In the early 1970s during the Watergate scandal, then Vice President Spiro Agnew was defending President Nixon and called the national press ‘nattering nabobs of negativism’.
Today, for once, I am on the opposite end from the ex-VP. Just as happened during Cash for Clunkers, the national media is spreading the message that America is back to buying new cars. It may be their way of telling us this is the only reaction of a victimized consumer at the gas pump, but it’s bringing out the buyers even while manufacturer incentives are being cut.
That brings us to the buyers, and I don’t know who said it first – might have been Mike Strong – but the airwaves are covered up with commercials saying ‘join your neighbors this week, it’s a great time to buy!’ Again, just as we saw with Cash for Clunkers, there is no better motivator than seeing a new car in the neighbor’s driveway.
Thank you national media, keep those stories on the front page and the traffic will continue to grow. Yes, history is repeating itself and I hope you are ready – lead, follow or get out of the way of this long-awaited bandwagon!
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John Paul Strong
John Paul Strong combines his two decades of automotive marketing experience with a team of more than 150 professionals as owner and CEO of Strong Automotive.
