OFFICIAL Marussia F1 Team & PolePositionGirl.com Party at the US F1 Grand Prix, Austin Texas

Join Rhino Marketing at the OFFICIAL Marussia F1 Team & PolePositionGirl.com Party in Austin, Texas Saturday, November 17^th at the Ten Oaks Bourbon House & Lounge in downtown Austin from 8pm – 2am during the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix (USGP).

VIP access and tickets can be purchased at PolePositionGirl.com. 

Live the life of Formula 1: The Marussia team offers you the chance to "get into the garage".

Courtesy of Austin.CultureMap.Com

  

BY KEVIN BENZ

11.08.12 | 04:00 pm

The Formula 1 United States Grand Prix (USGP) is new to Austin, but Austin is new to Formula 1, too. That means some of the racing teams coming to Texas for the first time are anxious to develop strong ties to the business community. And they're willing to do some crazy stuff to make the networking happen.

The Marussia F1 team is doing just that. One investor in the team is Sir Richard Branson — that Sir Richard Branson. He owns Virgin, he's been into space, and he'll be in Austin with the team for the USGP. CNBC, the American TV network, is also a sponsor.

Marussia recognized that Formula 1 does not enjoy the widespread American goodwill of say, NASCAR, due to the failures of other recent F1 races in the U.S. So no one is going to pay $5 million for a sponsorship package here.

Mike Scudamore is Marussia's sponsorship and acquisitions manager. He is sure that Formula 1 just needs to show businesses what they can do. "So we want to give business people a chance to get into the garage," he says. "They can hang around the team and get a chance to see and feel what Formula 1 is all about."

Do you want to watch qualifying with Branson in the team garage? How about Paddock Passes? Do you want to mingle with the team (and maybe Branson) in their hospitality suite? Maybe party with them at their team event? It's all available with Marussia.

But wait, there's more. Rhino Marketing out of Houston is shooting a documentary on the team. "F1 races enjoy the largest global TV viewership of all motorsports," explains Thomas Hensley, a producer of the film.

"With Formula 1 returning to the United States, there was an opportunity to create a TV documentary around F1 returning to the U.S.... we'll follow the Marussia F1 Team to give a team’s perspective on racing back in the U.S." A Marussia sponsorship can also get you in the movie.

This never happens in real life, but for most of us, Formula 1 is not real life and this team is making it ridiculously affordable to get full team access and even place your logo on their F1 car.

"Affordable" of course is a relative term so let's not kid ourselves, this package, while being listed at an amazing discount, is not exactly in the "affordable" range for most us. But for some, it may be just what they are looking for to get in front of an international audience.

Marussia is selling team sponsorships and F1 car sponsorships. A worldwide F1 team sponsorship would cost in the seven-figure range, and a regional sponsorship like this one is way up into six figures — except this year, when the sport makes its debut in a new region so the prices are well discounted.

Team sponsorships, depending on what you buy, include paddock passes, a pass to watch qualifying in the team garage, three-day paddock club tickets, and well, a chance to live the life of F1 for a couple of days. What's that worth?

Marussia is currently 10th in the 2012 constructors standings and driver Timo Glock finished 14th in Abu Dhabi last weekend. They're not likely to win the race, but they do compete and they are sure they have a lot to offer businesses.

"Sponsors will see up close and personally what Marussia and F1 can do for their business. We'll take them into the heart of the team because we want to embrace Americas enthusiasm for this race, this circuit and the city of Austin," says Scudamore.

Here's what one car sponsorship looks like on rear wing endplate according to the Marussia sponsorship kit:

Or, for a little bit more you can have the leading edge of the sidepods:

Or, you can get access but no sponsor logo.

Going once, going twice... yeah I know, crazy right? Well, maybe not for everyone.

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Parties interested in sponsoring the Marussia team in Austin can contact Mike Scudamore with Marussia for more information.

Bounce Forward – “Face Your Career Crisis With A Plan” by Scott Tollett Hits Bookshelves Across the Country

As a Senior Telecom Executive with ALLTEL Communications (now Verizon Wireless) and most recently with T-Mobile USA, Scott Tollett earned a reputation as a man who motivates people to greater heights.  From a distance, his career may look like one progressive climb, but that’s far from the truth.  Scott has successfully navigated 6 major career crises while also increasing his job responsibilities, influence and compensation at the same time.

