HIDS

Members of today's young generation, especially those most likely to invest serious money in vehicle parts and accessories, are a contradictory bunch.

As soon as they realize you're marketing to them, they'll tune you out faster than you can say "tuner enthusiast." So the key is to immerse your company in the culture as opposed to advertising to it, says Tom Healy, vice president of marketing for Turtle Wax, which is embarking on a marketing campaign aimed at cutting through the clutter this year.

The company's "Get Waxed" tour includes a number of incentives, but the centerpiece is a modified candy green 1997 Nissan 240 SX, which will have a presence at automotive events like the popular Hot Import Nights shows and eventually be given away as a sweepstakes prize.

"Rather than have a corporate presence at the shows, we've agreed to be part of the culture," says Healy.

Anyone who's taken part in these custom car shows, which emphasize fashion, dizzying lights and thumping dance music, will attest that the marketing methods of traditional industry events would likely stick out like training wheels on a Harley Davidson.

"Setting up a booth isn't enough in today's industry," says Andy Goodman, operations director of the National Custom Car Association (NCCA), the main governing body for industry events and recipient of a Turtle Wax sponsorship at this year's shows.

As a sponsor, Turtle Wax will heavily brand itself throughout this year's show circuit with NCCA website banners and logos worn by event judges.

Turtle Wax will also kick in money for the overall purse won by NCCA points leaders, as well as provide a "community car care basket" filled with the company's car care products to be used by contestants who want to put some prejudging finishing touches on their vehicles.

Much like last year's black and yellow DNX "Street Lethal" Ford Focus that toured car shows across the nation, the Nissan will make the coast-to-coast journey pulled on a trailer by a modified Dodge 3500 pickup.

The car, which has a street value of more than $100,000, says Goodman, will be given away at the SEMA show this November in Las Vegas during the NCCA National Points Award Ceremony.

At each of the Nissan's appearances, participants can have their picture taken with the car and a model (another popular "branding" technique in the tuner market). For a shot at winning the car, applicants must go online to retrieve their photo. There they will be entered into the sweepstakes.

To add even more credibility to this event, Turtle Wax has assembled its own Dream Team, led by Neil Tjin, who also built the touring car and modified the Turtle Wax truck. Tjin, 26, has built about 40 vehicles and is a recognized name throughout the show car circuit, adding cache to the promotion.

Goodman says the Dream Team, which now numbers around 20 members, comprises icon builders throughout the U.S. "These guys represent the future of our industry."

And the Nissan is fully "street legal," he adds. "The car was designed in a way where it's still performance-oriented but it's show capable."

The addition of Tjin provides "credibility right out the door," Goodman says.

An avid car rebuilder since his high-school days, Tjin says he loves to prove people wrong, like by putting an 11-inch tire on a wheel only intended to hold 10 inches.

"The stretch tire looks like the tire is basically going to fall off," he says. "It looks outrageous."

For the Turtle Wax Nissan, Tjin and his builders used carbon fiber for the top half-- which, he admits, is an expensive proposition--s15 front-end conversion and s15 headlights with HIDs, as well as custom HRE wheels and Toyo tires. The engine rumbles with 400 horsepower and a direct-port nitrous set-up.

When interviewed, Tjin was putting the finishing touches on a 2005 Toyota Scion tC (a four-door no less) that promises to be a work of automotive art.

The Get Waxed tour will also include "Show and Shine" events at participating retailers with product demonstrations and giveaways.

This is Turtle Wax's first foray into the tuner market, but it seems to be paying off. The green Nissan has been featured in at least a half-dozen national consumer magazines and the tour has only just begun.

For information about the promotion, visit www.turtlewaxtour.com. Visit www.nationalcustomcarassociation.com for information about the NCCA.

As Tjin attests, the Scion seems to be a popular ride for car show appearances these days. And Toyota has cleverly avoided "overmarketing" this vehicle, which makes ownership more inclusive and inadvertently more popular.

Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, another cultural partaker, recently teamed up with Hot Import Nights to unveil the Fuzion-equipped Scion tC project car.

The cross-country tour, which kicked off at the Hot Import Nights show in March at the Los Angeles Convention Center--where the Turtle Wax Nissan also made an appearance--was launched to help support the Fuzion HRi tire, a high-performance tire that features an asymmetrical tread pattern and boasts improved handling over traditional tread designs.

Fuzion also took advantage of the Los Angeles event to roll out its unique company "spokescreatures" FUZ and NOIZ.

Lest you think this is a demoralizing description of the usual bikini-clad models who grace the show floors, FUZ and NOIZ are a male-female character duo, also known as the tuner twins, who resemble a couple of anime gremlins.

"FUZ and NOIZ are symbolic of every guy and girl on the scene with a genuine passion for the custom automotive lifestyle," says Michael Fluck, Bridgestone's advertising and Internet manager. "They're everyday enthusiasts, just like everyone else--except for having green skin. Well, that, and FUZ doesn't wear pants, but it's all about being yourself, anyway."

Another wash and wax manufacturer decided to reach tuners by following the market's protocol: using the template of auto show competitions already in place. Mothers Polish handed out a Top Tuner Award at last year's International Auto Salon in Los Angeles in both a consumer and manufacturer category.

The trophies are sporty car replicas. "We think it's time to have a special award that spotlights the level of quality and craftsmanship evident in these sport compacts," says Marketing Director Ken Holland.

Adrift in market share

Auto audio purveyor Rockford Fosgate has decided to market straight into a niche as it announced earlier this year its sponsorship of the Formula Drift Series.

Fosgate will have a presence at about six competitions and carry the title of official audio supplier of the drifting events. Drifting, which has picked up steam since its import from Japan, emphasizes control as competitors "drift" sideways through a set course and are awarded points based on speed, drift angle and style.

Rockford also is sponsoring the U.S. drift team, Drift Alliance, which includes such notable racing names as Chris Forsberg, Ryan Hampton and Tony Angelo.

"True to the game, Formula D brings drifting and the import motorsports culture to the streets of the U.S.," says Zach Luke, Rockford Fosgate's mobile marketing manager. "This is the real deal."

So be it a souped-up car or sponsorship event, the fact is that creativity is necessary to reach today's young generation.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Advanstar Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group