Perhaps you’ve noticed there’s a lot of anger in society today.
Various factors (information overload, politics, lack of trust, social media algorithms, economic pressure, blame-seeking, mental health crises) contribute to the problem.
And much of this spills onto our highways, making them 11% more dangerous than they were just 10 years ago.
Road rage involves aggressive or angry drivers and includes yelling, rude gestures and dangerous driving aimed at intimidating others. Forbes Magazine reports, “Between 2014 and 2023, road rage shootings increased by more than 400%.”
California has the worst road rage, and in the past 12 months, 41% of drivers nationally witnessed an act of road rage. Thirty-two percent experienced road rage from another driver, and 22% felt it themselves.
As this is a marketing column, a few additional statistics are in order:
- 95% of Americans pay attention to vehicles with advertising on them
- The average American has 300 online connections
- Several million vehicles have “HOW’S MY DRIVING?” bumper stickers
Last night, my friend Lorraine told me about a vehicle driving erratically and displaying a bumper sticker like that. She immediately called the toll-free number on the sticker to report it, but received no response.
Figuring they don’t care about details, Lorraine now refuses to buy from the company.
Perhaps her reaction isn’t logical, but it’s certainly legitimate. She reported a problem, only to be ignored.
Your business may also announce itself with a magnetic sign, vinyl decal, vehicle wrap, license plate frame, bumper sticker, or car-top sign. They’re inexpensive, a good way to get your name known, and can provide significant returns on the investment.
However, recognize going in that, in addition to budget, format and design, it’s important to consider how your employees’ driving skills will reflect on your company.
As my father used to say, problems can pop up with any company, but how they deal with it shows you whether they’re a quality firm.
And as Lorraine — an intelligent and thoughtful woman not prone to rash conclusions — has demonstrated, the one thing every business should never do is to ignore a customer’s complaint. Because she’s got a lot more than 300 friends online, and she’s already spreading the word about this firm.
I’m guessing she isn’t the only one.
With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.
Drive better sales. https://amzn.to/4hoslft