In his new book, Scott openly describes his struggles and challenges in great detail and outlines his job search formula in a clear, yet practical plan. “In the middle of my own job transitions, I put together a plan and Bounced Forward.  I truly believe the lessons I’ve outlined in Bounce Forward work and can provide the inspiration and action plan needed to help people get their careers back on track,” says Scott. 

In Bounce Forward – “Face Your Career Crisis With A Plan”, Scott provides 27 lessons, laid out in an easy to follow format, that are proven to succeed and provide a roadmap to get people working again. 

Currently on a cross country tour in support of Bounce Forward, Scott is meeting and working with Americans to help them in their quest for employment.  Scott’s charismatic and ‘tell it like it is’ approach inspires people to be focused and motivated.  Through his blog and website, Scott offers support to those who need additional support and coaching in their quest to regain employment. 

Bounce Forward is published by Spartan Publishing and available in bookstores, on Amazon and through www.ScottTollett.com.

# # #

Scott Tollett has worked in executive leadership and management positions for the last 12 years of his career.  He created a national television business, a publishing company and a sales leadership training firm.  Scott would welcome the opportunity for an interview on the current unemployment crisis and provide insight on how he proposes to get people reemployed.  Complementary advance copies of Bounce Forward are available through SSelph@RhinoMarketing.cc

What Leaders are saying about

Scott Tollett and Bounce Forward

“Scott's new book addresses the job crisis in America with an action-based formula that any person can apply.  He shares his life experiences giving you a road map for your success!"

~ Frank Harrison III, COB/CEO, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated

“Bounce Forward will have an immediate and positive impact for thousands of people.  I've been in the field of career counseling and career development for 17 years, and this is the most down-to-earth and practical advice I have ever seen compiled into one book.  Scott's new book can change lives, including yours, forever!”

~ Steve Mosley, CEO, Upper Right Leadership

"Bounce Forward is easy to read and filled with the steps needed to help put many people in this great country of ours back to work.  If you're going through a career transition, you need to read this book.”

~ Monte Edwards, Executive VP/Partner at SRS

“This book is easy to read and even easier to apply.  It's a must read for people in a career transition”

~ Allen Hurley, former Chairman/Co-Founder of Touchstone Wireless

"In Bounce Forward, Scott Tollett masterfully imparts practical wisdom that millions need to hear.  Scott digs deep from his own experience and shares a message that propelled his career and will propel yours as well."

~ Larry Griffith, Executive Vice President, Geneva College

“Scott's book is an inspiring "real" life approach to managing personal crisis with a tactical plan that puts you in control of your own destiny.  We all can relate to many of the experiences he shares, and he points out that our positive attitude, with an objective plan, makes the difference.  Good luck to all and --- Bounce Forward!

~ Lesli Gilbert, Senior VP, Head of Stores, Talbots

“It’s amazing how easy it is to forget key Job Search elements.  Scott’s Bounce Forward facts were more than helpful.  I have personally suggested military personnel re-entering civilian life read this book.  It's a must!”

~ Colonel (R) Stephen R. Dwyer, U.S. Army and Chief Learning Officer, DynCorp International

FOR MORE MEDIA INFORMATION:                                                              

Shannon Selph                                                                      

Rhino Marketing                                                                               

713.681.6711

sselph@rhinomarketing.cc

Bell Geospace to Unveil New Brand Identity at SEG Las Vegas 2012

Bell Geospace, The World Leaders in Gravity Gradiometry, will premier their new brand identity at the SEG Conference in Las Vegas, November 4^th – 9^th.  The SEG Conference, held at the Mandalay Bay, is one of the largest conferences for Geophysicists in the industry.

Bell Geospace will unveil their new brand identity, including a new logo, website, booth design and core messaging at the conference in November. This will be further supported with ongoing print and digital campaigns throughout industry publications. Scott Hammond, CEO of Bell Geospace says, “Bell Geospace’s patented data processing methodologies, inversion capabilities and synergy with other technologies help fast track the exploration work flow for our clients.  We felt it was time to bring that core message into our brand identity.”

The new Bell Geospace logo was developed to reflect one of the premier data sets in the industry, which they produced with their state of the art Full Tensor Gravity Gradiometer on an airship. The result was a sub-eötvös data set with stunning quality allowing end-users to resolve the smallest of features associated with subtle geology.  

