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Sherwood Dodge (with St. Albert Dodge)
Break with tradition and tell the simple truth to consumers while promoting the brand and the product.
The scope of the work involved simple scripts, and radio production (at the radio station). The scripting was such that the focus was always about the truth.
Customers (and non customers) appreciated the unvarnished attitude. Customers felt that their experience at the dealerships were as real as the messages, indicating that the truth was a significant part of the brand.
Over a decade, the Truth In Advertising radio campaign has been celebrated as one of the most successful retail radio campaigns in the region. The goal of the campaign was to move away from the predictable, hard-sell approach to dealership commercials. The dealership principal, Scott Held, was at the centre of the campaign.
The topics were often counterintuitive: the “Above Cost Sale”, the “June Sucked Sale”. The simple scripts pushed the truth with open candor. For example, Scott would share with his audience that they were not part of the family; the truth was that he wanted them to simply buy a vehicle from the dealership. The strategy was also applied in television commercials. Within the radio industry, it was clear that the campaign pushed many dealerships to change their approach. Hard-sell styled commercials began to disappear. Many dealerships tried to emulate the campaign, but the creative team ensured that Sherwood Dodge remained ahead of the curve. In one case, a dealership took a direct shot at Scott in a campaign. There is nothing more revealing than the attention of competitors.
And that’s the truth.
