Bringing the Test-Drive to You
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

Long live experiential marketing.
That’s the message coming from the savviest branding and marketing experts these days, as companies are learning how to target an audience of potential customers even before they pitch their products.
The managing director of Strat@comm, the transportation-focused Detroit subsidiary of Fleishman-Hillard, Kim Skeltis, says that mass marketing might work well for certain items, but not for big-ticket purchases like automobiles.
Ms. Skeltis says that her firm recently completed a 50-city neighborhood “ride-and-drive” to prepare for the American debut of the Smart Car, the tiny German subcompact. Potential buyers of this car are often found in health food supermarkets, trendy coffee shops, upscale retail outlets, and art galleries.
“We’re cutting through the clutter and going straight to the people who are likely to buy a Smart Car,” she says.
These experiential test-drives save auto dealers time because potential customers who decide to take the next step and visit a dealership when the car arrives in America won’t have to spend as much time kicking the tires.
This week, Ms. Skeltis also helped lead a “Fantastic Voyage” marketing campaign aimed at showing potential Chrysler minivan buyers how to pack the vehicle for long road trips over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.