Winner of the prestigious 1998 MOTO Gold Award for Autobiographical Writing presented by the International Automotive Media Conference! The automobile industry is one of the most capital- and marketing-intensive industries in the world today.
Common wisdom states that the keys to sales success in the industry are no different than in any other: brand management, product positioning, and brand imaging. But what do these commonly traded buzzwords really mean, and how do they translate into a successful brand campaign?
Contents: ● Introduction.
● Getting the Fever - Finding a true calling: working with cars and marketing them.
● Learning the Ropes - At Kaiser, learning what a good tie-in promotion requires - but not enough power to buck the system.
● Early Successes...and Failures - First ignored, then tolerated, product knowledge leads to Chevrolet success; arrogance to a job loss.
● Temporary Insider - A chance to work at Chrysler gives experience as the client, but happiness is fleeting
● A Player on the "Hot" Team - A move to Pontiac, where big changes are redefining the car, marketing ideas win power
● The Royal Treatment - How Royal Pontiac made "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" work, all the way to an NHRA drag racing win
● Forging the Bonds - The final players take their place for the start of the musclecar era, as the GTO is born
● The Tiger Learns to Roar - Firing on all cylinders: GTO marketing ranges from magazines to shoes to breakfast cereal to Tigers to Monkees
● Shifting Gears - Major changes in corporate policies force a rethinking of marketing strategies
● Judge...and judgement - As the GTO reaches its apogee, the author falls victim to corporate politics
● Dealing Myself Out - Adventures at Hurst; how running a dealership is not the same as marketing cars
● Nothing but Sizzle - Take one car, add stripes, a spoiler, a wheel package and paint, and presto! a new model
● The Consultant - Building a business out of performance comparisons
● Why the Tiger Roared - Marketing and brand management in today’s environment, and how the Wide-Track concept would fare today
● Afterword: Preserving the Legend - The importance of the car hobby today
