#453 - 🖥 Here To Stay

TOGETHER WITH

Pour one out for all the automotive marketers out there. Mark Z just added another social platform to their necessary skillset and no one got a raise 😔

Remember when all we had to worry about was MySpace!?

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

DEALERS

Warming Hearts and Bodies

When the world feels cold and harsh, a warm blanket can feel like a gentle hug. That’s why Subaru of Utica, in collaboration with Subaru of America and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, recently made a heartwarming (or, should we say body-warming?) donation of blankets to the Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) Cancer Center.

Sales Manager at Subaru of Utica, Chris Cardello, shared his personal connection to the cause, having witnessed the challenges faced by cancer patients firsthand. Cardello stated, “I have been surrounded by cancer my whole life with a number of family members, so when Subaru offered me an opportunity to get involved with ‘Subaru Loves to Care,’ I saw it as a great way to give back.”

Cindy Christian, Executive Director of the MVHS Cancer Center, expressed her gratitude, emphasizing how these cozy throws will make a significant difference in patients' lives.

Telling it like it is – Subaru of Utica's commitment to supporting those most in need is a shining example of their dedication to community, compassion, and warmth. 💗

/Positivity

Do you have a story showing the positive impact dealerships have on their community? Let us share it!

AUTOMOTIVE

Thrive with Tech Tools

Turns out, people really dig computers and they’re probably here to stay, so equipping your dealership with all the right digital tools is going to be crucial for staying ahead of the competition.

👇 Here are the essential resources every modern dealership should consider:

🔬 Customer Data Platform (CDP) — Your customers are at the heart of your business, so harnessing their needs is key. A CDP allows you to collect, manage, and act upon valuable customer information in one centralized place, all while streamlining dealership operations. For everything from managing purchases to personalizing marketing efforts, a CDP is a must. If you don’t have one, get one.

📺 Digital displays — According to studies, 68% of customers are likely to buy from dealerships with eye-catching screen displays. They are a great way to showcase car details, promote F&I services, or share glowing customer reviews. In addition to creating an immersive showroom experience, digital signage also saves money on printed material — it’s a win-win!

🤓 Google Analytics 4 — The latest update is a total game-changer in website and app analytics, providing detailed data dives every metrics nerd will love. With its privacy-first tracking, AI-driven predictive analytics, and cross-channel data measurement, you can now easily gain valuable insights into marketing efforts, track user behavior, and leverage its massive digital brain to optimize your dealership's digital presence.

Check out the webinar where we break down everything dealers need to know about GA4.

🦋 Staying social — Social media is practically a requirement these days for building your dealership’s brand. Like, do you even exist if you aren’t on Facebook? A robust social media monitoring tool can help you stay on top of conversations, track mentions, and seize opportunities to build meaningful connections with your audience.

📲 Get an app — Come on, everyone’s doing it! By providing users with an intuitive platform solely dedicated to your dealership to explore inventory, schedule test drives, and access exclusive offers, you can enhance the customer experience, promote engagement, and collect valuable data.

🤠 Partner up — As customer expectations for an efficient car-buying experience have evolved, dealers are having to adapt to meet customers where they want to be served. A digital retailing partner can help. Join us next Wednesday to discuss this very topic!

We wanna know – What digital tools have you found most helpful? 🤔

TOGETHER WITH UPSTART

Time To Upgrade

Join us and our friends at Upstart for a half-hour dive into a revolutionary approach to the car-buying experience.

Be where they need you! Combine your online and in-store capabilities to provide an omni-channel solution that is more than a buzzword.

Reclaim your time. Improve CSI, achieve higher PVR, and save time.

Level up. Know when, where, and how to upgrade the experience you provide customers in person or online.

This thirty-minute webinar will send everybody home with something valuable. Register now and join us on July 12th at 2 pm EST.

AUTOMOTIVE

Motor Morsels: Lambo, FIAT, and Toyota

Don't call it a sell-out! The final all-ICE Lambo has been sold. The VW brand has officially transitioned to a fully hybrid lineup, with the Revuelto PHEV also sold out until the end of 2025. By 2024, $2B in investments will bring more Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle models to the market and help transition the brand to all-electric by 2030.

Suggested listening: "Mama Said Knock You Out" by LL COOL J

Little Orange Fiat. Fiat is going brand first with a short film featuring its CEO, Olivier Francois. The company spent a year producing an ad declaring the Italian company is not about dull gray cars but vibrant colors. The ad ends with the CEO sitting in a FIAT as it is dipped in bright orange paint. The shot is one worth seeing.

Part of FIAT's new groove is the old city-friendly Topolino EV. The slow (under 30MPH), short-range (under 50 miles), and low-price (under $11K) fully electric FIAT was made to travel the ancient misshapen, often Roman-built roads of Italy and Europe. We kinda dig it as a step between walking and biking.

Suggested listening: "Little Red Corvette" by Prince

Rock Solid. Toyota claims to have made a technological breakthrough, halving the weight, size, and cost of batteries and enabling solid-state batteries with a 745-mile range and 10-minute charging time. While missing details have left some skeptical, it could be a revolutionary moment for EVs.

Regardless, the company is sitting on a 'solid' June with 195,448 vehicles sold in the US over the month, up 14.9% YOY. Filling but not exceeding the pent-up demand will make some companies rich with cash and others rich with cars. We know which one we would prefer to be.

Suggested listening: "Solid As A Rock" by Ella Fitzgerald

TL; DR – The last all-gas Lambo is sold, Fiat is doing a ‘little’ self-discovery, and Toyota’s got its feet on solid ground.

CULTURE/TECHNOLOGY

Miners, Astronauts, and Aliens

⛏️🗿🌱

Under our feet. A massive deposit of high-grade phosphate rock has been discovered in Norway, estimated to meet global demand for fertilizer, solar panels, and EV batteries for 100 years. The 70 billion-ton deposit contains essential minerals which could significantly decrease Europe's import dependency.

🔭🪐🚀 

Above our heads. After a nine-week communication break due to terrain obstruction, NASA has reestablished contact with the Mars helicopter, Ingenuity. The agency confirmed Ingenuity's successful 52nd flight, covering 1,191 feet. If checks show no damage from isolation, Ingenuity's 53rd flight will take place in the coming weeks.

👽🎥✅

In our hearts. The new Alien movie, tentatively titled "Alien: Romulus," has completed filming, moving on to post-production. Directed by Fede Álvarez and produced by Ridley Scott, the film will be released in August 2024. Notably, Sigourney Weaver will not reprise her role as Ellen Ripley.

Telling it like it is – Good news for everyone except whoever the Xenomorphs get their mini-mouth on…

Quick Hits

• Despite opposition, the IAEA approved Japan's plan to gradually release treated Fukushima wastewater into the Pacific. ☢️

• Nick Cage will join the cast of the horror video game “Dead by Daylight” as a survivor named Nick Cage. 👺

• Apple has banned an ad spoofing its Vision Pro headset even though it is older than the actual headset. 🚫

History

• 1885: Louis Pasteur successfully tests his vaccine against rabies on a boy who was bitten by an infected dog. 💉

• 1942: Anne Frank and her family take refuge in a secret sealed-off area of an Amsterdam warehouse to hide from Nazi occupiers. 📔

• 1961: The last Renault CV4 is built. 👩‍🏭