“We felt that it was important for our new identity to reflect an example of the quality of our work, so we incorporated the data collected in this project into our brand identity.  We are excited about the new look and messaging and we feel it better reflects the quality of work that we offer our clients.”  - Scott Hammond

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In 1994 Bell Geospace, a private company, was the first to commercialize the use of Full Tensor Gravity (FTG) for resource exploration.  Since then, Bell Geospace has flown over 1 million kilometers using this technology and providing their clients with the most precise data in the industry.  Bell Geospace has offices in North America and Europe.  More on Bell Geospace may be found at www.BellGeo.com.

Advertise Used Car Payments to Drive Traffic

The used car market is hot and dealers around the country are scrambling to shift their traditional new car advertising budgets to promote used car sales. Why not? The margins can be better on used cars, plus dealers can stock their lot heavy or light depending on the demand for a specific type of vehicle or range of vehicles. Recently, dealers have been scouring the auctions buying up all the used vehicles they can. Now that their lots are stocked with plenty late model/low mile used cars, it’s time to sell them fast.

If you’re absorbing automotive media right now, you’ve noticed the shift to used car sales. Dealers are promoting vehicle buyback programs, offering to pay up to 120% of NADA value for trades and everything in between, to get more used car inventory and to flip buyers over to their new car inventory.

How are top dealers standing out and promoting their vehicle selection in a crowded used car market? It differs from market to market. Web banner ads, direct mail, newspaper and select database offers seem to be the best fit right now. Electronic is still the number one overall medium for dealers, but primarily for new car advertising.

What is the best medium for dealers to use when promoting used cars and what is the best type of offer? Right now, it’s used car payments. That’s right, used car payments. This is not a new trick of the trade, but it’s a trick that’s being used more often recently to increase traffic to the dealership and catch eyeballs with their advertising.

This concept appeals to the consumer’s sense of greed: “I want more for less and I want something I know I can afford each month.” A $159 per month car payment sounds like a whole lot less than $18,000, doesn’t it? It looks better in print (web ads, newspaper, direct mail, database offer) and sounds better in electronic advertising. People understand what they can afford each month in terms of a payment, but $18,000 seems like a lot of money to borrow right now. Of course, they end up borrowing the money, but dealers are driving more traffic with eye catching low monthly payments, rather than price on used cars.

Payments have been driving the purchase decision on new cars for years supported by factory incentives and low APR’s. Now with the economy the way it is, high gas prices and the mind set of a cautious and budget minded consumer, it is working on the used car buyer more than ever.

Still not sure? Here is a no cost way to test this approach at your dealership today. Just place ad banners on your web site’s home page that screams ‘low monthly payments’. Have one under $250 per month, one under $200 per month and even another under $150 per month on late model, low mileage used cars. You will receive phone calls and e-mail inquiries immediately. From there, you will feel more comfortable placing traditional advertising using the same format and payments.

Thomas Hensey is the Managing Partner at Rhino Marketing, a full-service advertising agency.

Forecast, Plan & Execute

Build your marketing ‘Yellow Brick Road’ for Success in 2011

It is January 1st, 2011. You have 365 days to exceed your sales goals for the year. Are you going to take it month-by-month, week-by-week or even day-by-day?  Are you going to base your marketing decisions on how you did last weekend? 

As Peter Drucker said, “the best way to predict the future is to create it” and most successful dealerships agree. Now is the time to build your marketing ‘Yellow Brick Road’ for success in 2011. 

Forecast

Start by looking at December 31st and where you project to be in sales volume. Reverse engineer the plan backwards month-by-month. Take into account the uniqueness of each month, holidays, pay periods, buying habits and factory pushes. Each month is very different and presents new challenges and opportunities. This is a macro to micro approach and is slightly different from what most dealers do. It will make you think about the year, not just this month or the first quarter. 

Once you have those numbers, you can multiply them by your investment criteria to get your annual and monthly gross spending. Deduct your fixed advertising expenses from that amount and you will have your net budget based on real sales goals and unique months, not average numbers. Dealers who do this ALWAYS outperform dealers who make decisions on a month-by-month basis. 

Plan

Marketing can equal profit for your dealership, but only if you plan for it. It is not about how much money you spend, it is about where and how you spend it. This way of thinking requires planning, but can save you thousands of advertising dollars. At this stage, you MUST build in measurements of success and quantifiable outcomes for each campaign. If you don’t, you are just spending money for spending sake. Focus on the profitable customers and leave the others for your competition. 

