Why the Automotive Industry Is Hot on Print

Welcome to the Dove Direct Print and Marketing Blog. Today's post, "Why the Automotive Industry Is Hot on Print," reaffirms several reasons why Automotive OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and Dealers use direct mail marketing as a significant component of the marketing strategy. In the land of all-things-digital, it may seem unlikely that the automotive industry would place a high value on direct mail marketing. Nothing could be further from the truth, and we want to tell you why in this quick read.

Our Quote of the Day: "When something is important enough, you do it, even if the odds are not in your favor."                                                         
      --Elon Musk - Co-founder and CEO Tesla Motors   

When we look at the automotive marketing landscape, digital indeed leads the way, with television spots, radio ads, outdoor billboards, and engaging websites. The interactive sites allow users to custom build a vehicle, with color choices and vehicle upgrades.  Additional auto marketing includes social media, online advertisements, email marketing, and personalized messaging.

That said, direct mail marketing plays a pivotal role in car sales, new vehicle launches, buybacks, trade-ins, and of course, service discounts for oil changes, tire rotation, and regular service intervals.

How the Industry is Evolving

With recent automotive industry updates, from driverless cars to hybrids and everything in between, marketing requirements are continually evolving. The print industry's adoption of CRM systems, data collection, and CMS software, positions full-service commercial printing organizations as top contenders to deliver solutions for automotive data management, marketing, print, mail initiatives, and transactional document management.

With CRM and CMS software additions, these marketing programs can include:

• Email
  
• Loyalty Programs
  
• Service Reminders
  
• Recall Notifications
  
• Satisfaction Surveys
  
• Direct Mail Marketing
  
• E-Commerce Fulfillment
  
• On-demand Content Generation
  
• Point of Sale Materials & Distribution
  
• Turnkey Omni- and Multi-Channel Direct Marketing
  
• Extended Service Contract Administration & Marketing
  
• Why Automotive Direct Mail Works
  
  

When we look at automotive direct mail data, it becomes a no-brainer as to why the automotive industry loves direct mail marketing.  For one, it can be personalized well beyond the first and last name of an auto driver, to include the most recent car purchase, where he/she may be looking online, purchase history, age, demographics, household income, and more.

That said, the automotive industry has learned that direct mail marketing cuts through the digital clutter, and the driver purchase data confirms the legitimacy of direct mail marketing. Here are a few stats that support this statement:

• 73% of Consumers Prefer Direct Mail for Brand Communications
  
• 46% of Adults Respond to Automotive Direct Mail
  
• 78% of Car Owner Purchases are via Direct Mail
  

That last stat is overwhelming. Imagine that! More than 75% of car owner purchases are via direct mail! I think most of us would agree that it is a compelling stat that supports why automakers and dealers use direct mail marketing.

Internet Deals and Direct Mail Marketing Offers

In case you haven't noticed, when you shop online for a vehicle at a dealer's site, you are quickly served a few internet-only deals, whereby the potential car buyer has to either click to make the purchase online or call-in to the dealer by phone.

Direct mail marketing, on the other hand, tends to extend offers that are personalized for new and repeat customers by offering deals for trade-ins and specials. Both methods, internet deals, and direct mail marketing are quite effective. In some cases, the deals may overlap depending on the offers, the time of the year, or the automotive industry calendar events that generally occur in August and December.

The Tactile Feel of Print

Another area where print shines for the automotive industry's marketing initiatives is with textures and colors included in an automotive direct mail piece. It's one thing to view the vehicles online, but quite another experience to hold a direct mail piece in your hands, in the real world, where textures, paper types, inks, and die-cuts take hold and produce imagery that moves the senses, in ways digital cannot match.

The Net-Net

For the most part, luxury auto brands tend to use direct mail marketing more than standard brands. However, if you own a Subaru, Volkswagen, Honda, Toyota, or other similar brands, the odds are high that you, too, have received direct mail pieces throughout your vehicle ownership.

Given the effectiveness of direct mail marketing, all automotive OEMs and dealers should be investing in this tactic. To that end, brands should select a full-service commercial printer that can handle data management, variable digital printing, barcode presort, lettershop and fulfillment, in-house mailing with a certified USPS mail clerk, all housed in a secure data infrastructure. These factors are "why the automotive industry is hot on print!" Thanks for reading, and we hope you enjoyed this post.

Let's have a conversation about integrated business solutions and how they can help grow your business, change behavior, and improve the customer experience. Join us at our next Open House. You can learn about our solutions, including direct mail strategies, printing, print software, transactional documents, variable digital printing, brand equity, and unified marketing collateral.

We invite you to join us for an hour or two at our next Open House on January 30, 2020, from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm. You can also tour our 58k+ Sq. Ft. facility and experience our vast array of state-of-the-art print, mail, and sorting infrastructure. Let us show you how to improve your document processes to optimize your workflow, reduce your costs, and maximize your organization's printing, letter shop, and mailing capabilities. Dove Direct does have an official USPS certified bureau located within our offices that will save you time and money. And, if you bring us your files, we will create a demo file for you.

For more information, call Carla Eubanks at 404-629-0122 or email Carla at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Dove Direct, your Atlanta based print and mail solutions provider, offers organizations end-to-end data, printing, and mailing solutions: Data Management, Variable Digital Printing, LetterShop and Fulfillment, Fully Automated MLOCR Presort Bureau, Marketing and Production Management Support and Secure Data Life Cycle Management.

If you don't want to wait for the Open House, you can reach Dove Direct today by calling 404-629-0122 or use the Contact Form for Dove Direct.