I'm intrigued by what really goes through an owner's mind when they find out they have a car or truck that's discontinued. I'm sure a lot people don't care or don't really realize a particular model is retired after a while. It's expected, right? But for some, a vehicle defines
who they are. And it just might irk these customers to know they bought a vehicle the brand chose to pull from the product line-up...or worse yet, they bought a vehicle from a brand that's simply going away. So when, for example, Pontiac announced they're "going adios," what do those poor Solstice convertible owners think?
There's a lot written about customer loyalty, lost customers, conquesting, etc. But right now, when sales are down and customers are nervous about the economy, this is important stuff. It's really important to keep good customers interested in your brand.
If I asked you whether you'd be less likely to consider a certain brand because it's being discontinued, what would you say? Based on results this week from some consumer research we're doing, better than a third (34%) of recent vehicle owners we just interviewed say they would agree or strongly agree that they'd be less likely to consider the brand if it were going away. Ouch. If 34% bailed on a given brand, we'd be looking at one happy feeding frenzy for the competitors. I guess that's why they call it
conquesting.
Is loyalty to a company a given? No. Is it something that has to be given up just because of other business strains? Absolutely not. I like the old adage - "Nothing in life is worth it if you aren't willing to work for it."
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