Now you can provide your agency with your month-by-month and annual sales forecast and budget numbers. They should build and present you with an annual plan, quarterly focus and monthly specifics. Think of your agency as ‘money managers’, not as ad guys. Require them to track and measure each campaign and make the necessary course adjustments along the way. The key difference here is that they will be making those adjustments off a forecast and plan, not a knee jerk from a bad month or a nice sounding “package deal” from a sales rep who walks in your door. 

At this point, you should have 12 monthly calendars, each with their own unique sales goals, spending levels and media plans to: Identify, Find, Touch & Thrill your customers and give your dealership a better ROI on each dollar invested. 

Execute

Okay, now for the hard part. You can have a targeted and relevant strategy but fail in the execution. Success does not live in isolation, it takes an integrated team approach to build and complete the marketing bridge from the dealer to the customer. The wind will blow and the tides will shift and the only way to stay on track and meet or exceed your sales goals on December 31st is to have a plan and work it hard. Consistency kills in the advertising game. You should be in weekly communications with your agency to review and optimize the plan based on your measurements. 

Thomas Hensey is the managing partner at Rhino Marketing, a full service advertising agency. He can be reached at  713-681-6711 or at thensey@rhinomarketing.cc

Marketing Toolbox

The world of automotive marketing has experienced drastic changes over the past several years. Dealers are jumping from one medium to another trying to attract that ever elusive customer hiding behind a very fragmented media landscape.

One month it is a cable TV buy, the next it is a ‘Hail Mary’ direct mail campaign. Meanwhile, dealers are clubbing their database over the head with ‘one-size fits all’ e-mails, throwing videos up on YouTube or postings on the internet in hopes that someone will see it and buy a car from them.

So with increased competition for fewer customers and limited resources and budgets, how do you reach that elusive customer?

Start by identifying them. There’s plenty of demographic, geographic and even psychographic information that you can access from your manufacture. You also have years of your own research and customer profiles to draw from. Take an hour and revisit that before you start your planning.

Okay, now that you’ve figured out who you would like to target, it’s time to figure out where they are. Access the millions of dollars of independent research available and it will tell you what your target customer reads, watches and listens to. Your agency will have this or you can access it from any media outlet at no charge.

Remember, there is not one right way to reach them, there are many right ways. It is now about finding the most cost efficient way to communicate to as many people, as many times as possible who have the highest propensity to buy a car.

Think of marketing as a toolbox. Inside it you have dozens of tools to choose from to fix, repair or build with. Not knowing exactly what you may need, you want to have all the tools at your disposal so they are ready when required.

Marketing is the same way. Open your Marketing Toolbox and find the right tools to work with. You may simply need a screwdriver (advertising), wrench (database) or just a hammer (direct mail) from time to time. Or you may find that you need several different tools to achieve the desired results – an integrated approach.

Challenge each tool in the beginning to make sure you select the right one with the right fit to accomplish the job. Set benchmarks, objectives and measurements for the desired outcome. You would not use a drill to saw a two by four in half, would you?

Don’t make your next media buy based on a media rep calling and offering ‘fire sale’ rates or buy cable TV because it is cheap in your market. Review, consider and use the tools in your Marketing Toolbox to build the most efficient path to the customer. If the job calls for an electric sander, then make sure you have the best electric sander in your Marketing Toolbox.

Research, plan and execute your 2011 strategy carefully. Monitor and measure it daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly with your agency. Then you will know what is the best tool to use, when to use it and how to use it. You can now make course adjustments as necessary. Remember, the Marketing Toolbox can be a dealer’s best friend if used properly.

Thomas Hensey is the managing partner of Rhino Marketing, a full service automotive advertising agency. He can be reached at  713-681-6711, thensey@rhinomarketing.cc or www.rhinoautomotive.com.

Social Media Works (If You Have a Plan)

2010

Quite frankly, to do social media for the sake of being “in the game” is not worth the effort. You will just be disappointed with the results, get frustrated and eventually give up. If you don’t commit the time, resources and money it takes to effectively implement and stay on top of a social media plan, then you might as well keep your money parked in traditional media.

