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Visitors with valid drivers licenses sat in one of three vehicle cockpits and drove a simulator car with worn shocks for three minutes. Then, signaled by voice cues, they pulled into a Monroe service center and received new, virtual absorbers. |
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 ven the most mechanically challenged car owner knows to put air in the tires or change the oil. But when it comes to shocks and struts — most people don’t have a clue.
To educate the marketplace and to promote its Monroe brand of shocks and struts, Lake Forest, IL, based Tenneco Automotive worked with Three Wide Marketing of Kansas City, MO, to develop a nationwide road show — the Monroe Ride Safe Tour. Its goal was to create awareness about its brand and products by teaching the public about overall
vehicle safety and maintenance.
The tour covered 40 cities in nine months, from April to December of 2003, with a total of 83 events and 122 show days. The 53-foot semi truck parked at events such as the Indy 250 in Pikes Peak, CO, the Canadian Tire National Convention in Toronto, and family fairs and festivals.
The tour’s target audience was families with children under 18, the group most concerned about automotive safety. “We wanted the tour to be family-friendly, not just geared to the car-owning male,” says Richard Alameddine, vice president of marketing at Tenneco.
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Performance Tour
Monroe Ride Safe Tour
Tenneco Automotive
Three Wide Marketing, Kansas City, MO, 816-448-6768, www.threewidemarketing.com
Barrett Displays, Riverside, MO, 816-746-4752, www.barrettdisplays.com
$1-$1.5 million |
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Monroe’s 53-foot semi travels to 40 cities in nine months. |
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A rollover-simulator car mimics the effects of a 35-mph rollover crash. |
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Educational displays, a worn-shock tester, and video footage are on display inside the trailer. |
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ASE master mechanics are on hand to lead informational sessions and answer questions. |
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The trailer contained video footage, a worn-shock tester, a list of warning signs, and education areas on child seats, seat belts, air bags, and proper driving behavior. Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) master mechanics traveled with the tour staff to lead sessions and answer questions.
Visitors could also enter their vehicle information at interactive kiosks to receive a custom safety report, which included any recall notices and a maintenance schedule based on mileage, style of driving, and estimated wear on shocks. Attached to the report were coupons and locations of the three Monroe product installers nearest to them.
Outside, visitors witnessed the dangers of hazardous driving through two simulators. The rollover simulator car — a modified four-door vehicle with crash-test dummies seated inside — mimicked the effects of a 35-mph rollover crash.
The interactive shock-simulator car attracted 37,124 visitors (38 per hour). Visitors with valid drivers licenses sat in one of three vehicle cockpits and drove a simulator car with worn shocks for three minutes. Then, signaled by voice cues, they pulled into a Monroe service center and received new, virtual absorbers.
“Guests could experience how it really feels in an emergency when shocks degrade — but in a safe environment,” says Jon Stephens, account supervisor at Three Wide Marketing.
Tenneco also aimed to educate its secondary audience, automotive-parts installers and store managers, through local installer and garage days it hosted in parking lots and warehouses. Tenneco’s 47 retail appearances reached 1,100 mechanics.
By the end of 2003, the Monroe Ride Safe Tour generated 107 media mentions, from local TV and radio references to trade publication and newspaper articles. More than 152,000 visitors experienced the tour — 25-percent more than the original goal of 122,000.
Of the visitors surveyed, 27 percent said they had never purchased ride-control products, such as shocks and struts. After the tour, 89 percent reported they would now purchase such products — 79 percent most likely from Monroe, which translates into a possible sale of 26,124 sets of shocks and struts.
With results like those, it’s not shocking that Tenneco plans to continue the tour throughout 2004.  |
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Rebecca Huls
staff writer |
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