Once again, I accompanied my research assistants to the New York International Auto Show (#NYAIS) with an eye on evaluating the event as marketing. Although I didn’t see any new exhibits that made me think differently about any given brand, I did recognize a hidden value of the show: speed dating for brands.
NYIAS Retro: Read My Posts from last year’s show
With over one million visitors, all of whom seem to want to slide behind the wheel of the same Corvette that you do, NYIAS has no room for subtlety. In my personal case, my research assistants made sure that I had even less time to decide whether to visit a booth.
My research assistants couldn’t even agree on which booth to knock over first
As a result, I started to see the similarities between the show and speed dating (as least as I’ve seen it in the movies; I last dated in the Cretaceous Era).
- The room has a lot of potential matches who start to look alike after awhile
- Everyone is trying his or her darndest
- You always suspect there’s someone better for you…somewhere
So, let me point out the brands that would have merited a second date, at least with me (disclosure: I have not been on a second date since 2001, so YMMV) and why I liked them.
Ford Cars: My Kids Liked Her
The closest thing I saw to a home run was (mixed metaphor alert): Ford’s partnership with the New York City Football Club of Major League Soccer. Continue reading