Most dealers are now spending 30% - 40% of their overall budget on some type of social media exercise. This includes Facebook, YouTube videos, blogging, tweeting, live chats, SEM, SEO and the like. With that level of spending, you must commit the same level of resources to implement and monitor your activities – both internal and external.

Planning, execution and monitoring are more critical with social media than they are in traditional media. Knowing what you are doing and why you are doing it will dramatically increase your success rate. Just throwing up videos on YouTube will not get the results you are looking for. If you want social media to work for your dealership, then you need to dedicate the internal resources or bring in professional outside help.

There is no ‘one-size’ fits all
Do not buy ‘off-the-shelf’ or ‘one-size-fits-all’ social campaigns. What works best for one dealer does not necessarily work for his competitor – I know that from experience. Your dealerships culture, customer base, consumer proposition, product line, location and traditional advertising message all play a part in planning your social media strategy.

Evaluate the needs and opportunities that best connect with and collect customers on the internet by using relevant social tactics and creative dialog. Build bridges that link your videos, blogs, tweets and on-line promotions back to your web site. Use a consistent tone-of-voice, graphics and/or writing style in all your social communications to build brand trust and consumer recall. All this must fit your dealerships culture and personality.

Doctor / Patient Consultation
If you go to your doctor, he will ask you a lot of questions. You should be having a similar conversation with your management team and agency. This is serious business and it is your money. Then, and only then, should your team bring you the opportunities and plan to achieve the objectives set for social media. Have a doctor – patient consultation first then set your objectives, build a plan and manage the process. Just like the path you take to sell a car.

I recently received an e-mail from a big dealer group and all it said was “I need social media help”. I wrote back and said, ‘fantastic, when can we meet”. They just wrote back and said “I prefer to e-mail, just sell me something”. To me, that is like e-mailing your doctor and telling him you have cancer and to e-mail you back a cure – just crazy.

Thomas Hensey is the managing partner at Rhino Marketing, a full service advertising agency. He can be reached at  713-681-6711 orthensey@rhinomarketing.cc

Year-End Sales Event

It’s December 31, 2010, so hopefully by the time you read this you’ve exceeded your annual sales goals and are in the bonus round for the month. If so, why not put some more candles on your cake with a fantastic year-end sales event. If not, here are some quick and profitable steps you can take to get your share of the additional buyers shopping for a new car the week between Christmas and New Years.

Targeting

Be smart with your advertising money.  Almost every retail category will be advertising some type of sales event the last week of the year, and it can be to get lost in the clutter. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Target your advertising dollars to a specific audience and dominate a medium. Don’t spread your dollars or message too thin this week.

Frequency

The last week of the year is the most critical for frequency. Without it, your message will just be lost in a sea of retail commercials. While your campaigns can normally generate traffic with a weekly frequency of around five (5), to run a successful year-end campaign the last week of the month you will need to achieve a minimum of an eight (8) frequency. That is why we suggest targeting to a specific audience. Remember, you’re going after incremental sales this week so focus on a specific demographic is the key to success.

Radio

Dominate a medium this week. Radio is a frequency medium and has proven to be the most efficient platform for targeting a specific audience. Buy vertical from the day after Christmas until around noon on New Years Eve. I would recommend a minimum of one spot per hour or more on three to five stations that reach your core demographic. Buy a mix of :10 second and :30 second ads and remember to negotiate added value in the form of free rotators, unsold sponsorships and name mentions. You would be surprised what you might get this week if you just ask.

Creative

You can target a specific audience with a lot of frequency this week, but if the offer is not compelling, then you’ve wasted your money. Car buyers are looking for a great year-end deal, so give them one. Remember, perception is reality. Everyone will be advertising the factory’s incentives, so you will have to offer them something more to get their attention and drive traffic over your competition. Set the bar for the market. Choose your ‘ad car’ carefully and make sure your offer is designed to drive traffic TODAY. Make them an offer they can’t refuse. Make sure you stress that this offer will end on December 31^st, so they need to buy today to reap the savings – if they wait or buy somewhere else, they’ll spend too much. They must believe that from your message.Create a ‘Clearance Zone’ on your lot and place your advertised cars there, it is an easy disclaimer for your radio ads.

Thomas Hensey is the managing partner at Rhino Marketing, a full serviceadvertising agency. You can reach him at  713-681-6711 or thensey@rhinomarketing.cc