WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | Tim's Take: Are Giant Green Dragons Functional or Just Fun?
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If the inflatable dragon can get you onto the lot, car dealers will take their chances with selling you a car.
SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - I've never understood the giant green dragons and purple gorillas that you see on the side of the road from time to time.
Oh, I know they're they're for a reason. I just don't see their appeal to car dealers or their use as a marketing tool.
I mean, has anyone ever been driving down the street, seen one of these things on the side of the road and felt suddenly compelled to pull into a dealership and drop $20,000? Has the size, shape or species of the inflatable creature on a car lot ever persuaded anyone to add leather seats or upgrade a stereo system?
Are people really so impressionable? Do dealers really think they are?
"Lately, we have done research that shows it gets attention,'' Larry Lanier, a sales and leasing consultant with Chatham Parkway Toyota, says of the 25-foot inflatable dragon in front of his dealership. "We don't have a big sign out by the expressway. This gets people's attention and then they look at the cars. They see everything ballooned up and it's a lot of fun. Anything to get them on the lot.''
Somebody else in the business explained it this way: With their big blowups, dealerships are operating on the same principal as TV networks that run silly game shows or outrageous reality television rather than programs such as 60 Minutes.
It's all about attracting attention.
Fair enough. But I'm not sure attention equates to car sales as easily as it does to ratings. There are other unique marketing gimmicks that make a little more sense.
Supermarket sample ladies push actual product, some of which somebody might actually buy. The Uncle Sams parading in front of accounting offices could remind somebody that the tax deadline is approaching. Those massive American flags outside some businesses might court patriotic customers.
But the giant, inflatable roadside dragon? Maybe it could be a great strategy...if the idea was to sell suits of armor.
Reported by: Tim Guidera, tguidera@wtoc.com - Read more of Tim's stories here.
