We are all familiar with how automotive manufacturers market the dream – exhilarating images of open roads, or small cars darting about a cityscape, but is this now an automotive experience that rarely exists in the real world?  The Department of Transport certainly think so, they recently reported that the average speed of Cars on UK A-roads is stable at a mere 25mph.

Nonetheless is that any reason to depart from a tried and trusted approach that has been with us since the 60’s?  Well, add into the equation that a drive to create fuel efficient cars has led to a harmonisation of design across the manufacturers.  Gone are the different shapes and sizes (do you remember there even used to be cars that only had 3 wheels) and in are the rigidly defined car classes where different manufacturers vary in size by mm.

And this harmonisation is leading to the erosion of brand loyalty.

Cap Gemini reports that in 2002 40% of consumers said they’d buy the same brand again. By 2010 75% of consumers said they were considering at least 4 brands for their next purchase.  The individuality of the brands, a hallmark of the romantic era of motoring, is being replaced by the efficiency of Kaizen manufacturing.

So is it time for manufacturers to re-evaluate how they sell the (realistic) dream and differentiate themselves at the same time?  Perhaps it’s time to make things personal.

In today’s economy, coupons and offers have never been more popular with consumers. Group deals (sometimes known as social deals) are often touted as the best new social media marketing services to generate traffic and sales, and has propelled the leading providers in this space, Groupon and LivingSocial, to ever increasing heights of popularity.

But how do you make social deals an effective social media marketing tool? How do you get ROI, not just marketing kudos? While these deals — which typically only go into effect once a certain mass of customers is achieved and thus rely on friends pestering one another — can drive more traffic to a retailer, they need to be thought out carefully. Some retailers who’ve run a social deal on sites such as Groupon have complained that it was not effective in customer acquisition, only bringing in the bargain hunters who flit away to the next deal, whereas others have actually lost money.

The key, of course, is planning. So what do retailers need to know before taking the plunge?

As social networking sites, mobile marketing and geolocation services intersect, new products from developers and established social platforms are providing people with a number of added benefits. Marketers, too, are beginning to see their value, experimenting with new promotions and platforms to increase customer engagement. ClickZ has rounded up some of the latest ways developers and marketers are tapping into the potential of mobile marketing and geolocation services.

“Can You Help Me Find…”
A lot of basic marketing information can be gleaned from social networking sites combined with an individual’s location, but now “secondary” mobile marketing data is beginning to emerge with some clever apps and geolocation services. Powell’s Book, an independent book store in Portland, Oregon, created an iPhone app that gives customers turn-by-turn directions to find the books they are looking for. It’s a great utility that can replace in-store kiosks and even a store associate, but also, a mobile marketing opportunity.