[DeTomaso] the great debate

michael at michaelshortt.com michael at michaelshortt.com
Wed Oct 22 12:55:11 EDT 2008


No bikini models requested, they wanted a young couple in their early 20's
to pose as Corvette owners for the Corvette Quarterly magazine, a rag
directed at current owners only, not mass marketing.  I agree that sex sells
but it sells mostly to people who aspire to the product not those that
already have the product, in my opinion which is somewhat vindicated by lots
of happy clients. Existing clients want a reaffirmation of a solid product
purchase and in the case of HD and Corvette to reinforce the lifestyle
aspect of the car.  As I said, showing some snot nosed kid as a fellow owner
doesn't do that for me.  Not that I want to see some pot bellied 50 year old
millionaire either, but I do want to see somebody who looks like they earned
the car, LIKE I DID, not somebody who bought it with a trust fund.

My original point was exactly what you said, simply that if development
stopped on the car, others would surpass it and they would lose sales that
should be theirs.

I know that little money is made on the car, it's showrrom candy to lure
buyers in to buy the Malibu, etc.  Just like the NASCAR boys and their
Bowtie cars, which are about as much Chevy, Ford or Dodge as my 450SL.

Esp. with the Corvette, it's selling the lifestyle, the image, etc.  High
Karate after shave
The man who reads Playboy, the rubbies on Harley's, the chick with the LV
handbag, etc.

But if the car fails to perform to the image presented - the shine goes away
over time and owners gravitate to other offerings.
Sure, others who commented work closer to the industry than I do, I simply
know people. and you can't convince me that if the C-4 was as good as the
C-5 and C-6 that
many of the other cars of the same period would have never sold in the
numbers that they did
if the Corvette had not lost some of the luster it had in C-1 through C-3
periods.
The same dollars for 944, 944 turbos, 928, XJS, 280ZX, 300ZX, etc. would
have bought Vettes if they were all that back then. They lapsed into a
reputation as an old man's car who wore gold chains and silver car jackets
covered in patches.  When your number one spokesperson nationally turns out
to be G. Gordon Liddy bragging about his ZR1 on national Radio, then you
need to re-examine your product, The G-man was like 70 years old at the
time.  ( although the ZR1 was a great car, but not representative of all
Corvettes ) The C-4 lasted waaaaaaaay too long and while yearly sales may
have remained strong by their own standards, other brands also sold lots and
lots of cars to a growing market segment who didn't want a Corvette.  Now
that they built an awesome car again, the point remains that if they rest on
their work, the same cycle will repeat itself thus my comment about learning
from history.

but as I also said, we are in a different age and perhaps the time has come
for Corvettes, Vipers, etc. to die and leave it to the specialty folks in
Italy and elsewhere.
The money ain't there and these Detroit marketing and bean counters aren't
even car guys, they want to build shitboxes, minivans and crossovers and
then wonder why Toyota and Honda kick their asses in sales and consumer
satisfaction.  ( notice that despite the 1 billion dollar cost per year,
both Toyota and Honda have F1 efforts with REAL factory involvement).

Michael in Savannah









On Wed, Oct 22, 2008 at 12:17 PM, Gray Gregory <ggregory at gregorycook.com>wrote:

> Michael,
>
> I don't follow the logic of your marketing comments. I'm a middle aged
> guy that can afford a Corvette and I would definitely rather see a
> picture of the car filled with Bikini models than I would of a picture
> of the car with a gray haired guy like me behind the wheel! Number 1
> rule of marketing, sex sells!
>
> Your other point on weather delaying the launch of a C-7 will hurt
> future sales. No doubt that it will. GM is facing serious financial
> problems right now, so the question becomes where is the best place to
> put development dollars? A limited production sports car or a mass
> market compact or SUV? I don't think they can afford to do both right
> now.
>
> Gray
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com]
> On Behalf Of michael at michaelshortt.com
> Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 11:12 AM
> To: Dickruzzindesign at aol.com
> Cc: DavidAdin at mercydurango.org; detomaso at realbig.com
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] the great debate
>
>  Dick,
>
> Please be my guest in Savannah, Daytona, Charlotte, Myrtle Beach, Pigeon
> Forge ( where they had nearly 6,000 Corvettes last week ) and help me
> track
> 25 down Corvette owners under 30!  Pack a lunch!
>
> I never said that the C-6 wasn't a great car, it is, If I had room, I'd
> have
> one, but then again to prove my point, my first car was a 1960 Corvette,
> my
> first ride in a "fast steet car" was my Uncle's 427 Convertible Corvette
> when I was 6 years old and I was a corner worker at Raod Atlanta and
> other
> tracks during the late 70's /80's when a Corvette was the King of GT-1
> and
> I'm 49 years old. ( no gold chains, no silver jacket).
>
> 20 somethings today aspire to Sub WRX Sti's, Hondas, Boxsters, Caymans,
> and
> such.
> to "evolve" a marketing plan is one thing, to dream that kids at that
> age
> will plop down 60-80K car for a car en masse is ridiculous.
>
> Michael in Savannah
>
>
>
> On Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 11:48 AM, <Dickruzzindesign at aol.com> wrote:
>
> > Michael,
> > You sure have it all figured out. Thank you for that.
> > I guess the Corvette is over. I thought for a while that the racing
> success
> > and the European sales would help, no doubt the gold jacket set will
> > undermine the future.
> >
> > Brands do evolve though and the key element of a good brand is its
> ability
> > to reinvent itself. When a Corvette pulls up to a Porsche or BMW that
> costs
> > much more and has the discretionary power to blow it off I think it is
> > securing its future. Also, Corvette has unprecedented sales from
> former
> > European car owners.
> >
> > It is hard to change some peoples minds as they become very secure in
> their
> > opinions and have a hard time backing up.
> >
> > All the best,
> >
> > Dick Ruzzin________________________dickruzzinDESIGN at aol.com
> > 920 Whittier Rd.
> > Grosse Pointe Park, MI 48230
> > Home: 313-824-0539 / Cell: 313-300-9554
> >
> >
> >
> > **************
> > New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining,
> > Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out (
> > http://local.mapquest.com/?ncid=emlcntnew00000002)
>
>
>
>
> --
> Michael L. Shortt
> Savannah, Georgia
> www.michaelshortt.com
> michael at michaelshortt.com
> 912-232-9390
>
>
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-- 
Michael L. Shortt
Savannah, Georgia
www.michaelshortt.com
michael at michaelshortt.com
912-232-9390


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