Pontiac With Its Internet-only Advertising


by Noah Scott - Date: 2007-02-14 - Word Count: 566 Share This!

Pontiac, a brand of General Motors is planning to create an online community were car aficionados can meet and share their love for cars. Pontiac will set up a Motorati Island, a 96 acre island in Second Life in late November. Pontiac plans to sell virtual versions of the Pontiac Solstice GXP, conduct virtual concerts at the Pontiac Garage music stage in Times Square and stage car races.

Pontiac would also invite the entire Second Life population to suggest proposals on how they would create a "car culture" on the island. Pontiac is expecting that as Second Life starts to create a culture of car lovers in the island it will eventually encouraged other car enthusiasts to join the community and Pontiac would like to be at the forefront when that happens. The proposals will officially be submitted to Second Life next month and will be viewed online at MotoratiLife.com.

Tor Myhren, Executive Creative Director at Leo Burnett in Detroit, Pontiac's ad agency said, "What we're trying to do is go far beyond a press release saying that we're on Second Life. We want to connect with the people there." In short, Pontiac wants to give the Second Life community a sense of involvement and ownership in the creation of the Motorati Island.

Aside from its partnership with Second Life, Pontiac has also teamed up with Digitas and Yahoo to create the Pontiac Underground which is a social networking site for car lovers. The new site with the tagline, "Where Passion for Pontiac is Driven by You," is part of Yahoo's social-media capabilities which will give Pontiac enthusiasts the opportunity to connect with each other via the social media content such as Flickr photos, Yahoo Answers, Yahoo Video and Yahoo Groups.

The site will also feature an official blog titled "Inside Track" which is part of Pontiac's "Social Commerce" marketing initiative. Other campaigns are posted in MySpace and Second Life.

Jodi Harris Managing Editor of iMedia Connection's Driving Interactive said, "Autos enthusiasts can be powerful brand advocates, and tend to be particularly influential when people in their social networks are looking for vehicle recommendations."

Pontiac G5 Launched with Internet Advertising Only
It is interesting to note that the launching of Pontiac G5 was backed only by internet advertising. Although the internet advertising of the G5 may not generate as much awareness as TV commercials but what it lacks in breadth it makes up in depth, since it is able to capture young generation of car enthusiasts by appearing on sites such as Yahoo Music, Google and MySpace--- sites that have large number of followers.

Richer also said that the debut of G5 has cost them 60 to 70% less than a traditional car launch. And six weeks of online campaign has given Pontiac 185% sales which exceeded their August goals. Online marketing is becoming the trend for many automakers since its not only inexpensive but also gives them a strong branding solution for their auto products.

General Motors is currently making use of online marketing in promoting its various lines automobile plus its array of auto parts products like its popular line of GM ball joint, GM bed mat and others. The internet provides GM an opportunity to reach a large number of potential car buyers around the world. Plus, according to Automotive Media that by utilizing online marketing, automakers will get better advertising returns with 20% less spending within five years.


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Noah Scott is a 30 year old native of New Jersey, writer, and car fan - having grown up with both parents being auto enthusiasts. He works for an automotive consultancy firm and regularly contributes articles to car magazines.

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