Have We Really Unlocked MS Paint’s True Potential?

TOGETHER WITH

This one is for all the marketers out there. It was not until the 1970s when Nixon signed the Uniform Monday Holiday act to give President’s Day a 3 day weekend that marketers started harnessing its power for sales events.

So for every email blast, website banner, direct mail piece, and showroom point of sale material you created this year, you are free to thank President Nison for your February hustle.

Keep Pushing Back,-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

DEALERS

A Digital Lot Walk

David Long and the All Things Used Cars community spent an hour Friday sharing, challenging, and encouraging one another around the topic of the digital dealership. David opened the room by inviting others to go on digital lot walks on their own sites and through the digital presence of other community members. He pointed out how easy it is for new eyes to catch opportunities that are obscured by the routines of the well-acquainted.

More great tips came from friends like Taki Caranicolas, who encouraged listeners to talk about current roadblocks so regularly that it becomes muscle memory.

Brooke Furniss suggested getting a completely outside look. Don't stop at a customer perspective; use data as a window into what opportunities are not being fully realized.

Kyle Mountsier challenged the room to be practical. Find specific things that need changing and change them. He suggested tools like PageSpeed Insights to ensure your web vendors are providing shoppers (a majority of which still use 3G technology) frustration-free access to your digital dealership.

Check out the full replay for more great tips, and follow the room on Clubhouse to never miss a week!

AUTOMOTIVE

VinFast Issues Domestic Recall

Vietnam's EV maker VinFast may have gone a bit too VinQuick for its VinGood. The brand recalled nearly 2,800 vehicles in its domestic market to check and replace a bolt that holds together pieces of its front brakes.

That sounds like danger. The company issued a statement saying the bolt may loosen when the vehicle is in operation, which could reduce the effectiveness of the front brakes, but mentioned no concern for a total failure of the braking system.

Since VinFast's first 999 EVs for the US market have not been delivered to owners yet, they will fix each before customers take possession.

Telling it like it is - The squeaky wheel gets the grease, but the wily bolt gets the wrench. 🔧 🤕

TOGETHER WITH IMPEL

Hear It First Hand

Don’t ask a vendor why their platform is so great; ask a dealer.

Erick Kirks, Marketing Director at Johnson Automotive, shares his first-hand experience with Impel’s Sales AI platform. “The AI’s ability to automatically engage with every online shopper, even after hours, frees up our people to focus on what they do best - building relationships with customers over the phone and in the showroom.”

Watch Erick’s full interview, and learn how Impel is driving Johnson’s business forward!

AUTOMOTIVE

States Differ on EV Integration

States are divided on EV adoption. Each races to pass legislation solidifying their position:

🔴 Utah senator, Mike Lee, is trying to rally colleagues to keep EVs out of the US biofuel program. The current Renewable Fuel Standard would allow EV manufacturers to tap into a multibillion-dollar market for tradable renewable fuels credits, with EV-makers generating credits if their vehicles are powered by electricity from plants that use biofuels. The senator fears this would provide an unfair advantage to the EV market, thus diminishing ICE vehicles and undermining fossil fuel demand.

Not so fast. Lee is getting pushback as even the biofuels industry is aligned with EVs in its initiatives to fight climate change.

🟡 Virginia Senate defeated an effort to repeal their existing Clear Cars law. Concerns over EVs affordability and power grid capacity have the state’s senate evaluating the best next step.

Not so fast. While the Senate renewed its commitments to clean energy, the Governor still leads the opposition, illustrating the ongoing dissonance within state lines.

🟢 New Jersey governor, Phil Murphy, signed several executive orders last week that outline new EV regulations. The order established a commitment to exclusively selling zero-emission vehicles by 2035. NJ joins New York, Washington, and Vermont in officially adopting California’s Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) regulations.

Not so fast. Murphy addressed some potential concerns head-on, saying, “We are taking big steps in our fight against climate change. Let me make one thing perfectly clear at the outset…no one is coming for anyone’s gas stove. No one is walking into anyone’s kitchen.” Whew!

TL; DR - EV integration: Utah is fighting it, Virginia is keeping it, and New Jersey is embracing it.

CULTURE

Meta Offers ID Verification Subscription

Meta would like some of that new revenue, Elon.

Following Musk's decision to make Twitter blue check verification a subscription-based feature, Mark Zuckerberg has launched a similar option on Instagram and Facebook for up to $15 per month.

The Meta Verified service will still require users to provide proof of identity with a government-issued ID card. Subscriptions will increase visibility and reach, improve protection against impersonation, and give users direct access to tech support.

Telling it like it is - Honestly, just putting an option to pay for tech support prioritization would make a lot of companies a lot of money. Looking at you, MS Paint…

Quick Hits

• A YouTuber in Japan experienced a different kind of phishing attack when pet fish took control of his Nintendo Switch.

• Hundreds of dogs dressed in fancy costumes paraded down lively Rio de Janeiro streets for their annual Carnival festival.

• A Polish city chonk has become a top-rated tourist attraction and earned a 5-star rating on Google Maps.

• You break it, you buy it! Over the weekend, an art collector accidentally shattered one of Jeff Koons’ famous balloon dog sculptures, worth $42K, at a Miami art festival.

History

• 1792: President George Washington signed the Postal Service Act that created the USPS.

• 1962: John Glenn makes space history as the first American to orbit the Earth on the Friendship 7.

• 1998: Tara Lipinski becomes the youngest gold medalist in Winter Olympics history when she won the ladies' figure skating title at 15.