What every car manufacturer on the planet needs is a new hit car. For a new model, or version of an existing model, to be a hit it has to do three things. First, it has to put up big numbers in terms of sales. Second, it must accomplish this feat without stealing too many sales from other models that the manufacturer sells. Third, the new model must improve the overall reputation of the brand. Because people have distinct feelings about most brands this third task is very difficult and therefore hit cars do not come out every year.
The first obstacle to overcome is how you get people to come out in droves to buy your latest vehicle. First we look at where these potential buyers come from. There are people who plan to buy a car this year, people who think they will buy a car sometime in the next 2 to 3 years, and others who enter the market only after they learn of this model. This last group although the smallest of the three is in many ways the most important. This is because if you can get people to enter the marketplace to buy this car when they weren’t even in the market for a new car, then those who were already planning on buying a car will be easily convinced of the benefits of this model. Although television and print ads help to sell cars, word of mouth can be even more powerful. |
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