How bad is the auto business? So bad that a dealer in Europe is offering two-for-one: Buy one car, get a second one free.
How can he afford it? Distributors in southern Europe have been so desperate to get cars off their lots that they were selling them at huge discounts.
From a marketing standpoint, two-for-one is far better than simply cutting the price of the first car. Helps alleviate overcrowding on the lot, too. And all the publicity he’s getting for this stunt doesn’t hurt, either.
But is it working?
Cardoen’s eight showrooms had seen more than 10 times their usual number of visitors since the promotion began. “People have been coming in from all over Belgium and abroad,” said Cardoen’s Commercial Director Ivo Willems.
So people are coming in to kick the tires, and maybe stare at the crazy person who’s giving away free cars. But are they actually buying any? Um, not yet. Willems admits they’ve yet to see an impact on sales.
But at least they’re trying something new. And wisely using free publicity to spread the word. How is your business coping with the economic crisis?