Auto Shows - Should They Be Abandoned?

As the automotive industry tightens its belt and marketing budgets are being slashed, automakers and their agencies are being forced to question the value of every penny spent. We've already seen some manufacturers abandon or scale back auto show participation at the Los Angeles and Detroit auto shows. Is this a good decision? According to a recent consumer survey from by Foresight Research, auto shows are still of great value to automakers, delivering better return on investment than many other forms of marketing.

According the survey, one out of four new vehicle buyers said they attended at least one auto show in a 12-month period prior to purchasing their vehicle, and among all buyers 10% said that the auto show had a significant influence on their purchase. The survey also showed that most often, auto shows impact buyers early on in the shopping process: 51% indicated that the auto show influenced their interest in a brand or type of vehicle; 39% said it influenced their decision to shop at dealerships for that vehicle and 19% said the auto show influenced their final purchase decision.

Where else can you go to see every make and model you're considering all in the same place to allow a constructive on-the-spot comparison beetween specific vehicles? This is especially important if you're evaluating different brands and don't want to have to drive between dealerships to compare appearance and features!

The Foresight Research Marketing ROI Study was conducted this fall among nearly 4,000 recent vehicle buyers - people who own or lease a vehicle that was acquired during the 2008 model year. They were questioned about what influenced them to shop for and ultimately purchase or lease the vehicle they chose.

Auto show attendees also influence the purchase decision of other buyers. This group of buyers reported giving 8.8 average new vehicle recommendations per year to other people. So what auto show attendees see does not stay at the auto show.

Among the auto show influenced buyers, 30% indicated that prior to coming to the auto show they did not plan to visit the display of the brand they ultimately choose.

It appears Foresight's study proves what people in the industy already knew: "Auto shows offer a unique opportunity for shoppers to discover brands and carlines that they would have overlooked," said Steve Bruyn, CEO of Foresight.

If you're interested in other fine details the study revealed, these findings and many other tools for calculating the effectiveness of marketing efforts and ultimately the return on dollars spent are reported in the syndicated "2008 Marketing ROI: Communications Effectiveness Audit" which can be downloaded at www.foresightresearch.com

Established in 1998, Foresight Research is a full-service market research company primarily serving the automotive, financial services, and health-care industries. The study was conducted under the direction of Steve Bruyn, CEO and Ron Hein, Executive Vice President - Automotive.

Additional information about Foresight Research and other Foresight studies can be found online at www.foresightresearch.com (click on syndicated studies) or by calling 248-608-1870.

Do you regularly attend auto shows? What was the last auto show you attended, and did it help you make a vehicle purchase? Please share your thoughts and opinions with us.

By Brandy Schaffels
AskPatty.com Editor