a good friend, Arrow Bomar, who a lot of you may know from, uh, NADA.
• 23:02
  He was at a SOTACon with us this year.
• 23:04
  And he's like, "Oh, no, people are asking deep, detailed questions that sometimes, you know, only, like, if you've been educated on deep details of these vehicles, y- they would know."
• 23:17
  And I think that, you know, these auto shows, people are, people are really focused on what these cars actually can bring. Um, and, and it's kind of like a non-intrusive environment for them to research and be educated.
• 23:28
  Mm-hmm. There's a, there's another element here. And the best way I can explain it is the, it, the-influence of feeling. So, you know, I don't know if you've ever experienced this.
• 23:42
  You go to a concert, you're there to see the headliner. There's a couple of opening acts you've never heard of.
• 23:47
  You're not really interested in it, and then they take the stage and you're like, "Oh, wait, I kinda actually like- Yeah... dig these people. Like, this is- Yeah... kind of cool."
• 23:54
  And then you leave with their merch, and you leave with, like, you know- Yeah. Then, then they're on your playlist, and they're on your- They're on your playlist. Yeah. You're- In your Spotify or Apple Music. Exactly.
• 24:03
  And that kinda happens at auto shows. I saw it for the first time when I was in Toronto. The level of attention that these OEMs, th- they're hiring architects to design spaces that make you feel a certain way- Mm-hmm...
• 24:16
  that highlight the vehicle in a certain way. And what that does is it opens up the consumer's reception to learning about that vehicle- Mm-hmm...
• 24:25
  feeling, feeling the vehicle now in a light that they wouldn't feel it if they were just walking the lot. And, and I think that's so critical.
• 24:33
  Uh, you know, I'm talking a lot about how, uh, you know, technology is advancing, and there's all these, this talk about what's gonna be replaced.
• 24:41
  M- I love that we're kinda keying in on some of the things that can't re- be replaced, which is human connection, human feeling- Mm-hmm...
• 24:48
  and its influence on buying cycles, and on where we live, and how we l- live, and all those sorts of things. And, and I kinda pick up on that as I review this, uh, this podcast episode.
• 25:00
  Well, the point is, support your local auto show. Get out there. There you go. Be creative with your activations.
• 25:05
  And we need more people eye to eye, face to face with the sales teams, and the service teams, and all the people, the wonderful people that are inside your stores.
• 25:14
  So on behalf of Kyle Mountser, Michael Cirillo, and myself, get to an auto show. Eat the mini donuts. And thanks for listening to Auto Collabs.
• 25:21
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• 25:35
  If you love this podcast, please leave us a review and share it with a friend. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time.
• 25:44
  [upbeat music] Welcome to Auto Collabs. Welcome to Auto Collabs. [laughs] Why are we recording? Are we rolling yet? Not yet.