Clever Marketing Tricks: Car Service Edition

Bear with me if you’ve heard this one, but my attention was once captured by a marketing postcard from the Honda dealership service center my wife uses. One side of the large postcard had a generic car-oriented graphic and the words “FREE Front End Alignment for Your Other Car.” In the lower right corner were the dealership and Honda logos.

Flip the card over and in fairly conversational copy you’re offered a tire change, or a free “truly free four-wheel alignment for your non-Honda, never-before-serviced-at-our-facility, ‘other’ vehicle…”

The copy then goes on about how winter potholes play havoc with alignment–this is a good time to get your car checked before it screws up your tires, etc. The copy then answers the question most people have at this point “What’s the catch, why the heck are you doing this?”

“We at XXX simply want to prove to you that our world-class service department takes the best care of you and your car. Regardless of the make or model, we want you to confidently come to us when you need service…It’s as simple as that.”

A phone number and convenient online scheduling URL are given and the reminder that this is a “$150 value” and to “schedule today.”

Okay, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the marketing value of this promotion: